Conference 7.286::digital

    Check out.
    
DECspin video conferencing      ERLANG::USER11:[PALMER]DECSPIN              4189
    
    			Alfred

    Yes.Decspin and we also supply third party kit from Mentec in
    Europe.Call me or contact Pat Horgan.
    Cheers
    

    I believe that much (or all?) the Digital site-installed video
    conferencing equipment is supplied by Picturetel.
    
    Jim

U.S. News                                      LIVE WIRE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Digital enters on-demand video market (19-Oct)  	Date: 19-Oct-1993
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							Page   1 of 1  
                Digital enters on-demand video market 
 
         Digital announced today that it will provide an integrated 
   server platform to deliver video-on-demand and other interactive 
   services for U S WEST Communications' proposed broadband 
   communications trial.  Pending Federal Communications Commission 
   approval, the U S WEST trial is scheduled to begin in Omaha, Neb. in 
   1994.
         Digital has developed this new server platform specifically to 
   address the requirements of an all-digital broadband infrastructure 
   that supports a range of new interactive services such as movies and 
   other video entertainment on demand, multimedia, interactive games, 
   home shopping, education and information, and more. The platform 
   incorporates Digital's Alpha AXP processors, StorageWorks disk 
   storage arrays, Digital Linear Tape (DLT) library subsystems, 
   interactive gateway unit, server management unit, and GIGAswitch, a 
   high-speed networking switch linking the various elements together. 
   Finally, recognizing that cost per subscriber will be the key 
   determinant in the success of the market, Digital has designed a 
   software environment that maximizes the efficiency of the multimedia 
   data delivery.
         In the U S WEST Omaha trial, Digital will work in partnership 
   with The 3DO Company, supplier of interactive technology that will 
   provide the capability for video-on-demand and other informational 
   programming, and with a broadband network supplier. The result will 
   be a flexible, end-to-end client/server solution that provides a 
   rich and robust environment for content and application providers.
         "Digital's work with US West and 3DO to provide consumers with 
   video on-demand services shows our combined focus on the end-user, 
   and how relationships like these will result in the delivery of 
   high-value interactive services," said Paul Kozlowski, vice president, 
   Communications, Education, and Media Business Unit.  
         "The convergence of computers, communications and entertainment 
   is creating a new world of multimedia services. The potential for 
   this video-on-demand service, when coupled with the National 
   Information Infrastructure, is boundless.  Digital is well-
   positioned to utilize its expertise in open client/server computing, 
   consultation and integration projects to carry this breakthrough 
   development into other markets with equal promise," he added.

    And Digital Learning Services sell a service to plan, design, and
    deliver videoconferencing. We call it Business Television and have a
    reference story with Rank Xerox.
    
    Call Andrew Fry on 830-4422.
    
    

  Re .4: Video on demand is quite different from videoconferencing. I think what
.0 is asking is, do we manufacture the end-user equipment for videoconferencing,
and as far as I know the answer is no. The videoconference room here at LKG
uses PictureTel equipment.
  Videoconferencing equipment might be a good thing for Digital to get into,
if PictureTel doesn't have the technology "locked up" via patents. There is
plenty of room for improvement. I was in a videoconference a year ago and we
could not keep the camera focused when there was a terminal screen in the
picture. Someone told me that the autofocus on the cameras can't be turned off.
Also, the motion in the pictures is very jerky. If there are two or more people
in the picture and one of them is talking, you often can't tell who is talking.
The compression algorithm makes the picture act very strange if there are any
patterns in the picture (such as curtains) and the camera or subject moves.
It is also said that sign-language interpreting is almost useless due to this.
We really need full-motion video before videoconferencing can realize its full 
potential.

As mentioned previously check out DECspin (one of Digitals many well
kept secrets). If you have access to the WWW (Mosaic) look at the page :

http://gatekeeper.dec.com/archive/pub/DEC/DECinfo/html/key-multimedia-index.html



As an aside I gave a DECspin demo over a year ago. At the same event they
had a very expensive fixed installation type teleconferencing system. I
arrived with two decstations. In the time I set up the DECstations and got
DECspin up and ready to go they were still messing trying to adjust and
get the fixed installation to work.



/Paul.

    PictureTel is also a customer, of sorts. I just repaired a Mac SE at
    their local sales office in Houston last week.
    
    Bob, if you can come up with a compression algorithm that can condense
    all the data required to transmit full-motion color video across a
    standard telephone line you'll be quite a wealthy man! :-) It's like
    trying to move a lake from one location to another through a straw.
    
    There's a tremendous amount of data invloved. The reason for the
    jerkiness is that they have to drop a lot of frames due to bandwidth
    limitations.
    
    Harry