[3] softcom Signals New Era in Streaming Video and E-Commerce Interactivity.Entertainment Editors NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2000 Streaming Video A one-way video transmission over a data network. It is widely used on the Web as well as company networks to play video clips and video broadcasts. Computers in home networks stream video to digital media hubs connected to a home theater. Now Truly Interactive with Real-Time Data Real-time data denotes information that is delivered immediately after collection. There is no delay in the timeliness of the information provided. Some uses of this term confuse it with the term dynamic data. , Features and Commerce for 95 Million RealPlayer Users; Java Technology Brings Content Owners and Developers Powerful New Digital Distribution Tools to Build Communities and Create New Revenues softcom, Inc., a privately-held creator of interactive streaming video technology, today announced that interactive streaming video and e-commerce would enter a new era with the integration of softcom's MediaPlatform(TM) technology into RealNetworks(R)' award-winning RealSystem G2(R). MediaPlatform(TM) embeds Java(TM) applets directly into the RealPlayerG2(R) and RealPlayer 7(R) to transform streaming video into a dynamic and engaging interactive experience that seamlessly integrates e-commerce, advertising, information, chat and other functions into entertainment, news and sports programming. softcom's MediaPlatform(TM), based on Sun Microsystems' Java(TM) technology, is designed as a RealSystem G2 AutoUpdate component and can be obtained immediately, giving more than 95 million registered users of RealPlayerG2(R) and RealPlayer 7(R) access to the Web's most multimedia rich interactive programming and e-commerce capability from a growing number of video content developers. For entertainment and media companies, the integration of softcom's patent-pending technology into RealSystem G2 will add new value to their media assets by providing a powerful set of digital distribution tools for building community and driving commerce. softcom combines this proprietary technology with an end-to-end solution (jargon) end-to-end solution - (E2ES) A term that suggests that the supplier of an application program or system will provide all the hardware and/or software components and resouces to meet the customer's requirement and no other supplier need be involved. Compare: turn-key solution. that includes a customized interface, encoding See encode. , server integration, video hosting, application hosting and backend reports. - Entertainment producers can add depth and context to their shows, tap into new forms of targeted advertising and promotion, give viewers the opportunity to learn more about their characters, view on-demand previous episodes and story lines, and communicate with other fans, all while watching their favorite shows; - Record companies can create virtual communities behind streaming video, in which fans can "meet" through chat rooms and message boards, check out a band's tour schedule, look up the life stories of their favorites stars and buy CDs with a single click; - News and information organizations now can let their viewers create their own interactive news shows, featuring up-to-the-minute video feeds, archived footage, relevant news text and streaming real-time data; - Sports broadcasters, leagues, teams, and sports event sites can now offer fans the complete experience. Fans can enjoy replays and footage on-demand, a universe of sports statistics and trivia, the ability to "jock 1. jock - A programmer who is characterised by large and somewhat brute-force programs. 2. jock - When modified by another noun, describes a specialist in some particular computing area. talk" with fellow fans and rotisserie players, and instant e-commerce opportunities to purchase team apparel, equipment, memorabilia and collectibles. - Professional education companies can provide users with the flexibility to attend courses or conferences while sitting in front of their computer. Utilizing a pay-per-view or video-on-demand model, users can select from a slew of interactive offerings that will change the face of distance learning. "The integration of e-commerce and broadband streaming media See streaming audio, streaming video and digital media hub. delivery made possible by RealPlayer G2 and softcom's technology, enables a compelling new economic rationale for entertainers and retailers to move their content and commerce online," said Martin Dunsmuir, general manager, Broadband Systems, RealNetworks, Inc. "softcom's technology and the RealPlayer G2 offer a great delivery solution for any transactional business built around the use of broadband streaming media." softcom co-founder and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Chris O'Brien Chris O'Brien is a record producer from Ireland. Chris has worked with artists as diverse as The Human League, Clannad, The Waterboys, Lucie Silvas, Perry Blake, The Blue Nile, Luan Parle, Aslan, Gemma Hayes, Westlife, Perry Rose, Dove and multiplatinum selling Japanese group W-inds. said: "Together with RealNetworks, our interactive video solution will help drive e-commerce and generate additional revenues from content providers' existing video assets. The combination of the RealSystem G2 with softcom's MediaPlatform(TM) technology brings a long-anticipated promise closer to reality: the advent of truly interactive video that adds new dimensions to viewers' lives and new ways to digitally distribute and `monetize' video. With RealNetworks and Sun Microsystems Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA[3]) is an American vendor of computers, computer components, computer software, and information-technology services, founded on 24 February 1982. we are helping customers from Hollywood to New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , from Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley An area in New York that has become known for its companies devoted to multimedia and the Internet. It is located in Manhattan's "Soho" district, which does not stand for Small Office Home Office, rather it is SOuth of HOuston Street. , present their content online in a way that transcends today's notions of streaming video to create a multimedia-rich social, learning and shopping experience." Like RealSystem G2, softcom's MediaPlatform(TM) supports quality video across the complete range of Internet platforms and other emerging consumer applications over connections ranging from dial-up modems to broadband. softcom and Java(TM) technology creator Sun Microsystems are also collaborating on using Java(TM) technology as a tool to seamlessly distribute interactive video content between television (via set top boxes) and desktop computers as part of an alliance formed last September. Bill Correll, worldwide group manager, digital media markets, Sun Microsystems, Inc., said: "softcom's pioneering application of the Java video platform opens the door to a new realm of e-commerce and video interactivity, offering entertainment companies a `write once, publish anywhere' solution for their streaming video. We are excited about the integration of MediaPlatform with the RealSystem G2, and the milestone it represents for Java technology as an Internet entertainment content development tool." Combined with RealProducer 7.0(R), the world's most ubiquitous tool and platform for creating high quality streaming audio A one-way audio transmission over a data network. It is widely used on the Web as well as company networks to play audio clips and Internet radio. Computers in home networks stream audio (mostly music) to digital media hubs connected to home theaters. and video content, softcom's MediaPlatform(TM) services and technology allow studios, cable and broadcast networks and other video developers to deliver high-quality video over the Internet to a global audience. RealNetworks, RealPlayer, RealSystem, and RealProducer are trademarks or registered trademarks of RealNetworks, Inc. About softcom softcom's mission is to make streaming video the driver of commerce and entertainment on the Internet, providing content owners and retailers a dynamic new way to monetize their multimedia assets - today on PCs and desktops, tomorrow on television set-top boxes The cable TV box that sits on "top" of the TV "set," although it is often located several feet away in an equipment rack. The set-top box descrambles the premium channels and provides a tuner for the higher cable numbers that very old TVs did not support. and digital television. softcom has developed a breakthrough interactive video technology, MediaPlatform(TM) that embeds and synchronizes Java applets A Java program that is downloaded from the server and run from the browser. The Java Virtual Machine built into the browser is interpreting the instructions. Contrast with Java application. within streaming video and provides a full range of capability including SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) Pronounced "smile." A format for delivering and synchronizing multimedia content on the Web. Introduced in the summer of 1998 by the W3C, it is a document type (DTD) of XML and provides the timing commands that and ATVEF (Advanced Television Enhancement Forum) A consortium of broadcast, cable and computer companies founded in 1998 that developed the ATVEF Enhanced Content Specification, an HTML and JavaScript-based format for adding content to interactive TV. . MediaPlatform(TM) allows video to stream simultaneously and synchronously syn·chro·nous adj. 1. Occurring or existing at the same time. See Synonyms at contemporary. 2. Moving or operating at the same rate. 3. a. Having identical periods. b. with e-commerce, advertising, data, chat and other interactive applications - all within a single display. An application service provider (ASP), softcom utilizes its proprietary technology as the central component of a comprehensive interactive video solution. softcom is currently partnering with traditional entertainment and retail companies and professional education institutions as well as Web-based enterprises to create interactive solutions that drive e-commerce transactions, generate new advertising revenues and aggregate end-user traffic. |
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