HP, TCI and Smart Valley Collaborate to Bring School Programming into the Home; Sunnyvale's SE-TV is First Bay Area Digital TV Station.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 1995--Today marks the official launch of SE-TV, a school-business collaboration between Hewlett-Packard Company, TCI Cablevision, Smart Valley, Inc. and the city of Sunnyvale, resulting in an educational television channel for Sunnyvale schools.

Smart Valley (R), a non-profit trade association, was the catalyst that helped bring together HP's Broadcast Video Server technology and the latest fiber technology from TCI to create the first digital TV station in the Bay Area. SE-TV, on cable channel 28, provides video communication links between schools, students, and parents of the Sunnyvale community.

Busy parents in two-income or single parent households often lack connection with their children's schools. SE-TV will broadcast educational programs, school plays, lectures, and even homework assignments to some 25,000 TCI customer homes in Sunnyvale without the need for any special computer equipment in the home.

"It's been exciting for all of us. I've been impressed with how well the children work together as a team," said Kathy Levey, parent of Alicia Levey, one of the students in the Cherry Chase school video club. "I think that it has a lot of learning value for the kids. They have learned that it takes a team to put together a production and everyone plays an important role. Being able to tune in is a real service, it tells a lot about the schools and, of course, it's also exciting to see the kids on TV."

"Technology isn't always just for business," said Richard W. Anderson, HP vice president and general manager of HP's Microwave and Communications Group. "HP is committed to working with companies like TCI and Smart Valley to help bring leading-edge technology to local communities like Sunnyvale. The residents of Sunnyvale may not realize it, but when they watch SE-TV, they're watching the hottest new technology in television broadcasting since color...and their kids are running the station."

HP has upgraded the channel capability with the donation of a digital HP Broadcast Video Server, making SE-TV the first station of any kind in the Bay Area to use this new digital video technology. HP's Broadcast Video Server is fully automated for time-delay programming, so the Sunnyvale schools will not need a full-time broadcast technician, an issue which had been an obstacle in the past. In addition to HP's contribution of the server, Starlight Networks of Mountain View, California donated its StarWorks multimedia networking software that helps to manage and store digital video for broadcast by the HP Broadcast Video Server.

"TCI has built its business on strong community ties," said Dan McCarty, vice-president of TCI and Smart Valley director. "This project showcases what can be done with today's tools to enhance the quality of education and community involvement as we move into a new era of enhanced video and information services."

As an addition to their Sunnyvale cable system, TCI Cablevision has donated a fiber optic link from the video studio at Vargas Elementary school to the cable head-end for cablecasting of Channel 28.

Channel 28 offers 24-hour programming including TV shows created by students and faculty. Video production and cable technologies provide exciting ways to engage children who may not be getting the most out of traditional classroom activities. Knowing that their work will be widely viewed and will help to educate a "real" audience will inspire students to produce higher quality work.

SE-TV will also cablecast selected educational shows created by 22 different cable programmers, including Arts & Entertainment, The Discovery Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon, C-SPAN and The Learning Channel among others.

"We believe that the educational benefits to the students and the community will be tremendous," said Barbara Waldman, mayor of Sunnyvale. "In these days of tight budgets, it is a challenge to continue to enhance educational capabilities afforded by technology. Private-public partnerships are the key."

Evolution of Partnership

The evolution of this project began in 1991, when TCI began working with Sunnyvale educators and city government to utilize the planned educational access channel as a bridge between the schools and the community. Looking to enhance the capability of the channel, TCI, a member of Smart Valley since 1993, brought the opportunity to Smart Valley chairman and former HP CEO, John Young. Through the type of human "networking" that has made Silicon Valley, HP, also a Smart Valley member, joined the project at the end of last year with their donation of the video server.

"This is a perfect example of the type of creative applications that come out of the collaborative model that we support at Smart Valley," stated John Young, chairman of Smart Valley. "Technology is not fulfilling its potential if it is not improving our quality of life in some way. The challenge is to find innovative ways to help people change their lives. By leveraging new technology from both companies, Sunnyvale schools will have a new means of communicating with parents and the community."

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 99,900 employees and had revenue of $25 billion in its 1994 fiscal year.

TCI is the nation's largest cable television company, serving 12.7 million U.S. subscribers in 49 states, with operations in several foreign countries. In the San Francisco Bay Area, TCI has more than 600,000 subscribers. Tele-Communications, Inc. is traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange with Class A and Class B Common Stock, and Class B Preferred Stock, trading separately under the symbols TCOMA, TCOMB and TCOMP, respectively.

Smart Valley, Inc. is a non-profit organization committed to creating an electronic community based on an advanced information infrastructure. This mission is being lived out through collaborative infrastructure projects in: education, healthcare, local government, business and the home. Smart Valley has become the focal point for Global Information Infrastructure networking between member companies, as well as other entities, regionally, nationally and globally. Smart Valley is affiliated with Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, a broad-based, grassroots coalition of initiatives begun in 1992.

CONTACT: Hewlett-Packard Company

Christine Martino, 408/553-3945

or

TCI Cablevision of California

Rebecca Haugh-Marshall, 408/452-9100 ext. 3315

or

Cunningham Communication, Inc. for Smart Valley, Inc.

Rona Broderick, 408/764-0740