Ligos Technology: A New Innovator in Multimedia for PCs and the Internet; San Francisco-Based Company Launched At SIGGRAPH.

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 4, 1997--Ligos Technology, a company established to bring advances in multimedia technology to both PCs and the Internet, was launched today in conjunction with the opening of SIGGRAPH, the computer graphics industry's annual trade show.

The official announcement was made at a press conference held by the VRML Consortium at the Omni Hotel. Ligos' breakthrough technology, found in its Web-based 3-D authoring and MPEG video compression tools, helps make rich multimedia content a reality.

"Ligos empowers Web developers and content providers with the advanced tools they need to create richer, more compelling content that will dramatically change the Internet from today's static text and graphics," said Peter Forman, the company's chief executive officer. "Now that VRML 2.0 has become the industry standard for Internet 3-D and multimedia, there is about to be an explosion of exciting interactive content directed at mainstream Internet users."

Included in the company's product line are V-Realm(TM) Builder 2.0, the award-winning VRML authoring package, and LSX, a new software compression tool for MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. V-Realm Builder was previously marketed by Integrated Data Systems, a Savannah, Ga.-based company that has an extensive background in the development of state-of-the-art multimedia applications. Ligos, based in San Francisco, is a wholly owned subsidiary of IDS.

"Both V-Realm Builder and LSX make it easier for users to unleash their creative energy," said Forman. "They provide a high level of integration, power and performance for networked multimedia applications."

V-Realm Builder 2.0 allows Web designers and content providers to create visually enhanced Internet sites by providing them with a set of powerful tools that take full advantage of the unique capabilities of VRML 2.0 (Virtual Reality Modeling Language). Working in conjunction with a new generation of Web browsers that allow seamless integration of VRML into traditional HTML sites, these tools deliver impressive 3-D graphics and media for a variety of exciting Web content, including interactive advertising, data visualization and virtual reality applications. With V-Realm Builder 2.0, businesses can now take full advantage of their investment in the Internet by bringing their Web sites to life.

Ligos' newest product is the LSX-MPEG Encoder, the industry's first software encoder that provides video compression for both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video. Utilizing Intel's MMX technology, it delivers the fastest, highest-quality software encoding while maintaining small file sizes and low data rates.

It also provides users with variable compression ratios, giving them fully scaleable, video compression that enables real-time, cost-effective implementation of video online. LSX's simple and intuitive interface allows it to be used by a wide variety of multimedia developers from novices just entering the field to professional content providers.

For more information on Ligos and its products, contact the company at 415/437-6137 or via e-mail at [e-mail] . Complete details may also be found at the company's Web site at www.ligos.com . -0-

Note to Editors: Product photography available upon request. For press review copies of V-Realm Builder 2.0 or LSX contact Steve Sylvia in San Francisco at 415/928-8295 or [e-mail] .

V-Realm is a trademark of Ligos Technology. All other trademarks are the properties of their respective companies.

CONTACT: Sylvia Communic@tions

Steve Sylvia, 415/928-8295

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Nancy Reuscher, 415/331-7218

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Ligos Technology

Susan Stearman, 415/437-6137

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