Starlight Networks continues to lead the video server marketplace with the introduction of StarWorks 2.0 including support for live video.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 23, 1995--Starlight Networks, the leading supplier of multimedia networking solutions, Monday announced the release of StarWorks 2.0. With StarWorks 2.0, Starlight becomes the only video server vendor to integrate both live and stored video applications on enterprise networks. StarWorks 2.0 features StarWorks-TV, a one-way broadcast capability, increased storage capacity with hardware RAID array support, improved client interfaces on Windows and Macintosh systems and new networking support. StarWorks 2.0 is also the first video server application for Sun Microsystems' Solaris platforms (StarWorks for Solaris) as announced in October 1994. "With release 2.0 and live and stored video integration, StarWorks furthers its role as the leading application for video server software for the corporate enterprise market," said Jim Long, president of Starlight Networks. "The new storage and networking features will help Fortune 1000 customers more easily deploy networked multimedia applications." New Networking Features StarWorks 2.0 now provides full SMT (1) (Surface Mount Technology) See surface mount. (2) (Station ManagemenT) An FDDI network management protocol that provides direct management. Only one node requires the software. SMT - Station Management support for FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) Often pronounced "fiddy," it was a LAN and MAN access method that had its heyday in the mid-1990s. FDDI was an ANSI standard token passing network that transmitted 100 Mbps over optical fiber up to 10 kilometers. hub connections in StarWorks-50M configurations using the StarLink video network adapter A printed circuit board that plugs into the bus of both user machines (clients) and servers in a local area network (LAN). Also commonly called a "network interface card" (NIC) or "LAN card," the network adapter transmits data onto the network and receives data from the network. . StarWorks has been tested with hubs from Alantec, 3Com, Cabletron, Chipcom, Cisco, Lannet, Network Peripherals and Synernetics. In addition, StarWorks will support 100BaseVG networks in the first half of 1995. New Storage Management Features StarWorks 2.0 will provide support for hardware RAID array controllers such as the Micropolis Gandiva Disk Array Controller A disk array controller is a device which manages the physical disk drives and presents them to the computer as logical units. It almost always implements hardware RAID, thus it is sometimes referred to as RAID controller. It also often provides additional disk cache. in the first half 1995. This allows RAID arrays to be used for content storage and provides fault tolerance See fault tolerant. (architecture) fault tolerance - 1. The ability of a system or component to continue normal operation despite the presence of hardware or software faults. This often involves some degree of redundancy. 2. for single disk failures, on-line repair to recover a failed disk, and "hot swap To pull out a component from a system and plug in a new one while the main power is still on. Also called "hot plug" and "hot insertion," hot swap is a feature of USB devices, allowing an external drive, network adapter or other peripheral to be plugged in without having to power down the " disk replacement without affecting system operation. Using hardware RAID arrays, users can configure the StarWorks server with over 400 GB of storage. StarWorks 2.0 also provides support for Fast/Wide SCSI-2 devices. In addition, StarWorks 2.0 allows users to load CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). multimedia titles on the server for network access of not only the video content, but also the multimedia application. This capability will be available by the first half of 1995. This facilitates, for example, the distribution of off-the-shelf CD-ROM products for video-based training and reference applications. StarWorks 2.0 now provides a new As Fast As Possible (AFAP AFAP Army Family Action Plan AFAP Australian Federation of Air Pilots AFAP Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and the Pacific AFAP As Fast As Possible AFAP Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program AFAP Artillery-Fired Atomic Projectile ) back-up option that allows non-realtime operations such as backups and restores to use any unallocated bandwidth available on the StarWorks server. This allows for fast video file transfer, and when a realtime-stream session needs bandwidth the bandwidth of the AFAP operation is reduced; thereby using the server bandwidth to maximum advantage. Improved Client Features On the Macintosh client, StarWorks will support QuickTime 2.0 and realtime recording of video streams to the StarWorks server in the first half of 1995. StarWorks on the PC client now provides a "Smart Scanning" feature that improves the performance of interactive movie players under Video for Windows The name of Microsoft's first video playback implementation in Windows. Supporting the AVI movie format, Video for Windows (VfW) was installed separately in Windows 3.x, but was later built into Windows 95 and subsequent versions. . Users can "shuttle" a video or search for a frame in realtime while editing the video stream. The PC client installation has been improved and a graphical diagnostics tool to display statistics related to the server operation will be available in the first half of 1995. Live Video Support with StarWorks-TV StarWorks-TV is a one-way broadcast feature of StarWorks 2.0 that allows users to broadcast a video stream over the LAN (Local Area Network) A communications network that serves users within a confined geographical area. The "clients" are the user's workstations typically running Windows, although Mac and Linux clients are also used. . The video stream may be from a live analog source converted to digital video, or a digital video file stored on the StarWorks server. Individual users can view a live video session broadcast on the LAN; and a stored video they choose from the video server, in multiple windows simultaneously. In addition, users can record the broadcast video stream to the server or their local client for later viewing. "StarWorks-TV is a LAN-based broadcast video service that allows corporate users to integrate live video on the desktop," said Long. "It is much more than televisions at the desktop. For example, StarWorks 2.0 with StarWorks-TV provides network and bandwidth management Controlling the traffic flow in a network. See bandwidth manager. to ensure high-quality delivery of live broadcasts and coordination with stored video-on-demand streams, as well as storage to the server capability." Applications possible with StarWorks and StarWorks-TV include distance learning courses, remote monitoring (protocol) remote monitoring - (RMON) A network management protocol that allows network information to be gathered at a single computer. Whereas SNMP gathers network data from a single type of Management Information Base (MIB), RMON 1 defines nine additional MIBs that provide a of unattended manufacturing processes, distribution of corporate TV channels and other corporate communications Corporate communications is the process of facilitating information and knowledge exchanges with internal and key external groups and individuals that have a direct relationship with an enterprise. programs to the desktop, live TV news delivery, and security and surveillance delivery of live images to guards' desks. Since a StarWorks server can be added to existing local area networks, StarWorks can be more cost-effective than installing an analog network for TV and live video applications. With StarWorks-TV, a PC configured with StarWorks-TV Broadcaster software receives analog signals, from sources such as a camera, TV channel, or VCR VCR: see videocassette recorder. VCR in full videocassette recorder Electromechanical device that records, stores on a videotape cassette, and plays back on a TV set recorded images and sound. , and digitizes them and multicasts the digital video stream over the network. The StarWorks-TV Viewer resides on the PC client and allows users to view the broadcast, selecting from multiple "channels" if available, and record the broadcast locally or to the server. StarWorks-TV functionality can be easily integrated into multimedia applications since StarWorks-TV supports Video for Windows and Multimedia Control Interface (MCI (1) (Media Control Interface) A high-level programming interface from Microsoft and IBM for controlling multimedia devices. It provides commands and functions to open, play and close the device. (2) (Microwave Communications Inc. ). In addition any existing Video for Windows application (e.g. Media Player) can access a StarWorks-TV stream without modification. Indeo and motion JPEG See MPEG and JPEG 2000. Motion JPEG - Moving JPEG video compression Encoding digital video to take up less storage space and transmission bandwidth. See video codec and data compression. video compression - Compression of sequences of images. formats are currently supported with MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group) An ISO/ITU standard for compressing digital video. Pronounced "em-peg," it is the universal standard for digital terrestrial, cable and satellite TV, DVDs and digital video recorders (DVRs). support coming by the first half of 1995. StarWorks-TV is available with the StarWorks 486/Pentium EISA (Extended ISA) Pronounced "ee-suh." A PC bus standard that extends the 16-bit ISA bus (AT bus) to 32 bits and provides bus mastering. ISA cards can plug into an EISA slot. server software and will be supported in StarWorks for Solaris by the first half of 1995. StarWorks-TV currently supports up to 100 simultaneous Viewers, and up to 300 simultaneous Viewers will be available by the first half of 1995. Up to five Broadcasters may exist on the network. Pricing and Availability StarWorks 2.0 is currently shipping and is priced at $24,995 for StarWorks-50M, $14,995 for StarWorks-25M, $8,750 for StarWorks-12M, and $4,495 for StarWorks-6M. StarWorks 2.0 ships with 1 StarWorks-TV Broadcaster and a five Viewer license. Additional Broadcasters are priced at $1,495 for 2 additional Broadcaster stations; additional simultaneous Viewers can be added in increments of 10 Viewers for $1,495 and 50 Viewers for $4,995. Site licensing is available on request. All current StarWorks customers covered under Starlight's one-year support plan will receive StarWorks 2.0 upgrades, including StarWorks-TV, free of charge. For those customers whose support has expired, Starlight is offering a special upgrade price of $495, effective until March 31, 1995. About Starlight Networks Starlight Networks develops multimedia networking software to manage video and audio traffic on enterprise networks. Starlight's StarWorks and StarWare video networking server software products provide video storage management and video session and stream management functions to ensure reliable delivery of video to the desktop over today's local area networks, including Ethernet, Token-Ring, and FDDI. StarWorks' open systems approach supports the delivery of video and audio across multiple server and client platforms. StarWorks supports all of the popular video formats and network operating systems on PCs and Macintosh systems, as well as Sun Microsystems' SPARC-based Solaris 2.x operating environment. StarWorks server software runs on 486/Pentium and SPARC-based servers. StarWare is a Novell NetWare-based video networking software solution. Starlight Networks is located at 325 E. Middlefield Rd., Mountain View, CA 94043; phone 415/967-2774. CONTACT: Starlight Networks Inc., Mountain View Barbara A. Baker, 415/967-2774 ext. 305 Lindsay PR Mary Lindsay, 408/984-7242 |
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