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Date:	Tue, 14 Sep 1999 03:36:58 PDT
From:	Peter Skye <pskye@peterskye.com >
Reply-To:	scoug-general@scoug.com
To:	scoug-general@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-General: Live Video Internet Feed From Warp Expo West

Content Type: text/plain

Note from Peter Skye: This is a copy of the press release we
distributed today to the news media.

Contact: Rollin White (Rollin@scoug.com)
1-562-596-5121 office

Tuesday, September 14, 1999

Press Release - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
____________________________________________________________

Live Video Internet Feed From Warp Expo West

Warp Expo West announces something very special - a live video feed
over the Internet from the show floor.

You'll be able to watch the video on your Netscape browser.

The continuous broadcasts will begin when Warp Expo West opens it
doors on Saturday.

At this time we aren't exactly sure how many channels of video we will
deliver. The system itself can supply four different channels and we
hope to have all four up and running. There are multiple T1 lines in
place to deliver these four video channels to the Internet backbone.

There are some technical issues that still need to be worked out. The
audio feed is one we're still working on, and fine tuning the HTML code
for your Netscape browser is another.

Still, the video system worked fine in tests on both Saturday and
Sunday and we're confident we can deliver live video to you on "show
day" this coming Saturday. There will be a special link on the Warp
Expo West web pages and you won't need anything but your Netscape
browser.

This is not a "webcam". This is full-motion video, just like you see
on your television.

Even with the multiple T1 lines there are some bandwidth issues and we
may have to reduce the image size, increase the compression level or
restrict the number of simultaneous users depending on how many people
choose to "tune in". A lot depends on the average bandwidth of viewers
like yourself, since cable modems and DSL lines will load our video
system more than 56K modems. Consider this a part of OS/2 history, as
we take a "first shot" at sending full-motion video to your computer
screen.

The idea for the live video feed belongs to Tim Katz of Demand
Systems. (Demand Systems is an OS/2 preinstaller and an exhibitor at
Warp Expo West.)

Tim Katz did the engineering design work, lined up the equipment and
first tested the fully completed system on the Demand Systems network
last Saturday. He and Steve Schiffman, the Network and Facilities
Director for Warp Expo West, then tested the system at the show site on
Sunday.

There was plenty of preparation for the final test. "I had to ensure
that our supplier network was capable of supplying the bandwidth
required," said Schiffman, "and that meant checking on each segment of
the uplink. We'll have cameras in the lecture rooms and in the
exhibitor area, and we'll supply a combination of live video feeds and
repeat broadcasts of the most popular lectures."

Tim Katz had to work out some last-minute connections and spent part
of the testing time working on the HTML. "Netscape supports live video,
but Internet Explorer requires a special add-on which we won't support,"
said Katz. "The Netscape HTML is coded in a certain way and it took a
bit of experimentation to get it right."

And Tim McCoy, owner of Demand Systems and present during the tests,
was very pleased. "We like to come up with a solution no matter what
the problem, and live video on the Internet is in everyone's future for
seminars, trade shows, even family events such as weddings and any
gathering of people. It's cost effective."

Rollin White, Chairman of Warp Expo West, said that "watching live
video over the Internet is a great demonstration of why OS/2 is a
leading technology platform."

And Terry Warren, President of The Southern California OS/2 User Group
(SCOUG), the show's sponsoring organization, said "This is the
technology of the future and we're pleased that SCOUG can bring this new
benefit to OS/2 users via Warp Expo West."

- - -

Warp Expo West is free, free, free. The show will be held on
September 18 near Disneyland in sunny Southern California. All the info
is at

http://www.scoug.com/warpexpowest

Sponsored by The Southern California OS/2 User Group.

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SCOUG, Warp Expo West, and Warpfest are trademarks of the Southern California OS/2 User Group. OS/2, Workplace Shell, and IBM are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners.