ViewCast.com Ships First Production Units of Osprey-500
Optimized Exclusively for the Windows Media Format, New Osprey Professional SDI and DV Capture Card Endorsed by Web Broadcasters
DALLAS (Aug. 14, 2000) � ViewCast.com, Inc. (Nasdaq: VCST), a leading provider of Internet and networked video solutions, today announced the shipment of the initial production units of the new Osprey-500 DV Pro, the first professional-grade video capture card designed specifically for the capture of broadcast-quality digital video for streaming media. The new product was announced April 10 and demonstrated at the National Association of Broadcasters Conference 2000 (NAB2000) jointly by Microsoft Corp. and ViewCast.com.
The Osprey-500 DV Pro was developed by ViewCast.com�s Osprey Technologies Division and was optimized exclusively to support the Microsoft Windows Media Format with cooperation from Microsoft�s Digital Media Division. It is the first capture card to be tightly integrated with the new Windows Media Technologies 7 Encoder and Format for audio and video.
Professional broadcasters have eagerly anticipated the Osprey-500 DV Pro and the initial reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
�We used the board to prepare a special, high-speed version of our software web courses for delivery on CD-ROM,� said Michael Bussler, CEO for Algor, Inc. �We use regular encoders for our Web sites and the Osprey-500 for our high-speed, high-quality special projects. Based on our testing, the Osprey-500 is heads and shoulders above any boards we�ve ever used. It�s a fantastic product.�
"Having the Osprey-500 DV Pro in our production architecture allows us to encode our customers SDI digital video into Windows Media without having to degrade quality by doing a digital to analog conversion,� said Pete Mountanos CTO of Streaming Media Corporation. �We are very excited by the prospect of maintaining an entirely digital production path for video.�
"With the Osprey-500 DV Pro, it�s quality in, quality out for streaming media," said Neal Page, vice president and general manager of ViewCast.com's Osprey Video Division. "The Osprey-500 DV Pro, integrated with direct capture in Windows Media 7 Format, creates 'pure' end-to-end digital video for streaming and removes the video-quality degradation caused by the multi-step video-conversion process of the first generation existing capture cards and software."
ViewCast.com's Osprey-500 DV Pro, with integrated Windows Media support, delivers the industry's first capture card designed specifically to overcome the direct capture problems and file size barriers broadcasters face when converting their professional-quality digital video to a high-quality Internet digital video stream. This collaboration between ViewCast.com and Microsoft represents a major milestone for professional broadcasters, because it enables them to target Internet-based audiences with the same high-quality digital content they have created for the broadcast domain. It also allows anyone with a digital video (DV) camera to plug into the world of streaming media without any loss in quality.
�Microsoft has worked closely with ViewCast.com on its prototypes over the past year to ensure Osprey customers will be able to take full advantage of our breakthrough Windows Media 7 audio and video quality,� said Kevin Unangst, group product manager, Digital Media Division, Microsoft Corp. �The new Osprey-500 DV Pro clearly offers industry-leading card design and will finally provide broadcasters and content creators with the �pure� end-to-end digital video quality they need for broadcast streaming.�
The Osprey-500 DV Pro is currently shipping in North America, and scheduled for shipment to Europe and the Pacific Rim in September 2000. Companies that are interested in finding out more about the Osprey-500 DV Pro or would like to purchase a board, should send a request to [email protected] or visit the new Osprey Video web site (http://www.ospreyvideo.com) for purchasing information. Prospective buyers can also call the Osprey Video division at (919) 319-9200.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The Osprey-500 DV Pro is a 32-bit PCI card that provides capture and optional deinterlacing, scaling and color-converting of video from SDI (SMPTE 259M), DV (IEEE 1394 Firewire) and analog source inputs (composite video and S-Video). Audio capture includes balanced and unbalanced analog source inputs, a professional digital input (AES/EBU via XLR connector), two consumer digital inputs (S/P-DIF), and audio from the DV source.
The Osprey-500 DV Pro, together with the new Windows Media Encoder 7, offers several key benefits to professional and "prosumer" video content creators:
Higher-quality streamed video from professional video source content. For the broadcast industry, the Osprey-500 DV Pro is the first capture board of its kind to offer direct real-time streaming of popular digital sources without conversion to analog stage. Higher-quality, direct digital video capture means higher-quality streamed video for all types of Internet- and intranet-based video broadcasts.
The Serial Digital Interface (SDI) support allows easy and reliable integration into any broadcast setting while preserving the full quality of professional sources.
For users of DV cameras and tape decks, the board also includes hardware decoding and scaling of DV/IEEE 1394 signals, enabling easy and lossless integration with cost-effective consumer and prosumer digital sources. For compatibility with full-range video sources, the Osprey-500WM/DVPro also includes high-quality analog video capture in the form of composite video and Y/C (S-Video) inputs.
For audio capture, Osprey-500 DV Pro provides support for the majority of common analog and digital formats. It sports direct capture of digital audio in both AES/EBU and S/P-DIF, eliminating any contamination of the audio signal by the PC hardware. Analog audio is also supported with professional balanced input with reliable XLR connections and RCA jacks for input from unbalanced consumer sources.
Higher-quality live content. Built-in "preprocessing" at the card level, rather than on the PC, generates higher-quality live content, even in demanding high-motion sequences. The Osprey-500 DV Pro card can deinterlace video from any of the video sources because it captures in real time, which improves the quality of every video � particularly motion-intensive scenes such as sports or action sequences - at any bit rate. In addition, on-card hardware scaling delivers the exact image size specified by a user of Windows Media.
About ViewCast.com
ViewCast.com enables video communication over the Internet and corporate networks through its components, systems, and turnkey solution products. The company is known as a leading global provider of enterprise-wide, digital video communications solutions for both real-time and on-demand applications. Osprey� video capture cards and codecs, ViewCast� Streaming Video Solutions and Viewpoint VBX System� products deliver a wide array of video solutions for both analog and digital video communication systems. ViewCast.com�s "Your Video on the Web�" was the first consumer product and hosting service to bring streaming media capabilities to home users and allow small businesses to easily add video to their web sites. ViewCast.com has the ability to deliver cutting-edge networked video solutions while delivering systems to transition legacy video communication equipment. ViewCast.com products are available either directly from the company, or from leading OEMs, system integrators, leading resellers and application developers worldwide.
Visit the ViewCast.com Web site (http://www.viewcast.com), or you can visit our new Osprey Video Web site (http://www.ospreyvideo.com) for more information.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which reflect the Company's current judgment on certain issues. Because such statements apply to future events, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially. Important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are described in the Company's reports on Form 10-KSB and 10-QSB on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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