SunVideo Plus Card Gives Sun Workstation Users the Power to Capture and Compress Real-Time Audio and Video

Business Wire, Nov 12, 1997

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 1997--Extending its commitment to the technical computing marketplace, Sun Microsystems, Inc. today introduced the SunVideo(TM) Plus card, an advanced real-time audio and video capture and compression subsystem. SunVideo Plus offers users of Sun's PCI I/O-based workstations an economical way to use and/or develop applications which include desktop video conferencing, Internet video broadcasting, digital authoring and content creation, video mail and audio or video capture.

As the demands of workstation users become increasingly sophisticated, the ability to access and manipulate audio and video for a wide variety of applications is rapidly emerging as a driving force in the marketplace. SunVideo Plus is an essential enabling technology for developers and users of applications such as video conferencing, corporate broadcasting, live or pre-recorded training, CD-I, and video on-demand and video libraries. In addition, the price/performance advantage offered by SunVideo Plus will benefit users and creators of emerging applications such as telemedicine, manufacturing process control and distance learning.

"As we build our customer base in markets such as digital authoring and content creation, it is critical that we give these users, as well as those in technical markets which already rely on Sun(TM) systems, the tools they need to take their work to the next level," said Genelle Trader, senior director of marketing for workstations and graphics products, Sun Microsystems Computer Company. "SunVideo Plus supports five different video compression/decompression formats (codecs) and four different audio codecs while the competition only supports one or two, and it is still priced in line with the competition."

SunVideo Plus, which includes video technology from Multimedia Access Corporation, is a 33MHz, 32-bit PCI card that fits into a single PCI slot in Sun's PCI I/O-based workstations running the Solaris(TM) 2.5.1 operating environment or later. The card can capture, digitize and compress video received in NTSC or PAL formats (the two most popular video signal standards worldwide) from video cameras, VCRs, videodisc players and other sources. The compressed digital audio and video produced by the SunVideo Plus card can then be transmitted over networks, stored on disk or displayed in a window on the user's workstation screen. Because SunVideo Plus automatically recognizes and configures itself to accept the incoming NTSC or PAL video signal, users do not need to configure the product to accept the video input signal being transmitted.

The SunVideo Plus card supports all major audio and video codecs in hardware, including motion JPEG, MPEG-1, H.261 and H.263 for video and G.711, G.723 and G.728 for audio. In addition, SunVideo Plus supports acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) which, when utilized in a video conferencing application, minimizes the `echo' often experienced during a call. SunVideo Plus offers high performance video encoding and decoding at full frame rate, up to 30 frames per second, providing optimal support for full motion video compression and playback.

Because the SunVideo Plus card takes the task of encoding and decoding audio and video signals away from the workstation's central processing unit (CPU), it offers a significant advantage over software encoding solutions and uncompressed video capture boards. While these alternatives are viable, the burden on the CPU can substantially overwhelm or unbalance a system; SunVideo Plus frees the CPU to perform other computing functions. In addition, SunVideo Plus does not preclude the use of software-based solutions if a unique format or software enhancement is developed; its uncompressed formats can provide what software-based solutions need for both audio and video. This flexibility provides for substantially broader applications and higher performance levels than software-only based solutions.

All applications developed for Sun's popular SunVideo SBus card can run on the new SunVideo Plus card for PCI I/O-based systems, offering Sun customers binary compatibility with their existing applications.

Pricing, Availability and Support

The SunVideo Plus card is available for immediate delivery, and is competitively priced at $1,195. It is being sold through the direct sales channel and SunExpress, as well as by OEMs and systems integrators.

About Sun Microsystems

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer(TM)," has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., (NASDAQ: SUNW), to its position as a leading provider of hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $8.5 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the WorldWide Web at http://www.sun.com . -0-

Note to Editors: Sun, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems, SunVideo, Solaris and "The Network is the Computer" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.