REPEAT/InfoLibria and Avid Technology Introduce Internet's Most Powerful Streaming Media System Using Microsoft Windows Media

Business Wire, Oct 12, 1999

WALTHAM and TEWKSBURY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 11, 1999--

-- Makes Convergence of Multimedia on Broadband Networks

Possible; System Powers an Unprecedented 1,600 Simultaneous 1 Mbps

Streams --

InfoLibria, Inc., a company enabling service providers to deliver content-based Internet services, and Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVID), a leading provider of digital video and audio tools for information and entertainment applications, today unveiled a powerful streaming media system that will allow Internet service providers to deliver television-quality audio and video to end-users on demand. The system, which includes technologies from Avid, InfoLibria and Microsoft Corp., can deliver an unparalleled 1,600 unique, one-megabyte multimedia streams at once, making it the most powerful streaming media solution available today. With this system, service providers can host high-quality multimedia content for customers seeking to deliver video and audio to Web users.

The system is based on Avid's Unity(TM) shared storage technology and InfoLibria's MediaMall(TM) streaming media system, which takes advantage of Microsoft Windows NT and Windows Media Technologies. Together, the Avid and InfoLibria technologies offer up to 1.6 gigabits per second of multimedia streaming capacity that enables the system to deliver a full-screen, TV-quality experience to 1,600 broadband customers at once. Because the product will be installed close to the user at a cable provider's headend or super-headend, or DSL provider's central or local office, users receive a high-quality stream through a broadband connection. The system, scheduled for availability in Q4'99, can also be used on a standard narrowband network to stream multimedia, increase network efficiency, and reduce load on origin servers.

A complete system has been demonstrated at the Microsoft Partner Solutions Center in Redmond, Wash., where InfoLibria is one of 50 companies worldwide selected by Microsoft to participate in its partners program.

"For our customers, the Internet holds incredible potential. Until now there has not been a way to ensure that consumers will enjoy the same viewing experience on the `Net as they do with traditional media," said Bill Miller, chairman and CEO of Avid Technology, Inc. "This solution has the potential to enable content created and stored on Avid systems to be distributed over the Web and to be experienced in the way our customers intended."

"InfoLibria and Avid's solution is an excellent example of what the Windows Media Broadband Jumpstart initiative is all about-- accelerating broadband adoption," said Will Poole, general manager, Marketing and Business Development, Streaming Media Division, Microsoft Corp. "Combining the superior quality and zero-cost-per-stream licensing of Windows Media with Avid and InfoLibria's uniquely scalable system, allows organizations and service providers to maximize performance for customers, while reducing cost and network congestion with innovative `edge of network' content distribution."

"Many in the Internet and entertainment industries have talked about convergence for a long time as if it were a reality, but this offering makes true convergence possible," said Ian C. Yates, president and CEO of InfoLibria, Inc. "Avid and InfoLibria are offering service providers the ability, for the first time, to deliver on the promise of broadband -- television-quality content delivered on-demand, anytime, anywhere. And because the system uses Windows NT-based technology, service providers can take full advantage of existing applications such as digital rights management and billing to form the core of a new revenue-producing business."

InfoLibria's products enable the efficient distribution of Web content to points on the Internet that are located at the "edge" of the network, close to users and away from the congestion of the Internet backbone. From the edge, using Avid Unity and Microsoft Windows Media Technologies, high-quality audio and video content can be delivered to users without the grainy video playback and audio degradation that frustrate many users today.

The system takes advantage of the power of Windows NT and can be integrated with the business applications commonly used by service providers. By uniting the Avid and InfoLibria systems with billing and rights management programs, the companies are providing the first real option service providers have for multimedia-enabling their networks.

The Avid and InfoLibria offering is the result of a joint marketing and development agreement enabling the companies to combine their products to revolutionize the way digital content is delivered over the Internet. The companies will continue working together to develop additional products for delivering broadband content on the Internet.

About Avid Technology

Headquartered in Tewksbury, Mass., Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVID) is an international, industry-leading provider of digital audio and video tools for information and entertainment applications. The company's products are used by a variety of customers worldwide including film, television and interactive content producers, TV news broadcasters, corporate communicators, and consumers. For more information, visit Avid's Web site at www.avid.com.