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HP and Industry Partners to Demonstrate New Concept in Streaming Media Delivery at MCAST 2000
Splash II Project Also Illustrates Metropolitan Area Network Concept
PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 7, 2000 -- Hewlett-Packard Company, in conjunction with a number of industry partners, is set to debut a scalable, streaming media distribution system that will deliver Internet audio, video and other Web content across several disparate public and private networks in support of the mcast 2000 trade show in this month.
The initiative, dubbed the Splash II Project, is significant because it represents the first time the latest content-delivery technologies have been engineered to transmit a variety of digital content over a global network infrastructure that includes the public terrestrial Internet, multiple satellite networks and terrestrial broadcast TV spectrum. This watershed project is a headliner at the fourth annual mcast 2000 event, which takes place at the San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel on Feb. 7 through 9.
The multicast pioneers constructing this revolutionary content-smart network include Bloomberg, HP's ProCurve Networking, Hughes Network Systems, Intel, Internet Initiative Japan, KICU-TV Channel 36, KNTV NewsChannel 11, Microspace Communications, Netcom Systems, Nortel Networks, Optivision, Priority Networks, Real Networks, SkyStream Networks, Stardust.com, Teleglobe, UUNET, Virgin JamCast and Yahoo!.
ProCurve Networking by HP is supplying the switches for the exhibition's Local Area Network (LAN), specially constructed for the show at the Marriott Hotel. The event showcases Ethernet's ability to handle the performance and quality of service (QoS) demands of voice, video and data in today's converging networks. It also demonstrates the capabilities for Ethernet to handle the future of interconnected networks, including Metropolitan Area Networks (MAN). HP believes Ethernet will play a key role in the future of networks and communication beyond the LAN.
"The Splash II Project not only represents an advancement in streaming media technology, it also showcases the ability of Ethernet networks to meet the future performance and QoS demands of interconnected networks," said Jan Bell, worldwide marketing manager for ProCurve Networking by HP. "Today's Ethernet networks can robustly handle the increased data and image traffic as well as on-demand audio and video. We can see a future where Ethernet can be the foundation of terabit switching and fiber-optic transmission in public networks."
Incorporating terrestrial and satellite links and unicast-to-multicast gateways, this inter-domain network will demonstrate the integration of multicast-enabled IP infrastructures with traditional broadcast-TV signal delivery. Splash II shows IP carrying TV signals and DTV (Digital Television) broadcast signals carrying IP to "rabbit-ear" antennas. mcast 2000 attendees will view the innovations on HP Kayak PC Workstations and will be able to experience the project content, learn about the network infrastructure, and interact with the engineers and companies who put it all together.
Paul Congdon, ProCurve Networking by HP chief architect, will be discussing HP's vision for extending IP Multicast-enabled Ethernet beyond the LAN on a panel called Broadband and Content's Future. Congdon will appear Tuesday, Feb. 8, with Mayra Langdon Riesman of FilmScouts, who has worked with HP at the Cannes Film Festival in the area of the convergence of media/entertainment and technology.
"The rapid growth of traffic on the Internet and corporate intranets and extranets is swamping traditional network architectures," said Martin Hall, chief technology officer at Stardust.com. "At the mcast 2000 event, attendees will see real-world implementations of ground-breaking techniques for delivering all kinds of digital content to massive business and consumer audiences over existing data and TV broadcast networks -- and on an unprecedented scale."
About ProCurve Networking by HP
ProCurve Networking by HP is a leading supplier of networking products, including Ethernet hubs and switches, routing switches and network-management applications, that allow customers to build proactive networks.
Information on ProCurve Networking by HP, visit the ProCurve Networking by HP Site.
About HP
Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services.
HP plans to launch Agilent Technologies as an independent company by mid-calendar 2000. Agilent consists of HP's test and measurement, semiconductor products, chemical analysis and healthcare solutions businesses, and has leading positions in multiple market segments.
HP has 83,200 employees worldwide and had total revenue from continuing operations of $42.4 billion in its 1999 fiscal year. Information about HP, its products and the company's Year 2000 program visit the HP Site.
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