Press Release

EDITORIAL CONTACTS:

Michele Reina, HP
(408) 447-5334
mreina@cup.hp.com

Mary Lindsay
Lindsay PR for Starlight Networks
(408) 985-9976
4007894@mcimail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HP AND STARLIGHT NETWORKS TO PROVIDE NETWORKED DIGITAL-VIDEO SOLUTIONS ACROSS ENTIRE RANGE OF HP COMPUTER PRODUCTS



Starlight on HP NetServer and HP 9000 to Offer Scalable Video Solutions Over Existing Networks


COMDEX, Las Vegas, Nov. 13, 1995 -- Hewlett-Packard Company and
Starlight Networks have agreed to work together to provide networked digital-video solutions across the entire range of HP computer products, from PC-based to UNIX® system-based servers. This announcement is the first step in a joint, worldwide alliance to provide networked digital-video solutions across an enterprise.


Starlight and HP also are working together to provide preconfigured solutions and to promote sales of those solutions through HP's direct and indirect channels. HP and Starlight plan to jointly pursue enterprise multimedia application areas such as information-on-demand, performance support and video training in a range of markets such as financial services, telecommunications and retail.


Resulting from the alliance is a multimedia server based on the next generation of Starlight's StarWare® software on HP's PC NetServer line. Under the agreement, Starlight is porting its StarWorks software to the HP-UX platform. Additionally, Starlight's software will support HP's Vectra PCs on the client side, giving HP a complete multimedia network solution.


"Hewlett-Packard and Starlight Networks are simplifying the integration of multimedia networks and making it easier for companies to add high-bandwidth applications to their networks," said Carl Lehmann, senior research analyst, The Meta Group. "Through their ability to support a large number of users from a low-cost PC platform, they are establishing a breakthrough in price/performance, one that other companies will likely find difficult to compete with. A lot of companies we talk to are already considering networked multimedia applications, but have been waiting for price/performance improvements. This is it. This will help to generate new networked multimedia applications."


HP, a leader in delivering open client-server solutions, can meet a broad range of user needs for networked multimedia applications, from Intel-based HP NetServers (for workgroup applications up to 100 concurrent users) to the HP 9000 Business Server, which can support hundreds of users distributed across large organizations.


"We see Starlight and HP's combined expertise in applying new technologies as a significant benefit to customers. We also view Starlight's applications as a key technology in supporting network delivery of streamed data,"said Dan Abouav, managing director of Interactive Media Solutions at HP. "We expect that this offering will help customers realize such potential benefits of interactive media as increased productivity, competitiveness and revenue."


"Multimedia applications have been proven in the market's early-adopter stage, and customers are now implementing or planning wider deployment of networked multimedia applications," said Jim Long, president of Starlight Networks. "The HP and Starlight relationship builds on our respective strengths to offer scalable, affordable and easier-to-implement networked media solutions to help fuel deployment."

HP NetServer and Starlight StarWare 2.0 Solution


The combination of the HP NetServer and Starlight's StarWare 2.0 gives companies, for the first time, a feasible and affordable entry-level solution for networked multimedia. StarWare 2.0 on the HP NetServer is ideal for low-end workgroups and small companies that want to share high-bandwidth multimedia applications over a network. StarWare 2.0 is easy to add to existing NetWare networks and provides an easy, scalable growth path to more-powerful HP systems as users' networked multimedia needs grow.


A media server preconfigured with StarWare on HP's NetServer supporting 50 concurrent users and storing 20 hours of MPEG-1 video, for example, will be approximately $28,000. StarWare 2.0, which supports the same clients and networking middleware as Starlight's StarWorks product, allows users to start with StarWare on the NetServer and easily scale up to StarWorks for HP-UX on the HP 9000 Business Servers, expected to be available in 1996.


"It is a pleasure to learn of the relationship between Hewlett-Packard and Starlight Networks," said Dave Barnell, managing director of worldwide customer service, planning and training, Federal Express Corp. "We have a large installed base of HP servers for our customer-service representatives throughout the country. This gives us the best of both worlds: support for multimedia from Starlight and the continued relationship with HP, which we value for its excellent products and service."


Starlight Networks is the leader in providing multimedia services over enterprise networks with its StarWorks® and StarWare® multimedia networking server software products. StarWorks and StarWare provide multimedia storage management and network delivery management functions to ensure reliable delivery of video and audio to the desktop over today's networks. Starlight Networks is located at 205 Ravendale Drive, Mountain View, CA 94043; phone (415) 967-2774; worldwide web site, http://www.starlight.com


Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 99,900 employees and had revenue of $25 billion in its 1994 fiscal year. HP's worldwide web address is http://www.hp.com



StarWare and StarWorks are registered trademarks, and Starlight Networks and Starlight are trademarks of Starlight Networks, Inc.

UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited.

X/Open is a trademark of X/Open Company Limited in the UK and other countries.

HP-UX 9.X and 10.0 for HP 9000 Series 700 and 800 computers are X/Open Company UNIX 93 branded products.

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