#Scala Press Release I
9 messages in this thread
Contacts:
John Hillman
Scala, Inc.
708 853-1082
eMail: john.hillman@scala.com
Linda R. Barker
L. R. Barker & Co.
303 628-5442
eMail: linda@lrbarker.com
Website: http://www.scala.com
ScalaFax Fax-on-Demand System: 703-713-6874
For Release May 9, 1995
At NCTA Booth 6807
Scala to Preview Multimedia Products for PCs
Dallas, May 9, 1995 — Scala, Inc. will preview a new suite of multimedia
software products for IBM and compatible PCs at the National Cable Television
Association trade show in Dallas May 8 to 11 in Booth 6807. Chosen by more
than 40,000 users on the Commodore Amiga platform, the new multimedia
authoring, multimedia networking and interactive television products for PCs
will begin shipment later this year worldwide.
Scala software has been adopted not only by individual users and corporations
in more than 40 countries, we have been chosen as strategic partners by
Ameritech, by General Instrument, by Thorn EMI, Philips Business Electronics,
and now by NBC ON SITE, said John Hillman, Scala vice president of marketing.
With the completion of the Scala BackBone architecture, we can not only
complete a port to DOS, but we can port to other operating systems with
relative ease from this point forward. This new architecture also allows Scala
software to co-exist with Windows and still perform at a speed and quality you
would not think possible.
Scala MultiMedia MM100
MM100 gives PC users access to powerful multimedia capabilities. It includes
predefined backgrounds, fonts, symbols, animations, sounds and music and, via
Scala's Human Touch interface, allows a user to create a complete multimedia
presentation quickly. By pointing and clicking to define hot spots with Scalas
Button feature, the user can make this presentation interactive. The modular
Scala EX system lets users add external video cards, laserdiscs, VCRs, CD ROM,
sound cards and more as their needs dictate. Key applications for MM100
include business and infotainment presentations, training programs, interactive
kiosks, and video titling and enhancement.
Scala InfoChannel
InfoChannel is Scalas primary information distribution product, providing full
desktop broadcasting functionality for public and private cable networks. Now
in its fifth generation, InfoChannel makes it easy to update, schedule, and
transmit information to an unlimited number of TV screens. It provides all of
the authoring capabilities found in MM100 and adds scheduling, networking and
continuous information feed capabilities.
With this functionality InfoChannel is well suited to the needs of private
corporate television networks, such as Ameritechs AmeriChannel, which carries a
daily broadcast to many of Ameritechs 65,000 employees in five states. Another
application for InfoChannel which is expected to see rapid growth in the years
ahead is point-of-sale networks, such as NBC ON SITE, which is being installed
in 11,000 supermarkets, mass merchandisers and fast food establishments
starting this summer. Philips Business Electronics announced at the CeBIT
trade show in Hannover, Germany, in March plans to incorporate InfoChannel
software into their industry standard 16:9 monitors, to be used as
easy-to-update point-of-information and point-of-sale displays called
Infoboxes.
Scala Interactive Television
Scala ITV products are being licensed by strategic partners to be resident
software on their set-top boxes for playback of multimedia applications. Scala
and General Instrument formed a product licensing agreement last year to
develop new technology that will directly benefit home viewers of satellite
television. The new technology will enable viewers to navigate simply and
quickly through increasing numbers of broadcast channels and to access services
offered by the satellite TV providers. Installation is scheduled to begin in
late summer.
Scala develops and markets computer-based television information solutions.
Available in eleven languages, Scalas multimedia tools are used by more than
40,000 customers in more than 40 countries. The company is headquartered
outside Washington, DC, with international headquarters in Oslo, Norway, and
subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden.
– END –
Scala, InfoChannel and the Scala logo are registered trademarks of Scala, Inc.
John-
>>This new architecture also allows Scala software to co-exist with Windows and
still perform at a speed and quality you would not think possible.<<
I particularly liked this part. <G>
Mr. Zombie
I was at the NCTA show in Dallas. The Scala booth (really an open area with
seating for a couple dozen people and a video wall) was attractive and always
seemed to have people around. The demos were great. I missed you, but spoke
with a number of your colleagues, including Michael Sinz. I was all over that
200,000 sq. ft. exhibit floor and Scala's demo was easily the most impressive.
It made the cable converter set-top interfaces in other areas look sick.
Right after viewing the Scala booth demo, I went to a workshop and watched one
of the presenters, a cable industry exec, struggling to make his relatively
static slide-show presentation — done on a PC-based Novell software
presentation package — work as intended. He had to reboot Windows twice.
Crude, crude, crude.
I noted that Scala has signed on with some developers of set-top hardware (you
could see the evidence of Scala's presence in several other booths) and will be
interested to see the results. I also noted that Scala has thrown in with the
group that's supporting the Microware DAVID set-top OS alternative to
Microsoft's software. Smart.
The only marketing problem you may have: The software is so adept and the
presentation so fast and slick that casual viewers could be excused for
assuming there was a big fat "black box" hidden under the table, doing things
impossible for an ordinary user. Of course, we know that black box is an Amiga.
While the Scala folk were very interested in talking Amiga one on one, the
platform was not mentioned in any of the print or oral presentations. I
understand why, but it was amusing to see what appeared to be the Amiga version
of the software being used to pitch a PC product. Either that, or the
multimedia OS you're using for the PC version depends on Amiga-style device
names like DH0: 🙂
A couple of the Scala people I spoke with let slip that the PC version will be
available on CD-ROM with numerous demo scripts. Hopefully they will be readable
by the Amiga version, and hopefully use Amigans will get a discount for
"upgrading" (not really!) to the CD-ROM version, so I can get my hands on those
demos and all the attendant clip art, backgrounds, etc.
The only mystery left unanswered: Whether the PC version will be dongled.
40,000 Amiga users of Scala! That's big sales in our realm. Chances are, the
PC version could do half a million pieces, in that event.
>>"upgrading" (not really!)
Yeah, upgrading from 262144 colors to 256.
Bart Van Bockstaele at 100574.2352@compuserve.com
… On AutoPilot and Amiga all the way from Belgium …
Thanks, guys, for mentioning the Amiga part of your heritage! That's
something few companies do. And congrats on your new affiliations! 🙂
— Tom
We do. (mention the Amiga as part of our heritage) 🙂
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
> We do. (mention the Amiga
Ben, you keep giving me reasons to be glad I'm a customer of yours. Now cut
that out! ::chuckle::
— Tom
I haven't been shy about Syndesis's Amiga origins, either. I usually say
something like "we got our start in the Amiga market in 1987," and so far, no
one has guffawed. 🙂 In fact, I think the Amiga still has a certain cachet
even though the product is in trouble. You can't ignore the hordes of
Amiga-philes, both developers and users, who magically appeared three steps
ahead of everyone else when the PC market decided it needed multimedia and
graphics.
Not only can't ignore them, probably it's counter-productive. We've got seven
active Amiga products, all of which still sell every day… I'm not about to
duck and cover on this, if it's irritating to anyone, well, too bad. 🙂
–Ben
…via AutoPilot