sunflash-Distributed to mailing list sunflash@suntri sunflash-Send requests and problem reports to owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash SUNSOFT INTRODUCES SOLARIS LIVE! SunFLASH Vol 51 #35 March 1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact: Laura Ramsey Org: SunSoft Inc. Phone: (415) 336-7039 Contact: Emily Cohen Org: Hi-Tech Communications Phone: (415) 904-7000 Technology Partnerships with Toshiba, Matsushita, Centigram SANTA CLARA, Calif. --March 29, 1993-- SunSoft, Inc., today introduced Solaris LIVE!, an extensive array of multimedia technologies for the Solaris distributed computing solution. Now users can achieve more powerful enterprise interaction by integrating multimedia elements into their electronic correspondence. Solaris LIVE! supports distributed, realtime workgroup collaboration, video conferencing, audio, and image integration into electronic documents. SunSoft also announced continued innovation in multimedia through technology partnerships with Matsushita Electric Industrial, Toshiba and Centigram to create value-added extensions to Solaris LIVE!. Solaris LIVE!, combines end user productivity tools and multimedia application programming interfaces (APIs) for audio, imaging and video. Solaris LIVE! enables software developers to create next-generation network-based multimedia applications today. Several independent developers have endorsed Solaris LIVE! and offer products which leverage these technologies including AimTech, CIMLINC, Gain Technologies, InSoft, Parallax Graphics, Paradise Software, RAD Technologies and SunSolutions. In addition, SunSoft stated that the vendors supporting the common open software environment are working together to develop an advanced architecture for distributed media which they will jointly propose to the Interactive Multimedia Association (IMA). These vendors include Hewlett Packard, IBM, SCO, SunSoft, Univel and Unix System Laboratories (USL). "The multimedia applications market is expanding beyond conventional audio and imaging capabilities into distributed, workgroup collaboration and desktop video conferencing," said Steve MacKay, vice president of user environments for SunSoft. "The Solaris LIVE! multimedia technologies provide developers with an industry leading platform for delivering these next-generation applications today." Product Highlights Solaris LIVE! enables enterprises to implement solutions which go beyond conventional multimedia applications. As an integrated part of the latest release of the Solaris distributed computing solution, Solaris LIVE! includes: Video, Graphics and Imaging--XIL, XGL,PEX,XLib -XIL supports capture, display, compression, decompression, transformation, storage and retrieval of video and image data. -XGL and PEXlib work in concert to provide advanced geometry operations for realistic 2D and 3D graphics and animation display. -XLib provides standard, pixel-based graphic support within X-windows. Audio-Device Independent Driver Interfaces: -Driver interfaces for capturing, manipulating and playing 8 and 16 bit audio datastreams. Media Exchange Solaris LIVE! uses ToolTalk and a specialized message set called Media Exchange to allow multimedia to be easily integrated into an application. Once integrated, these applications can transparently invoke media facilities available on the network. ToolTalk was recently adopted by the companies developing the common open software environment, namely HP, IBM, SCO, Univel and USL. DeskSet Tools The Solaris operating environment provides users with multimedia desktop tools that further enhance enterprise-wide distributed communications and productivity. The Multimedia MailTool can attach images, audio or video files that can then be sent to any machine on the enterprise network. The AudioTool provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for recording and playback of CD-quality audio. ImageTool provides a GUI for capturing, manipulating and displaying images in more than 40 industry standard formats. Technology Partnerships SunSoft has also announced technology partnerships to provide external device control, text-to-speech and other multimedia API extensions to Solaris LIVE!. SunSoft and Matsushita Electric Industrial (MEI) of Japan are working in cooperation to make device-independent device control protocols available in the Solaris environment. Centigram Communications Corp., San Jose, Calif., has announced the availability of TruVoice, a text-to-speech converter and API interface that transforms any text passage into spoken English or Spanish. In addition, Toshiba, of Japan, is working with SunSoft to bring Japanese text-to-speech capabilities to Solaris. Third-Party Multimedia Applications Several third-party multimedia applications are available today for the Solaris 2 distributed computing environment. Utilizing the elements of Solaris LIVE!,AimTech, Gain Technologies, Insoft, Paradise Software, Parallax Graphics, RAD Technologies, SunSolutions, and others have delivered applications or supporting hardware for authoring, audio processing, desktop video conferencing, shared whiteboards, multimedia mail and workgroup productivity. Future SunSoft also indicated future directions for Solaris LIVE! which include integration with telephone systems, and object oriented extensions through Project DOE that will make development and deployment of distributed multimedia easier. Additionally, the cooperative work through the common open software environment and joint proposals to the IMA will make enterprisewide multimedia solutions possible. Pricing and Availability Some elements of Solaris LIVE! have been included in prior versions of Solaris, and now all of these multimedia capabilities are bundled with the latest release. SunSoft, headquartered in Mountain View, California, is a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems, Inc. The company has offices in North America, Europe and Asia. SunSoft is a leading supplier of 32-bit system software solutions for SPARC and Intel 80386/486-based computers. The products are licensed by SunSoft and distributed through major computer manufacturers and resellers worldwide. ### (c) 1993 Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, SunSoft, Solaris, Solaris LIVE!, DeskSet, MailTool, AudioTool, VideoTool, ImageTool, XGL, XIL, ToolTalk, and Media Exchange are trademarks or registered trade- marks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. SPARC is a registered trademark of SPARC International, Inc. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. All other products or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu, ftp.uu.net, sunsite.unc.edu, src.doc.ic.ac.uk and ftp.adelaide.edu.au All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@Sun.COM. +1 305 351 4909.