NetNews Offline 2/NetNews Offline Volume 2.iso/news/comp/sys/amiga/misc-part2/12424

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From: [e-mail] (Jeroen T. Vermeulen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Re: NEWS:AMIGA TECH SOLD!!!!!!
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 96 16:42:18
Organization: Leiden University, Mathematics & Computer Science, The Netherlands
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In article <4kkrj5$[e-mail]> [e-mail] (C. Taylor Sutherland III) writes:
> In article <4kkl6i$[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Jim Ventola) writes:
> >
> > Bought it for 10 million and sold it for 40 million.  Is that right?
> > How much did ESCOM pump into the Amiga before selling it.
> >
> > How big a company is VIScorp.  I hope does well.
>
> I've never heard of them...not that that says anything.  ;)

They were present at the original post-buyout press conference where Escom
announced that they had taken over Commodore, and explained their plans. Here's
Don Gilbreath's speech on that occasion:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DRAFT

DON GILBREATH SPEECH
ESCOM PRESS CONFERENCE
MAY 30, FRANKFURT

Hello, my name is Don Gilbreath. I have 12 years' association with
Commodore. I have worked in various capacities from engineering to
technical sales and marketing. As a Director of Product and Market
Development, I designed and managed among other products the team that
brought CDTV to market.

I am happy to be here today for the re-birth of Amiga. After spending some
quality time with ESCOM management, I am convinced they possess the
marketing finesse and strength to make Amiga successful into the 21st
century.

Currently, I am Chief Technical Officer for VisCorp, an interactive
set-top box developer and application designer based in the United States.
Our executive offices are in Chicago, and we have engineering teams based
in West Chester, Pennsylvania and the Silicon Valley. VisCorp is the first
company to be granted a license to use the Amiga technology in interactive
set-tops.

Before I explain why we believe Amiga is the right platform of choice for
set-tops, let me explain the current landscape of North American set-top
offerings.

IT IS A MESS - MASS CONFUSION! Companies are scrambling, forming joint
ventures for the purpose of joint ventures...




Amiga2.iff:
----------

We are aware of some 40 set-top projects. Seventeen design wins alone are
for Philips chip sets and an OS9 derivative (DAVID), the closest
competition for an Amiga offering.

Some of the other set-top projects (or camps) range from pure video game-
based platforms such as Nintendo, Sony, and Sega to a multi-functino, cost
prohibitive (in terms of memory) Microsoft-based platform as well as
similar offerings from Apple, SUN, and Silicon Graphics. Amiga will find a
home between these two ranges in terms of cost/features and the development
community.

There is another camp which tend to be as much of a *target* as a potential
*partner* and include Scientific Atlanta and General Instrument. They are
currently not as strong in computer technology as cable modems, video
delivery, and authorization schemes. There is synergy and relationships
will develop between Amiga and these two companies in particular.

What is this set-top business all about?

    1. Selling product - initial hardware sale/lease or licensing - the
      enabling technology.

    2. Potential of ongoing revenues - hard goods, soft goods - providing
      movies, telephone service, and grocery shopping

    3. Controlling transactions - classic gate keeper model.

We need a consortium because the following is at stake:

    1. Self-interest in semiconductors - hardware design win.

    2. Operating system dominance - where applications reside.

    3. Delivery system dominance - cable, teleco, radio, satellite, etc.

    4. Development community - tools and understanding of next generation
      software.

    5. Secure transactions - financial and developer community backed
      (musicians to software writers). To the customer, it must be
      friendly and secure.



Amiga3.iff:
----------


Set-top world common goal:

    1. Low cost -

    2. Content rich - variety

    3. Deploy a platform to meet the above parameters: Allow an upgrade
      path similar to a computer i.e. cable model du jour, MPEG audio/
      video, etc., ISDN, wireless cable modems, etc.

The confusion:

    1% homes wired for 2-way high speed data...

The confusion stems from how this magic, high-speed data arrives to the
home: is it from a telephone, satellite, radio, cable, or some hybrid?
In out model it does not matter. We have OEM activities today in all of
these areas.


Our present VisCorp model, which is in homes today under the guise of a
market test, is a hybrid model utilizing both analog telephone and
broadcast data video. When the cable modem and digital audio and video
technologies settle, the federal laws may change as well. Our strategy is
to deploy a product that is useful today but provides a migration path to
this over-hyped, high-speed, low-cost world we don't live in.

The current product:

Over the past few years, we at VisCorp have been developing an Interactive
set-top platform. The VisCorp product starts by converging the television
set with the telephone. It converts the television set into an executive
speakerphone with one-touch on-screen dialling and caller ID. It has
built-in filters and font generators to convert on-line data services to
text that is readable at standard television viewing distances. It has a
built-in credit card reader and can support electronic directories,
classified advertising, and catalog shopping applications. Other features
include on-screen TV listings with one button recording capability, sending
faxes and


Amiga4.iff:
----------

Email, and accessing Internet and multi-participant games (thousands
playing simultaneously) that in some cases are tied to live TV events with
national scoring in place prizes and cash where legal.

The VisCorp product is currently being tested on a cable system in a
Detroit suburb where it is also supporting one-touch ordering of
pay-per-view and access to local bulletin board service including
restaurant reviews and local civic information.

So this sounds like a great product. So why the Amiga? Is there something
wrong? Absolutely nothing. It is our entry model, suitable today, and can
be sold at retail 1995 for under $300 or the price of a feature-rich
telephone, which it is. We have a custom chip program nearing completion
that further cost reduces this product and enables further dimensions in
interactive television in terms of the toy industry and education.

The Amiga-based version will be our second model. We plan to embark on a
crash program to further develop a chip set with our combined licenses and
patented technologies with Amiga functionality. The combined Amiga/VisCorp
interactive television platform will support all currently envisioned
interactive applications with the exception of full motion video on demand
and practical speed CD audio delivery. We do not think this is a handicap
as a base case offering. Speciality markets or cable customers can be
addressed with additional modules.

We encourage an Amiga set-top consortium to be formed immediately. We
believe a minimum base case design including encryption technology, if
possible, would be supported by consortium members. Since this platform is
destined for world markets, a software rating mechanism would include
parental lockout of adult features and include reviews, top sellers, etc.
This standard must be in place in a similar fashion to that of the movie
and music industry, thereby freeing the software development community to
treat it as a guaranteed publishing platform with secure distribution of
content and payment. This device which many of us will build in various
configurations will handle digitally secured conference calls to movies on
demand. The hools must be in place. Thanks to ESCOM with the Amiga
platform, we have an opportunity to change television.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


There's even a picture of him; I still have it.  Should anybody want it, feel
free to mail me.


>      One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
>      One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
>      In the Land of Mordor, where the Shadows lie. -JRR Tolkien
> <->                  C. Taylor Sutherland, III               <->
> <->      IRC Nick:  NIV       <-> [e-mail] <->

--
============================================================================
#  Jeroen T. Vermeulen   \"How are we doing kid?"/   Yes, we use Amigas.   #
#---  [e-mail]    ---\"Oh, same as always."/--         ...          --#
#[e-mail] \ "That bad, huh?"  /  Got a problem with that? #
MS Windows:  If the Tienanmen murderers can use it, so can you.