IT’S OFFICIAL: MULTIMEDIA PIONEER MARC CANTER LEAVES MACROMIND

Marc Canter and MacroMind/Paracomp Inc. have parted ways. Canter, who founded MacroMind in 1984 and who for many years was the most visible and vocal industry promoter of multimedia technology, has left the San Francisco-based company, effective January 1.

Canter began a six-month leave of absence from MacroMind in February, amidst rumors that he would soon leave the company. He will continue as a director and remains its largest shareholder.

Canter added that his departure was a “mutual decision” made by him and MacroMind, which this year merged with graphics software developer Paracomp, also based in San Francisco.

Industry sources, however, say Canter was dissatisfied with the change of direction MacroMind had taken, including its merger with Paracomp and its acquisition in November of sound tools — the Mac Recorder digitizer and SoundEdit software — from Farallon.

Tim Mott, MacroMindl•Paracomp president and CEO, said that Canter’s departure will have only a “minimal” effect on the company. “He has been absent from the company for most of the last year while on sabbatical and this will effectively and operationally be a continuation of that,” Mott said, adding that Canter will continue to work as a consultant for the company.

GAIN TECHNOLOGIES JUMPS INTO UNIX AUTHORING MARKET; MATSUSHITA IS PARTNER IN DEVELOPMENT

Palo Alto, CA-based GAIN Technologies, né Cayenne Systems, is about to ship the beta version of its Unix object-based multimedia authoring system for large-scale applications.

GAIN’s products may have significant impact in the Unix world. Its joint development partner is Matsushita, the Japanese consumer electronics giant, which invested millions in the company. It recently announced its intention to use GAIN technology to control audio-visual equipment, as well as to develop HDTV programming.

Though the agreement grants Matsushita certain rights to GAIN’s technology, the connection is not exclusive; GAIN is free to market the products to vendors as well as users.

GAIN products are built upon the paradigm of a relational database. Designed to run sans server over distributed heterogeneous networks, they obviate the need for the massive central storage a multimedia network might otherwise require.

Each of the five GAIN products has a specific function. GAIN Momentum is a general-purpose system for building large-scale hypermedia applications, with complete support for SQL databases to allow fast integration of rich data types. GAIN Insight is specifically designed for computer-based training and includes course administration, feedback and remediation tools.

GAIN Access is for building and delivering interactive online reference systems that navigate quickly through large volumes of multimedia data sources. GAIN Support is for authoring online help systems. And GAIN Exposure was designed to create and deliver demonstrations of any X Window system-based software.

TELECOM AND CABLE MIX IT UP IN UK

In what is likely to be an increasingly familiar scenario, telecommunications firm First Pacific Networks (FPN) has announced a strategic partnership with one of the world’s largest suppliers of broadband cable TV equipment, Jerrold Communications Europe.

The partnership will market FPN’s voice-data technology for use on British and European cable networks. Once installed on Jerrold’s Cableoptics architecture, the companies say, FPN’s Personal Xchange technology will support the delivery of a wide range of telephone services, fax transmittal, modem communications, shared data services and video conferencing to businesses and homes over standard cable TV wires.

Jerrold Communications, based in Reading, UK, is a division of General Instrument Corp. First Pacific Networks is based in Sunnyvale, CA; its products include multimedia networking systems and digital telephony switches.

FPN also recently signed a deal with Hyundai Electronics Industries to distribute (and eventually manufacture) Personal Xchange systems in Korea. FPN says Hyundai plans to use the system to develop multimedia workstations, deliver telephone services over Seoul’s cable TV system and build a basic telephone infrastructure in developing nations.

CD-I HITS BLOCKBUSTER, GETS OWN MPEG

As the result of a new agreement between Philips and Blockbuster Entertainment Co., Blockbuster — the largest video rental chain in the U.S. — will begin promoting CD-I software and hardware in its video rental outlets.

To make things even more interesting, Blockbuster also intends to purchase outstanding shares of Cityvision plc., the largest rental chain in the UK, and Philips has the right to purchase 50 percent of those shares or an equivalent amount of Blockbuster common shares. There was no announcement made about how Blockbuster may promote CD-I. The assumption is that it will rent
CD-I titles, just as it currently rents Nintendo cartridges.

In other CD-I news, the Moving Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) has agreed on an implementation of its video compression standard specifically for CD-I players. Philips will now begin to develop a chip that would allow full-motion video to be displayed within CD-I titles. The chip will be placed in future versions of CD-I players or added as an upgrade to the current players. Philips claims the first video-capable players will be released in Europe in the second half of 1992, with U.S. release in October of ‘92. It expects the first full-motion applications — such as interactive movies — in early 1993.

THE FIRST COMMERCIAL VR SYSTEM

Spectrum Holobyte, the company that brought you Tetris and the F-16 fighter simulation Falcon, has joined forces with Horizon Entertainment and W Industries to create an entertainment software company called Cyberstudio — devoted specifically to software for W’s Virtuality system.

Virtuality is billed as “the first virtual-reality system available for consumer use,” but don’t expect to rush out and buy one cheap. Virtuality is what’s known as “location-based entertainment,” as opposed to something you’d set up at home, and is priced as such at $55,000-70,000.

The companies involved say that Virtuality systems will be placed in selected shopping malls beginning this month. Though Cyberstudio doesn’t expect to launch its first original titles until early 1993, it’s already working on modifying existing Virtuality titles.

CABLELABS GATHERS COMPRESSION IDEAS

Cable Television Laboratories Inc. (also known as CableLabs), along with TeleCommunications Inc. (TCI) and Viacom — the largest cable operators in the country — and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), have just closed the response period on their Request For Proposals (RFP) for equipment and technology for digital compression program delivery systems.

The RFP calls for compression devices to enable the transmission of multiple channels or services over a single channel, be it satellite transponder, cable television head-end or public television station. The request specifies that the technology be interoperable with both today’s transmission capabilities and whichever digital television systems may be in operation in the future.

Since PBS signed on, the sponsoring group now includes a traditional broadcaster, not just cable operators. According to John Malone, chairman of TCI, the group expects that other organizations will soon join them in the development of this technology. He estimated that the RFP could result in a contract valued in the billions of dollars by the time it is complete.

While an RFP provides no assurances that such technology will be implemented, the fact that these companies have opened their technology acquisition plans to whomever is interested in participating is a sign that, at least in the television industry, interoperability and compatibility may be the norm, not the exception.

CableLabs, which was founded by a consortium of cable operators including TCI and Viacom, is the research facility for the entire cable television industry. Its charter is to ensure that different cable operators do not create independent and incompatible systems.

RESEARCHERS EXPLORE COMPUTER ETHICS

As increasing amounts of our communications are computer-mediated, not face-to-face, it’s critical that we face the ethical issues around personal privacy, ownership and control of information that such communications raise.

To this end, researchers at the University of British Columbia have designed a three-year research project called “Computer Ethics Through Thick and Thin,” funded by an Applied Ethics Strategic Grant from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The project will create two “virtual” colloquia, based on electronic mail, that will differ in the information available to their members. The “Thick” group will know each other only as continuing pseudonyms; the “Thin” group will be able to access whatever information its members contribute.

For a more detailed description of the project and information on how to join either group, contact Peter Danielson at the Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia. He can be reached via Internet at danielsn@unixg.ubc.ca or by voice line at (604) 822-4658.

CROSS-PLATFORM CD-ROM AT LAST?

The fact that ICOM Simulations, Inc., of Wheeling, IL, recently demonstrated its newest CD-ROM-based video game, called Sherlock Holmes, Consulting Detective, isn’t all that significant — even though the game employs a whopping 90 minutes of quarter-frame, 15-frame-per-second audio and video footage.

What’s significant about Sherlock Holmes is that ICOM is utilizing a proprietary compression scheme that can function on six different hardware platforms: Intel-based PCs, Macintoshes, NEC’s TurboGrafx-16 and PC Engine, Fujitsu FM Towns and Commodore CDTV. And, according to ICOM, additional platforms will follow.

While each platform requires its own disk — i.e., one disk will not play on multiple machines — using one generic algorithm to compress the video significantly cuts down on development time. Certainly, it helps ICOM get titles out the door.

ICOM will not be licensing its algorithm, but it wants to team up with anyone who wishes to turn their video into a disk-based application. And the more platforms you’re on, the more disks you can sell. ICOM’s goal is to release “as many titles on as many platforms as possible,” according to John Kalb,
ICOM’s director of sales and marketing.

LUCAS FOUNDATION AIMS TO HELP TEACHERS

The George Lucas Educational Foundation, now nearly a year old, has hired an executive director and is moving forward with its charter of developing innovative ways to integrate emerging technologies with teaching and learning.

Patty Burness has also joined the Foundation’s board of directors, which is chaired by George Lucas and vice-chaired by Stephen Arnold (formerly of LucasArts Entertainment, now of Interactive Home Systems). Burness’s last post was as chief of staff for Bill Honig, state superintendent of public instruction for the State of California.

Burness says that the Foundation is not a grant-maker. Instead, it is a tax-exempt public charity that has as its charter the development of prototypes of “great interactive multimedia programs,” as well as the development of teaching and learning technologies as tools for educators. “We want to show educators in the technology industry a new standard of excellence,” she says.

The Foundation, which already sports a full-time staff of four and a consulting team of programmers, graphic designers and production managers, intends to distribute its prototype to schools freely after it’s completed, says Burness. In addition, it hopes to launch a regular training program for teachers on the value of integrating technology into the classroom. Its charter also includes the development of an electronic network for communication and information dissemination.

SALT CALLS FOR CONFERENCE PAPERS

The Society for Applied Learning Technology (SALT) is looking for people interested in submitting papers or making panel presentations at its 1992 Interactive Multimedia Conference, scheduled for August 26-28 in Arlington, VA.

SALT has rolled three events into one date: the eighth annual “Applications of CD-ROM in Education and Training,” 14th “Interactive Videodisc in Education and Training” and eighth “Development of Interactive Instruction Materials” conferences.

The first two conferences cover prototype applications and new technology developments, including virtual reality; the interactive instruction materials conference focuses on techniques, evaluation methodologies and design.

To submit a paper or request a spot on a panel, send an abstract of 25 words and the title of the paper or panel to Program Coordinator, SALT, 50 Culpeper Street, Warrenton, VA 22186.

LIGHT SOURCE RELEASES PC-VCR SOFTWARE

Light Source Inc., of Greenbrae, CA, which recently introduced the Ofoto software for the Apple Scanner, has released its second product, the NEC Video Sequencer.

The Sequencer is designed to work with NEC’s PC-VCR, a frame-accurate, s-VHS video tape recorder that electronically labels and “stripes” (adds frame location information to) standard VHS and s-VHS video tapes. The system also requires a Macintosh II with 5 MB of ram. It costs $595; each PC-VCR costs $2,195.

Light Source’s assumption is that millions of hours of video footage in corporate offices and educational institutions remain largely inaccessible. The Video Sequencer allows users to create a database of video clips, and it enables them to immediately access and combine only the pieces of video that are desired.