IBM Corp has announced Ultimedia VideoCharger, a networked package to provide users with simultaneous access to full-motion video. Ultimedia VideoCharger converts stored video and accompanying digital audio to analogue, for transmission over television coaxial cable or over Token-Ring local networks using frequency couplers. This enables many desktop clients to access a full-motion video stream simultaneously, and enables broadcast of the same video to hundreds of users at the same time. The package includes client and server software for OS/2 and Windows environments. The server software works with a variety of file servers where videos can be stored, including IBM LAN Server Ultimedia, IBM LAN Server, and IBM LAN File Services/ESA. It exploits video delivery equipment that can aggregate video playback from multiple file servers and video from other sources. The types of video playback resources that can be shared are IBM ActionMedia II for Digital Video Interactive videos and Optibase PCMotion for MPEG-1 videos. VideoCharger server software receives video requests from clients and allocates an available video playback resource of the proper type. The package is out now, at $2,950 for a System Kit, which supports up to 10 concurrent digital video players that can be shared by any number of clients. Additional Player Kits supporting 10 more video streams list at $1,950. Client software, which is shipped with the System Kit, costs $25 per user licence.
