Silicon Graphics Releases WebFORCE MediaBase 3.0 - 08/1998

WebFORCE MediaBase 3.0 Delivers High-Quality Media Streaming to Increase the Impact of Intranet and Internet Content

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA (August 17, 1998) -- Silicon Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: SGI) today announced the release of its next-generation media streaming application, WebFORCE® MediaBase 3.0. Designed to deliver innovative Web-based content, WebFORCE MediaBase is the most scalable, field-proven, high-performance media server solution available today. WebFORCE MediaBase is the ideal solution for extending the reach of classrooms through distance learning, delivering corporate training video via intranets, providing access to video archives on-line or enhancing Internet content using immersive audio and video.

WebFORCE MediaBase 3.0 provides an intelligent approach to media streaming by delivering expanded multicast and networking support, increased playback flexibility options and enhanced media management capabilities in a tightly integrated package. WebFORCE MediaBase 3.0 significantly reduces the time and effort required to create compelling, media-rich applications by including Informix Dynamic Server and Real Audio and Real Video seats in a standard bundle for easy installation and configuration.

WebFORCE MediaBase in Action

Silicon Graphics' customers are redefining the way information is created, distributed and displayed by combining WebFORCE MediaBase with OriginTM server hardware. WebFORCE MediaBase is the most rapidly adopted MPEG streaming offering in existence, providing over 25,000 MPEG streams in education, corporate, entertainment, telecommunications and government applications worldwide.

The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), for example, has integrated WebFORCE MediaBase into Web-based video classes for undergraduate students. More than 55 total hours of video content are served, on-demand, in three available net classes - "Government of the United States," "State and Local Government" and "Geology of the National Parks." In these network courses, video is integrated with HTML text, graphics and links to external sites such as the Library of Congress and the National Park Service.

"Two-thirds of our students are visual learners who prosper most when courses include strong graphic components," said Dr. Pete Smith, UTA director of distance learning. "The challenge is that while visual learners want video, they don't want bad video. Silicon Graphics computers allow us to move half-screen video over an intranet at 30 frames a second. That's the quality we wanted."

WebFORCE MediaBase is also being used by 3Com. Coupled with 3Com's leading-edge corporate intranet, WebFORCE MediaBase is providing product information and sales tips to the 3Com marketing staff and sales engineers worldwide.

Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) is using WebFORCE MediaBase 3.0 to deliver daily news programs and entertainment programs to thousands of government, business, education and home PC users over Singapore Telecom's island-wide broadband network. This service won the national award for the "Best Commercial Application" on the Broadband network.

Media Streaming Reaches New Levels

WebFORCE MediaBase is able to span a broad spectrum of Internet and intranet applications at a variety of bit rates, ranging from 14.4Kbps to 8Mbps, and provides sophisticated media management capabilities that leverage industry-leading relational database technology from vendors like Informix and Oracle.

New features in WebFORCE MediaBase 3.0 include: multicast emulation on networks that don't support true multicasting; Mbone multicast client integration; the ability to review or pause a multicast session in midstream; scripting for JavaTM, ActiveX and DirectShow media streaming controls; Apple Macintosh Player support; extended RTSP client support; extended ATM networking support for point-to-point streaming and multicast over raw ATM networks; APIs for easy integration with billing and access-control systems; FibreChannel RAID support; and archival and playback from near-line storage devices.

Silicon Graphics, Inc. is a leading supplier of visual computing and high-performance systems. The company offers the broadest range of products in the industry -- from low-end desktop workstations to servers and high-end supercomputers. Key industries include communications, energy, entertainment, government, manufacturing and sciences. Silicon Graphics and its subsidiaries have offices throughout the world and corporate headquarters in Mountain View, California.

Silicon Graphics, the Silicon Graphics logo and WebFORCE are registered trademarks, and Origin is a trademark, of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.