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Subject: Microsoft, Intel to Team Up On Video Technology for PCs<By John
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 04:53:22 EST
Message-ID: <14.1992Nov10.045323@AmeriCast.com>

Microsoft, Intel to Team Up On Video Technology for PCs<By John
Burgess<Washington Post Staff Writer=

The personal computer industry's two most powerful companies plan
to announce today products that can make PCs double as video
players, executives at the companies said.

 Microsoft Corp.  and Intel Corp., will offer software and up-
grade hardware that would allow people to transfer video footage
into their PCs, edit it and insert it into electronic letters and
financial reports.

 The technology also might  lead to PCs that function as video-
conferencing units: People's images could appear on their comput-
er screens.

 Other companies, notably Apple Computer Inc., already offer pro-
ducts that unite the now largely separate technologies of comput-
ers and video.

 But the market has remained small, due in part to conflicting
technical standards and high costs.

 "By getting Intel and Microsoft together, we think we're really
going to catalyze the industry toward action," said Rob Glaser, a
Microsoft vice president.

 Intel leads the world in the microprocessor chips that run PCs,
while Microsoft is the largest PC software firm.

 About 50 other companies will announce video products today
that work with theirs.

 But William Zachman, president of Canopus Research, a Duxbury,
Mass., computer research firm, said the Intel-Microsoft package
would not win automatic acceptance. "It will have to fight its
way out to the marketplace with what everybody else is doing," he
said.

 At a press conference, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is
scheduled to announce a $200 software package that will play
videotape on PCs that have the most advanced form of the Micro-
soft product called Windows, Version 3.1.  Gates is to be accom-
panied by Intel Chief Executive Andrew Grove.

 Customers wanting to transfer video footage from a camera, TV or
VCR could buy a special Intel circuit board for about $1,000 to
be inserted in their computer.  Major technical limitations
remain for video on PCs, notably that video can fast fill up a
computer's information storage capacity. Also, demand by
businesses and consumers for these products remains uncer-
tain.<02:11 11-10C9999-----

Copyright 1992, The Washington Post.  This story is from the
Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar-
chived or redistributed.

For more information, send-email to American Cybercasting Cor-
poration (usa@AmeriCast.COM)