Video Over 100 Mbps Fiber Optic Backbone:
Racal-Datacom Announces Video Interface Modules for PremNet

Integrated Voice, Data and Video on an "Information Superhighway"

August 2, 1994 -- BOXBOROUGH, MA -- In a major new product announcement,
Racal-Datacom today introduced three video interface modules for PremNet,
the company's high-speed fiber-optic premise distribution system.

"As an infrastructure of information superhighways develops across the
country, managers of LANs, MANs and WANs are converging their systems into
integrated, managed networks that transparently carry large volumes of
voice, data and video traffic safely and efficiently," said Philip Wilson,
division vice president at Racal-Datacom.

Telephone Companies & More: Existing PremNet Users

Major regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs), including USWest and
Ameritech, already have been using PremNet to deliver native-speed LAN
connectivity to their regional customers in local loops and metropolitan
area environments. Other major existing customers include the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA Denver), for air traffic control;
universities and hospitals, for fail-safe data delivery in a campus
environment; and corporate and financial institutions, for secure
connectivity in multi-story building environments. Three PremNet chassis
were even purchased by the PTT of Norway for the Lillehammer Olympic
Winter Games to remotely manage PTT switches across multiple Ethernet
LANs.

Racal-Datacom has installed thousands of PremNet fiber optic nodes at
network sites throughout the world. These "rings" of information are
already interconnecting and managing thousands of sensitive applications
on a wide variety of voice and data interfaces, including Ethernet and
Token Ring LANs, IBM 3270 terminals, T- 1 and E- 1 links, V.35, RS-232 and
four-wire voice. The PremNet backbone system transparently transports data
in virtually any format, at native speeds.

Distances between PremNet nodes can be up to 50 km, with a total maximum
ring size of nearly 800 km. Each PremNet chassis can be configured with as
many as eight interface modules in any combination of topologies to meet
virtually any application need.

Three Versions of the Video Interface Module:
Transmit, Receive and Full Duplex

Three hardware versions of the video interface module are available
immediately:

1. a one-way video (transmit) module for monitoring and
   broadcast applications;

2. a one-way video (receive) module for monitoring and
   broadcast applications; and

3. a two-way video (full duplex) module for video-conferencing
   and similar applications.

Monitoring applications for the video interface module include traffic
control monitoring and security surveillance, among others. Remote sites
(for example, stretches of highway) can be monitored by video cameras
attached to PremNet video interfaces residing in a PremNet node at a
remote site. The pictures are digitized and compressed for transmission to
the PremNet node at the central site, where they are "decoded" and
displayed on a monitor. The network manager can select either
point-to-point mode -one or multiple cameras transmitting to one monitor
-- or multi-point mode -- one or multiple remote cameras transmitting to
monitors at multiple locations.

Another useful monitoring feature: the network manager can insert text into
the video input to provide remote location identification for display on
the monitor at the central site. This feature is particularly useful in
"distance learning" and videoconferencing applications.

Broadcast applications for the video interface module are typically at
educational institutions or corporations, where PremNet is used to
broadcast lectures, laboratory sessions or company messages to remote
sites. In this application, the video/audio signal is broadcast from a
central site to one or more remote locations. The broadcast can either be
videotaped or "live:" in the case of a live broadcast, the speaker will
also be able to hear -though not see, because this is the one-way video
application -- the audience's responses/questions. While video in this
application is uni-directional only, audio is fully bi-directional.
Another broadcast application is at an airport, where multiple monitors
throughout the facility display flight information. Multi-point
broadcasting allows one real-time broadcast to be sent to as many as 45
outputs per virtual circuit.

Videoconferencing applications for the full-duplex video interface module
can be either within a campus environment or across a MAN (or WAN
environment via forthcoming SONET system capability). In point-to-point
mode, individuals at one location will see and hear individuals at another
location in real-time -- without the jerky, time-delayed video and audio
signals offered by some other vendors.

Technical Details: Video & Audio

The input/output of the PremNet video interface cards can be either
black-and-white or color, depending on what the input source transmits.
Two video interface/display formats are available:

1. NTSC   525 television lines per frame
          30 frames per second
          Resolution: 640 x 480 pixels

2. PAL    625 lines per frame
          25 frames per second
          Resolution: 768 x 576 pixels

All the versions of the PremNet video interface module use standard female
BNC coax connectors, similar to those used on your TV or VCR at home. The
two-way video module has three ports, one for Video In, one for Video Out,
and one for GENLOCK.

The one-way transmit module has three Video-In ports. The one-way receive
module has a single Video-Out port and a GENLOCK port. The three Video-In
ports are designed to connect to as many as three video cameras when used
in a monitoring application. When used in a broadcast application, the
three Video-In ports can be connected to a VCR, laser disc player or any
other NTSC- or PAL-compliant video source. On both the one-way video
receive and two-way modules, the Video-Out port is designed to connect
directly to any monitor or TV with a Channel 0 to Channel 3 external
conversion box.

The PremNet video interface modules support an audio frequency range of 50
to 15,000 Hz. This is equivalent to the quality of commercial FM stereo
broadcasts. All the modules use standard, l/4-inch jacks for Audio and
Auxiliary signals. Input/output is EIA250-C end-to-end quality.

Compression & Bandwidth Allocation

The method of compression used by the PremNet video interface modules is
FullMotion JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) standard. Compression
encoding is via a process called "quantization" that limits the number of
values to those terms that are critical to picture perception by the human
eye.

     Time Slots         Average
     Assigned      Compression Ratio

        2                15:1
        4                 8:1
        6                 5:1
        8                 4:1

  Figure 1: User-configurable bandwidth allocation

Bandwidth allocation for the PremNet video interface module is
software-selectable -- the modules can use from one to eight backbone
(system) time slots depending on the application requirements. For
example, a monochrome security monitoring application would require a
single time slot, whereas a "distance learning" or other type of broadcast
application would use either two or four time slots depending on overall
image quality requirements.

As a time-division Multiplexer, the PremNet system assigns bandwidth to
applications in the form of dedicated virtual circuits (time slots).
Virtual circuits are completely software selectable, allowing a network
manager to add, modify or delete virtual circuit connections with a few
keystrokes.

This capability eliminates costly re-cabling when users move to different
locations. It also permits reallocation of circuits and bandwidth by a
network manager "on-the-fly."

Network Management

Graphical management of the PremNet network and, if applicable, the entire
LAN and WAN environment is available through the Racal Management System.
The network management system uses a graphical user interface to centrally
manage and control the PremNet network.

Integrated with Hewlett-Packard's HP OpenView, the Racal Management System
offers a full graphical network map, database storage of activities and
alarms and visual indication of alarm conditions.

Local access is available to PremNet on-board network management via an
asynchronous terminal attached to any PremNet node on the ring. From a
single terminal, a network manager can use simple menus to monitor and
control port configurations, virtual circuits and alarms. A manager can
also perform non-interruptive port testing, obtain the status of any node,
and view specific module statistics.

PremNet also supports an SNMP agent, allowing full visibility and control
of the PremNet chassis and its associated interface modules -- including
the new video modules - from any third-party SNMP management system, such
as Hewlett-Packard's OpenView or others.

Pricing and Availability

All three versions of the PremNet video interface modules will be available
in September. U.S. list prices are as follows:

Transmit (Broadcast) Video Module:             $5950
Receive (Monitor) Video Module:                $6650
Transmit/Receive (Videoconferencing) Module:   $8975

For PremNet ordering information, please contact Racal-Datacom at (800)
RACAL-55 or (508) 263-9929.

Racal-Datacom provides network solutions for the delivery and management of
information between headquarters and remote locations. The company's broad
product line includes local area, wide area, and metropolitan area
networking systems that address the growing need for flexible computer
communications with employees in remote branch offices. All of Racal's
products are managed by a single, open and integrated network management
platform and backed by a full range of services including network design,
operation and integration, worldwide maintenance and support. RacalDatacom
reported worldwide revenues of $553 million for the fiscal year ending
March 31, 1994. Parent company Racal Electronics Plc reported revenues of
$1.3 billion for the year.

Racal-Datacomm, 1601 N. Harrison Parkway, Sunrise, FL 33323-2899
Mailing Address: PO Box 40744, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33340-7044
305-846-1601;  Fax: 305-846-3935

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