archives

o Intel Interactive Media, Excalibur Combine Businesses To Form Convera
o Latin New Economy Publication Punto-com Raises $9.3 Million
o Liquid Audio Partners With Japanese Firm On Holding Company In China
> Happy Holidays: Next Edition: Jan 2, 2001
o Briefly Noted: Ravisent Technologies - Microsoft Xbox, ArtistPro -
Digital Owl, DirecTV Interactive, "Open Source Guerrillas Wage Codec
Battle," Michael Downing, "Digital Music Year in Review"
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> Job Postings: Software Developer, Technology Manager, SW & FPGA Engineers, Sales Rep., PR Professionals

> Events: Master the Technology, Potomac Tech Wire Seminar Series, iHollywood Forum

Full Job/Event descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section or at
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html
To Post an Event: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
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o Intel Interactive Media, Excalibur Combine Businesses To Form Convera

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Intel Interactive Media and Excalibur, a provider
of video content management, announced that they have combined their
businesses to form a new company, Convera. Under the terms of the
transaction, Intel contributed its Interactive
Media Services Division and invested $150 million in Convera, while
Excalibur contributed its entire business operations to the new company.
All Excalibur shares will be converted to shares of Convera. The new
company will provide new media companies with content management and
distribution services to send secure content over intranets, the Internet,
set top boxes and wireless devices. Intel said that a previously announced
partnership to develop and distribute interactive basketball content
through NBA.com and other websites will be taken over by Convera. Ron
Whittier, former senior vice president and general manager of the
Interactive Media Services Division at Intel, will become chairman and CEO
of Convera, while Pat Condo, former CEO of Excalibur, will become
president and COO of the new company.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/001221/va_intel_e.html
http://www.excalib.com
http://www.intel.com
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o Latin New Economy Publication Punto-com Raises $9.3 Million

Miami -- Punto-com, a new economy magazine and website devoted to business
in Latin America, announced that it has raised $9.3 million in its first
round of venture capital financing. Citicorp Venture Capital led the
investment round; Glacier Internet Holdings, Bank of America, Grupo
Editorial Expansion and Latin-Rim also contributed. The company expects
the funding will allow it to achieve profitability in 2001. Miami-based
Punto-com publishes a monthly magazine, a website and newsletters, and
hosts conferences pertinent to the Latin American new economy. The company
said it will use the funds to strengthen its positions in Brazil, Mexico
City and Buenos Aires, and establish a presence in Spain.
http://www.punto-com.com/punto/esp/Sala_Prensa/comunicados.htm#second
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o Liquid Audio Partners With Japanese Firm On Holding Company In China

Redwood City, Calif. -- Liquid Audio, a provider of software and services
for Internet music delivery, has announced a partnership with Japan
Investment Management Agency (JIMA). The companies have created and will
jointly own Liquid Audio Greater China, a holding company that will
develop Liquid Audio's operations in Taiwan and Hong Kong. JIMA, a
Japanese consulting and investment firm, will also become a major
shareholder in Liquid Audio Korea. Redwood City-based Liquid Audio
provides services including content hosting, distribution, fulfillment,
promotion, e-commerce and reporting services to a network of retailers for
the promotion and sale of music. The company is developing Chinese and
Korean-language versions of its software that allows consumers to preview,
purchase, download and export digital music files. "International
partnerships have been a cornerstone of our effort to roll out Liquid
Audio's open platform and digital distribution network on a global basis,"
said Robert Flynn, senior vice president of business development at Liquid
Audio. "Working with strong, entrepreneurial partners such as JIMA, we
continue to build a market-appropriate digital music distribution business
that will have major impact in Asia."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001221/ca_liquid_.html
http://www.liquidaudio.com
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> Happy Holidays: Next Edition: Jan 2, 2001

Digital Media Wire will not publish the week of Dec. 25 - Jan.1, in
observance of the holidays. The next edition will come on January 2, 2001.
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o Briefly Noted:

(Malvern, Pa.) Ravisent Technologies, a provider of software for audio and
video, announced on Friday that it will provide the DVD software used in
Microsoft's Xbox game console. Pennsylvania-based Ravisent's CineMaster
software allows DVDs to be played on PCs. The Xbox, scheduled to be
released in the fall of 2001, will compete with Sony's Playstation 2 and
Sega's Dreamcast, both game consoles with built-in high-speed Internet
capability.
http://www.ravisent.com/news/releases/20001222.html
http://www.xbox.com

(Winter Park, Fla.) ArtistPro, an audio recording industry publisher,
announced on Friday that it has partnered with Florida-based Digital Owl,
a provider of digital rights management services. Under the agreement,
Digital Owl will provide copyright-protected versions of music industry
e-books and professional musician archive materials for California-based
ArtistPro's e-publishing service, scheduled to launch in early 2001.
http://artistpro.com
http://www.digitalowl.com

(Sao Paolo, Brazil) Satellite television provider DirecTV announced on
Friday the launch of its DirecTV Interactive service in Brazil.
Subscribers to the service can use wireless keyboards or a remote control
to access banking, games, weather forecasts, customer service, e-commerce
and email on their televisions.
http://www.directvla.com

(San Francisco) Streamingmedia.com is currently running a feature story,
"Open Source Guerrillas Wage Codec Battle," on "open-source" projects in
development for digital media. The story profiles Icecast, a streaming
audio program; Vorbis, a media file similar to MP3; and Kendra, a program
that will help distribute video content across the Internet more
effectively. Open-source software gets its name from the fact that the
source code of the software is made publicly available and is reviewed and
collaborated on by developers. Companies such as Microsoft, Real and
Fraunhofer have developed proprietary software -- the source code for
their programs is not open for review by programmers outside of their own
companies.
http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=6655

(San Francisco) Business2.com on Friday featured an interview with Michael
Downing, CEO of streaming on-demand provider Musicbank. San
Francisco-based Musicbank's free digital locker service will compete with
MP3.com's recently re-launched My.MP3.com service, which allows users to
listen online to music they have already purchased on CD. Musicbank plans
to offer its free service once it secures licensing agreements with music
publishers. The company has already reached agreements with all five of
the major record labels to stream their music to consumers.
http://www.business2.com/content/channels/ebusiness/2000/12/22/24011
http://www.musicbank.com

(San Francisco) CNET published a digital music "year in review" this week,
entitled "Courts Set Rhythm for Online Music." The article profiles the
year's digital music litigation, including the injunction against Napster
won by the RIAA, which is still under review; the suits against the
now-defunct file-trading site Scour by the MPAA and RIAA; and the major
labels' suits against MP3.com for its My.MP3.com service.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4221836.html

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Job Postings:
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To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html

> MultiVideo Channel One, Inc. (MVC1), Software Developer - Washington DC

Software Developer needed to design video compression software that
delivers digital video files via the Internet. MVC1 offers a national
television broadcast and a new Internet media platform for distributing
traditional and new interactive content.
Send resumes to kwhite@mvc1.com
http://www.mvc1.com
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> Washingtonpost.com, Technology Manager

Washingtonpost.com, the region's most popular destination for everything
Washington, is seeking a Technology Manager. Join our hot team of
professionals and enjoy advanced classes in the latest technologies,
networking at industry events, working for a solid world-class
organization with a future, and making your mark on our award-winning
website. Send resumes to jobstech@wpni.com or visit
http://www.washingtonpost.com and click on Join Us.
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> Convergent Companies, Inc., SW & FPGA Engineers - Greenbelt, MD

We are developing break-through video compression technologies for the
Internet and are looking for FPGA and Software engineers with 1-8 yrs
experience. BSEE/CS familiarity with C++, image processing, object
programming. FPGA position, exp FPGA programming, DSP architectures esp
w/Xilinx. Check out Employment section of our website for details.
Send resumes to jobs@convergentcompanies.com
http://www.convergentcompanies.com
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> Intervise, Sales Representative - DC Metro

Responsible for selling IT Consulting Services to Fortune 1000 companies
and Internet startups. Sales Professional must have 3+ years experience in
selling IT Professional Services. Package includes base salary and
commissions, 401K and Health and Dental insurance.
Send resumes to cgriesbach@intervise.com
http://www.intervise.com
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> KG Communications, Public Relations Professionals - McLean, VA

KG Communications specializes in launching start-ups in the telecom field.
Opportunities exist for candidates with strong writing and communications
skills, knowledge of high-tech trade & business media, analysts and
events. A minimum 3 years' experience in high-tech PR-telecom a plus.
Highly competitive compensation, benefits and perks.
Send resumes to kay.handrahan@kgcom.com

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Event Postings:
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To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html

> Master the Technology that is Changing the World - GW Virginia Campus

The George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science
will hold an informational session at the Virginia Campus in Ashburn from
6-8 p.m. on January 11th . This is a great opportunity to find out about
cutting edge graduate engineering degree programs including: Computer
Security and Information Assurance; Multimedia, Animation, Graphics and
User Interfaces; Software Engineering and Systems; Computer Architecture,
Networks, Parallel and Distributed Computing; Wireless and Mobile
Networks; Telecommunications and Computers. Contact: scason@va.gwu.edu
http://www.seasva.gwu.edu
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> Potomac Tech Wire Seminar Series: Doing Business with Israel

Sponsor: Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue. On Thursday, Jan. 11, Potomac Tech
Wire and Jones Day will host a panel discussion on DC technology firms
doing business with Israel. Panelists include: Daniel Epstein, Executive
Director of US-Israeli Business Exchange; Emanuel Friedman, Chairman and
Co-CEO of Friedman, Billings & Ramsey; Philip Garfunkle, Former President
of Yazam; Stephan Mallenbaum, Partner, Jones Day (Moderator); Additional
Panelists To Be Determined. When: 7:30-8:00 a.m. - Registration and
Breakfast; 8:00-9:30 a.m. - Panel Discussion and Q&A; Where: McLean
Hilton.
To Register for this Event: http://www.potomactechwire.com/Israel.htm
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> iHollywood Forum: How Adult Entertainment Profits From the Internet

Whatever one's attitude toward adult entertainment, one fact is
undeniable: it's the only segment of the entertainment industry that
consistently makes money on the Internet. Panelists include: Larry Flynt,
Publisher of Hustler Magazine; Gail Harris, CEO and President of Falcon
Foto; David Schlesinger, Vice President of Internet Marketing at Vivid
Video; Fred Lane, Author of "Obscene Profits: The Entrepreneurs of
Pornography in the Cyber Age" (Routledge 2000); Mike Rick, Co-founder of
Cybersynergism (Webmaster Superstore for Online Adult Entertainment) and
kSEXRadio.com. When: Wednesday January 17, 6:00 pm-10pm; Where: Santa
Monica Doubletree.
To Register: http://www.ihollywoodforum.com/new/events/jan17_2001.htm
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