0132.1 Hot Topics

    WAVE Changes

    Quatum3D Ships 1,000th AAlchemy System from SYNNEX

      Information Technologies Facility

    Criterion Software to Support Open Contents Platform

      Association

0132.2 Story of the Issue

    An MPLS Tutorial and Alcatel's Vision

0132.3 Television

    iKNOWLEDGE and CANAL+ Team up to Deliver Managed

      Broadband Content for iTV

0132.4 Audio

    Dell Joins DVD+RW Alliance

0132.5   3D and Virtual Reality

    3D Pipeline Announces 3D CloudFX

    bioVirtual Announces 3DMeNow version 1.5

    Quantum3D and Multigen-Paradigm Announce Vega,

      SensorVision and SensorWorks Support for Aalchemy with

      nVSensor

0132.6 Wireless

    Acer Labs Licenses Bluetooth Radio Technology from

      NewLogic

--------------------------------------

0132.1 Hot Topics

***Wave Changes

We want to thank those of you who participated in our WAVE Report

survey. In response to the comments we received, we are making

the following changes to the WAVE:

- Increasing our feature and editorial coverage

An overwhelming number of you commented on the value of coverage

that extends beyond product releases and technology news.

Therefore we'll be increasing our indepth coverage of products,

company partnerships and market technology through WAVE Comments,

editorial assessment and executive/company interviews.

- Expanding our coverage on the Web site

Many survey respondents told us they liked our increased coverage

of new markets, but some subscribers are most interested in

specific content within the reports. To help them out, we will

begin providing extended coverage on our Web site for some of the

topics in each issue. For example, if we present a release about

a 3D software package, a link might be provided with more

information about the company, customers using the software

package, or reviews of the package and its capabilities.

- Improving the search engine

We are also in the planning stages of upgrading the reliability

and efficiency of our back issue search engine (www.wave-

report.com/search/search.htm). This might take some time, so

please be patient with us.  We'll be sure to keep you updated as

we progress.

Our drawing for a free WAVE Report polo shirt is not until August

1, so please keep additional comments coming! We will contact the

winners shortly after the drawing.

***Quatum3D Ships 1,000th AAlchemy System from SYNNEX Information

Technologies Facility

(July 11)

Quantum3D, a provider of interactive visual computing systems and

products for the Visual Simulation and Training (VST) and

Embedded Graphics Subsystems (EGS) markets, and SYNNEX

Information Technologies, a global IT design-to-distribution

services company, announced the shipment of the 1,000th AAlchemy

PC-based Image Generator (PC-IG) from SYNNEX' integration

facility. The 1,000th AAlchemy unit is part of over one thousand

systems being integrated and delivered for a military program on

which Lockheed Martin serves as prime contractor.

AAlchemy PC-IGs provide real time image generation for visible

spectrum and sensor-based synthetic environment training and

visual simulation applications--which enable military and

civilian professionals train to operate fixed wing and helicopter

aircraft, armored vehicles, trucks, trains, automobiles,

motorcycles, ships, heavy machinery, and air-traffic control

systems in a realistic and immersive environment.

Scientists and engineers also use AAlchemy to simulate vehicles

and equipment prior to manufacture to better understand their

operating and ergonomic characteristics.

Optimized for multi-channel applications, which typically

involves simulating the multiple windows, displays or views

available to the crew within an aircraft, tank or other vehicle,

AAlchemy Image Generators (IGs) include up to 32 synchronized

AAlchemy channels housed in 19" equipment racks with, Garrettcom

Magnum 10/100 Ethernet Switches, KVMs, I/O panels and power

distribution units. Each IG is then specifically tailored to

simulate a specific military or civilian vehicle or environment.

And because of the mission critical nature of the training

applications, each IG for Lockheed or other Quantum3D customers

requires a degree of tailoring and testing prior to deployment.

http://www.synnex.com

http://www.quantum3d.com

***Criterion Software to Support Open Contents Platform

Association

(July 13)

Criterion Software has announced support for the Open Contents

Platform Association (OCPA), a consortium initiated by Japanese

consumer electronics companies aimed at creating a standard

software platform for developing multimedia content across a

range of networked digital appliances such as smart phones,

PDA's, web pads, digital televisions and digital cameras. The

availability of Criterion's RenderWare Graphics will enable

content developers to create multimedia contents on the platform.

As the number and variety of digital appliances has increased, it

has become necessary to provide a common high performance

software platform to enhance the productivity of development

teams and decrease time-to-market. In order to address these

issues the OCPA will promote standardization on the intent media

platform, the portable, extensible multimedia platform developed

by the Tao Group.

The OCPA will provide a place for open discussion among content

providers, application service providers and hardware

manufacturers, regardless of their business fields. The founding

members of the OCPA are JVC, Sharp, Kyocera and the Tao Group

with additional consumer electronics manufacturers as well as

content providers and software tools vendors set to announce

their endorsements.

Members can present proposals for specifications, which will then

be evaluated by working groups within the Association, before

their acceptance as standards, which will then be openly

published. The OCPA will also support verification of Open

Platform applications and contents, and will perform promotional

activities, such as seminars and exhibitions in order to promote

the OCPA specified platform standard. 

http://www.renderware.com

http://www.csl.com

http://www.tao-group.com

0132.2 Story of the Issue

***An MPLS Tutorial and Alcatel's Vision

By Amanda Rogos

On June 25th, Alcatel announced a decision by Cable & Wireless to

use Alcatel's MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) equipment in

the consolidation of its global data network backbone. The WAVE

Report recently spoke with Yves Lemaitre, Vice President, Core

Networks Marketing at Alcatel to try and find a simplified

explanation of this technology for our readers.

MPLS marries ATM's (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) QoS (Quality of

Service) with the simple structure of an IP network. According to

the MPLS Resource Center (www.mplsrc.com), here is an

(abbreviated) explanation of how the technology works:

In an MPLS network, incoming packets are assigned a label by a

label edge router (LER). Packets are forwarded along a label

switch path (LSP) where each label switch router (LSR) makes

forwarding decisions based solely on the contents of the label.

At each hop, the LSR strips off the existing label and applies a

new label which tells the next hop how to forward the packet.

Label Switch Paths (LSPs) are established by network operators to

guarantee levels of performance, to route around network

congestion, or to create IP tunnels for network-based virtual

private networks.

MPLS evolved from several prior technologies including Cisco's

Tag Switching, IBM's ARIS, and Toshiba's Cell-Switched Router.

The initial goal of these label based switching technologies was

to allow routers to make forwarding decisions based on the

contents of a simple label, rather than by performing a complex

route lookup based on destination IP address.

However, as Lemaitre explained, MPLS brings many other benefits

to IP-based networks, they include:

Traffic Engineering - the ability to set the path traffic will

take through the network, and the ability to set performance

characteristics for a class of traffic

VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) - using MPLS, service providers

can create IP tunnels throughout their network, without the need

for encryption or end-user applications

Elimination of Multiple Layers - most carrier networks employ ATM

at Layer 2 and IP at Layer 3. Using MPLS, carriers can converge

many of the ATM functions to Layer 3, thereby simplifying network

management and network complexity.

Currently ISPs are applying MPLS-type patches to their existing

networks, but Alcatel hopes that a broader acceptance of MPLS

will result in a new generation of networks using only MPLS

technologies. Lemaitre believes that by the end of 2002 large

ISPs like AT&T and MCIWorldcom will have switched to the MPLS

core network technology. For smaller ISPs, he feels the

transition will take longer, but will happen eventually.

In order to serve this market, Alcatel has developed several

different MPLS products from routers to a traffic engineering

solution that works on Alcatel, Cisco and Juniper routers.

One such solution, the 7670 RSP, was recently chosen by Cable &

Wireless to use in the consolidation of its global data network

backbone. The 7670 is a multi-protocol platform which supports

dual control planes: ATM and IP/MPLS and scales from 50Gb/s to

450Gb/s with interfaces ranging from DS3 to OC192c.

The company is also developing MPLS software for optical and

SONET networks with their Lambda Gate (SONET cross connect) and

Cross Light (optical photonic switch) products, both demonstrated

at Supercom.

Lemaitre's goal is to enable a broad set of product lines with

MPLS capabilities to provide their customers with not only QoS,

but traffic engineering, optimized IP/ATM convergence and other

advanced networking services. Most of the customers he is

catering to are enterprise ISPs, due to the fact that MPLS is

most beneficial for users that are directly connected in the

routing plan, to the corporate network.

Alcatel has approximately 130,000 employees and operates in more

than 130 countries.

http://www.alcatel.com

http://www.mplsrc.com/

http://www.mplsforum.org/

0132.3 Television

***iKNOWLEDGE and CANAL+ Team up to Deliver Managed Broadband

Content for iTV

(June 29)

iKNOWLEDGE, a provider of Content Lifecycle Automation, announced

that it will support CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES' digital interactive TV

software solutions with its iNEXT Platform for managed broadband

content delivery. This support is designed to enable delivery by

network operators utilizing CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES' solutions of

interactive and targeted content via set-top boxes - or any other

network or device - while managing and distributing such content

from a single point of administration. 

Under this agreement, iKNOWLEDGE and CANAL+ agree to develop

compatibility between iNEXT, MediaHighway middleware and the

MediaGuard conditional access system. MediaHighway, deployed in

more than 9.5 million set-top boxes worldwide, is a middleware

system that supports interactive television applications written

in the Java programming language. It also supports applications

written in HTML, OCAP, DVB-MHP, MHEG-5 and other open and

proprietary formats.

CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES and iKNOWLEDGE are currently working together

to leverage iNEXT technology in an effort to deliver Universal

Music Group's "The Viewing Lounge" to broadband network

operators, including cable MSOs. Powered by the iNEXT platform

and using iKNOWLEDGE's Web Manager, TVL currently allows website

visitors to create and play back personalized, custom blocks of

music video programming which are delivered to the visitor with

artist and CD information, interactive advertising and T-commerce

retail opportunities. CANAL+ TECHNOLOGIES' MediaHighway

middleware enables television viewers to have this same content

delivered directly through their iTV set-top box.

The TVL/MediaHighway combination is designed to provide iTV

subscribers with the ability to watch and navigate, via remote

control, music videos, as well as the ability to purchase what

they see and hear.

http://www.iknowledgeinc.com

http://www.theviewinglounge.com

http://www.canalplus-technologies.com

0132.4 Audio

***Dell Joins DVD+RW Alliance

(June 27)

The DVD+RW Alliance, a group of companies committed to the

benefits of the DVD+RW format, announced the addition of Dell to

its ranks.

DVD+R/RW discs will offer up to seven times the storage capacity

of a CD-R, can be written and read by DVD+RW drives, and can be

played back in the majority of DVD-ROM drives and DVD video

players. Because of this, the DVD+RW Alliance believes DVD+R/RW

is the logical extension of CD-R/RW technology and will enable a

new level of convergence for digital video between personal

computers and consumer electronics products.

http://www.dvdrw.com

To find out more about DVD technology (using our NEW tutorials),

go to: http://www.wave-report.com/tutorials/DVDRWTutorial.htm

0132.5   3D and Virtual Reality

***3D Pipeline Announces 3D CloudFX

(July 5)

3D Pipeline has announced the release of its 3D volumetric

clouds, an addition to its suite of natural effects. The program

produces cloud cover that reacts to changes in environmental

parameters like humidity, wind speed, and temperature.

Volumetric clouds uses Perlin noise to create physically accurate

mathematic approximations of cloudlike behaviors and ethereal

characteristics. The real-time, procedurally-generated clouds

permit users to fly through them from a first-person perspective,

creating a user occupied 3D space.

http://www.3dpipeline.com

To find out more about 3D Pipeline (using our NEW tutorials), go

to: http://www.wave-report.com/tutorials/3DPipelineTutorial.htm

***bioVirtual Announces 3DMeNow version 1.5

(July 2)

bioVirtual has announce 3DMeNow Version 1.5, an upgrade of their

software which will be available from Wednesday July 18th for $49

and will take the creation of photorealistic human models and add

features such as real-time animation authoring and web output.

Added functions include:

Integrated audio recording and visual editing of the waveform

with actions such as cut/copy/paste/insert and saves.

Integrated animation control via timeline drag and drop.

Drag and Drop glasses and hairstyle selection.

Save and output options with animated JPEG support using

JavaScript for rotating heads on HTML pages (No plugin required),

direct printer support with printer set-up dialogue and the

ability to save 3D snapshots.

Higher resolution modelling with more control over points to

increase realism and accuracy.

Image colour adjustment and selectable background colours and

images.

Ability to download images directly from scanners and/or digital

cameras via TWAIN support.

With support in the standalone bioPlayer and the bioXPlayer

activeX control for all of the animation and image features,

users can create and send personal messages via email or add the

ability to welcome visitors to their personal web sites.

3DMeNow is a real-time photogrammetry application - allowing

users of all skill levels to build high quality models using a

simple control-point (perimeter-based) methodology.

http://www.biovirtual.com

***Quantum3D and Multigen-Paradigm Announce Vega, SensorVision

and SensorWorks Support for Aalchemy with nVSensor

(July 11)

Quantum3D and MultiGen-Paradigm have announced that support for

AAlchemy PC-IGs equipped with the Quantum3D nVSensor hardware

sensor post processor will be incorporated in the upcoming Q301

release of Vega 3.7.1, including SensorVision and SensorWorks

modules. AAlchemy with nVSensor, when combined with the release

of Vega, SensorVision and SensorWorks, will provide visual

simulation and training (VST) customers with scene management

software that is available with integrated support for high

fidelity, physics-based, hardware-accelerated, sensor simulation.

Vega is MultiGen-Paradigm's software environment for realtime

visual and audio simulation, virtual reality, and general

visualization applications. By combining simulation functionality

with easy-to-use tools, Vega provides the basis for building,

editing, and running applications easily. Vega increases

productivity and reduces source code development. Integrated with

Vega, SensorVision and SensorWorks application-specific modules

extend Vega to sensor simulation needs including infrared and

night vision applications. These modules, coupled with the other

application specific Vega modules such as nautical, radar,

advanced lighting systems, animated humans, large area terrain

databases, CAD data import and DIS, make Vega a comprehensive

scene management solution.

SensorVision provides realtime, physics-based simulation of

sensor systems operating at wavelengths from the visible through

the far infrared. SensorVision operates on the same synthetic

environments as Vega and RadarWorks to provide fully correlated

out the window, infrared, and radar views. SensorVison can be

used with SensorWorks, which adds special effects to images

rendered by Vega that are necessary to simulate a variety of

sensors. Although normally used in conjunction with SensorVision,

SensorWorks can also be used to add effects to any Vega channel.

Using the independent post processing capability of the AAlchemy

nVSensor subsystem, SensorWorks effects may be employed without

affecting rendering performance, which is unique in PC-based

Image Generator offerings. SensorWorks supports a number of

individual effects including blur (Gaussian and Uniform

Distribution), responsivity, offset, saturation, noise, sampling,

gain and offset, black-hot/white-hot and jitter, which may be

combined as needed to simulate the characteristics of a variety

of sensors.

Based on 3dfx and NVIDIA graphics technology, AAlchemy is

Quantum3D's third generation, open architecture family of

scalable PC-IGs that combines up to sixteen VSA-100 chips, 1 GB

of dedicated graphics memory and 42.5 GB/sec graphics bandwidth

per channel to deliver up to 890 Megapixels per second at

resolutions of up to 1600 x 1200 pixels, with trilinear filtering

and T-buffer full-scene, sub-pixel anti-aliasing enabled.

Developed for precision training and simulation applications that

require high-fidelity night vision goggle (NVG) and/or infrared

(IR) synthetic environments, the Quantum3D nVSensor is a

programmable realtime image processing graphics subsystem that

adds physics-based special effects, symbology and reticles to

imagery rendered by the AAlchemy graphics subsystem. Designed to

preserve the precision of the AAlchemy graphics subsystem,

nVSensor interfaces with AAlchemy via a 30-bpp digital pixel port

and provides user selectable color space conversion to RGB values

or gray scale, with support for white-hot and black-hot object

definition. For integration flexibility, nVSensor provides both

24-bpp digital (DVI) and 30-bpp analog RGB outputs. nVSensor

employs a programmable, multi-stage pipeline architecture that

enables the subsystem to provide advanced sensor effects without

affecting core AAlchemy rendering performance or adding latency

or transport delay to the overall graphics pipeline.

http://www.multigen-paradigm.com/

http://www.quantum3d.com

0132.6 Wireless

***Acer Labs Licenses Bluetooth Radio Technology from NewLogic

(July 2)

Acer Laboratories, a provider of integrated circuits, announced

it has signed an agreement with NewLogic Technologies, a supplier

of Bluetooth intellectual property (IP) cores, in which the

company will license NewLogic's BOOST Radio and BOOST Software

products.

The deal, the terms of which were not disclosed, enables Acer

Labs to integrate a 2.4 GHz Bluetooth CMOS radio transceiver in

its chips and chip sets. NewLogic's BOOST IP family includes a

Bluetooth baseband processor, a full software protocol stack and

a CMOS radio. These IP elements, when combined with a suitable

microcontroller core, permit the implementation of a single-chip

Bluetooth solution using industry standard CMOS process

technologies. These cores provide the building blocks for system-

on-a-chip designs and help bring customers' end products to

market faster.

http://www.ali.com.tw

http://www.newlogic.com

To find out more about Bluetooth technology (using our NEW

tutorials), go to: http://www.wave-

report.com/tutorials/BluetoothTutorial.htm