Santana Tour and Celebrity Interviews Captured on JVC GY-DV500
WAYNE, NJ -- StarMedia, the world's largest Spanish and Portugese Internet portal, has purchased JVC's Professional DV-500 cameras and DV-600 editing decks for use in streaming content on the Web.

Rave Video Coverage
StarMedia is sponsoring the Santana Tour (www.starmedia.com/santana) as well as coverage of fashion shows, live video chats with celebrities and special interviews with rock stars and pop icons of Latin America. Visitors logging onto StarMedia's website (www.starmedia.com/homepage) can get a glimpse of their favorite artists on video, and will also be able to see JVC's GY-DV500 footage for themselves. Dave Harris, Director of Studio Technology for StarMedia Network, Inc. called JVC's Professional DV cameras critical in their mass production and distribution efforts. "We selected the DV-500 with Internet streaming in mind - we wanted the best camera we could find. With JVC's DV-500 we got the best price and best quality combination. We are looking forward to broadband applications, and the DV-500 is a camera that will carry us through lower bandwidths and into broadband seamlessly. Features that stand out are its 1/2-inch chips, low light capability and of course, firewire. We gave consideration to cameras by other manufacturers but frankly, the thing that sold us is JVC's incredible LoLux low light capability and the professional audio connectors. These cameras are awesome!"

Major Purchase Justified by Durable, Versatile Camera
According to Harris, StarMedia made its first purchase of JVC's GR-DV500 cameras in first quarter of 2000, and aggressively tested the units in different situations. Of major importance was the integration of a IEEE 1394 "firewire" solution. Harris described the market situation as evolving toward better controls, but stated that right now no single manufacturer is implementing Firewire in a way that lets users have a full solution. "It's difficult at this time," says Harris. "Firewire is like a computer - it can send information to a hub, but the producer can't tell from what camera each image came. We engineered our own software solution, using JVC cameras, which allowed us to track the content back to each camera. Down the road, this is the kind of routing control that could be built right into the JVC camera chip. We're looking forward to having the opportunity to test more JVC gear and maybe have a little additional input the features that make sense for streaming media gatherers."

Pack and Go!
StarMedia used JVC's GY-DV500 as core components in their own "Mobile Production Kits," which are distributed to their staff videographers on a rotating basis. Each StarMedia production kit is packed with DV-500 camcorders - with a total of five kits for mobile use. Also, the company is purchasing three camcorders each for studios in Latin America, San Francisco and New York, with the development of up to five studios in the next twelve months.

"We tried to figure out what accessories would be good to use, such as the perfect battery pack, viewfinder, and lens, all in preparation for manufacturing a number of mobile production kits," explained Harris. The Mobile Production Kits were developed in specially constructed cases that could be shipped or wheeled around, set up at remote venues for streaming concerts, celebrity interviews, performances and the like. "JVC's cameras are really rugged, and that's one of the reasons they're perfect for streaming video."

On the Creative Edge
Harris participated in JVC's San Francisco Creative Digital Forums, where he had the opportunity to give input on the planning of JVC's prototype "tapeless" DV Disk cameras, patterned after the Professional DV cameras. "It was great fun to meet the people behind JVC's hard disk cameras at JVC's forum, plus it felt good to be heard. These new tapeless cameras are really on the cutting-edge, and they offer incredible creativity and flexibility in terms of Internet streaming. Based on my company's side-by-side comparison's of DV-based products and from working with JVC at their forum, its clear to me that JVC is committed to solving problems of the industry as well as listening to the users."

JVC PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY is based in Wayne, New Jersey and distributes a complete line of broadcasting and professional equipment including cameras, recorders, monitors, projectors and editing products. For more information about JVC products or services, visit the corporate website at www.jvc.com/pro.