NASCAR 'Slim Jim' Race to be Cybercast with Live Video
5 July 1997
Complete Flag to Flag Video & Audio Coverage Breaks New Internet Ground For Immediate Release LOUISVILLE, KY & SACRAMENTO, CA; July 3, 1997 -- The first-ever live streaming video cybercast of any NASCAR race will originate from Louisville Motor Speedway on Friday, July 11, 1997 at 8pm EDT. The event is the 'Porter Cable Professional Power Tools 300', part of the NASCAR sanctioned Slim Jim All Pro Series. A special feed from the speedway's closed circuit television system will be transmitted to the internet through The Auto Channel. As with all of The Auto Channel's live event presentations, the video cybercast will be free of charge to all internet users. The cybercast project is a result of a joint effort between Andy Vertrees, Promoter and General Manager of Louisville Motor Speedway and Bob Gordon, President of The Auto Channel, to introduce a very popular regional race series to the world. Vertrees was voted "Auto Racing Promoter of the Year" by his peers in 1995. Frank Scott, Vice President and track announcer of Louisville Motor Speedway will be the play-by-play announcer. With 12 years experience hosting a television show at the speedway, Frank has a thorough knowledge of the Slim Jim series and it's race teams. "I think it's a technological breakthrough and a real honor to have been selected to participate in the cybercast. We can someday tell our children that this is where it all started. ", Scott said. Carl Blanton, the speedway's official photographer will act as Director of Videography. The technology used by The Auto Channel to cybercast the video coverage is VXtreme. VXtreme is a proprietary "real time video streaming" technology developed by VXtreme, Inc., of Sunnyvale, California. VXtreme allows internet users to watch live and pre-recorded video in real-time, without the frustrating wait of excessive download times. Although there are other real-time video products on the market for use on the web, VXtreme's enhanced resolution and increased frame rate, even over a 28.8 kbs modem, provides internet users with the closest "TV like" experience. Over a 28.8 modem, typical frame rates average between 8 and 10 frames per second, and with a 56 kbs ISDN or X2 connection, frame rates average 12 to 15 frames per second. Internet users who wish to watch this history making coverage will need the VXtreme player software, which is available free and can be downloaded from the VXtreme website at "http://www.microsoft.com/netshow/vxtreme/software.htm". Installation is completed quickly and easily into both Netscape and Explorer browsers. The Auto Channel is sponsored by Pennzoil Products Company, Allstate Insurance, and the United States Army. Company Contact: Marc Rauch (502) 584-4100 (916) 852-1956 email: mjrauch@theautochannel.com