Hughes Network Systems, Hewlett-Packard Company, and Starlight Networks
Introduce the Industry's First Affordable Corporate InterMedia Solution
for New Media and Internet Applications

Users Can Play Dynamic Full-Frame Multimedia from the WorldWide Web
Instantaneously at Their Desktops Through Their Web Browser

WASHINGTON, D.C., JANUARY 23, 1996 -- Hughes Network Systems (HNS)(the
leader in satellite communications), Hewlett-Packard Company (the leader
in networked computer systems), and Starlight Networks (the leader in
multimedia networking) have joined forces to provide the first complete
InterMedia solution for the greatest information technology challenge
facing companies today: how to incorporate the dynamic new mixed media
applications, including Internet and intranet services, within their
current IT infrastructure and create an integrated, collaborative
environment that spans the enterprise.

In a press conference today broadcast to PCs at sites throughout the
country, the three industry leaders announced a solution that demonstrates
the first enterprise use of HNS's DirecPC satellite delivery service,
Starlight's multimedia networking software, and HP's computer and network
systems to affordably deliver high-bandwidth MPEG multimedia applications,
including video-based content from the worldwide web, in real time to
remote sites and over corporate networks and intranets. In addition, users
can take advantage of the popular Netscape browser to play full frame ,
high-quality MPEG video content from the Internet instantaneously at their
desktops -- without having to wait for it to download.

DirecPC's multimedia delivery service makes it affordable and feasible for
the first time for companies to make exciting multimedia content
instantaneously available to users at their desktops throughout the
enterprise. It gives companies a direct, secure channel to reach their
intended audiences (employees and customers) -- for electronic commerce,
document imaging, public information dissemination, corporate
communications and broadcasts, long-distance training, etc.

HNS, HP, and Starlight have entered into a sales and marketing agreement to
jointly support sales of the DirecPC broadcast solution. It will initially
be available throughout the United States and Canada, with availability in
Europe and Japan in mid-1996. It will be sold through the sales forces of
all three companies. Customers wanting information can call 1-800-637-7740
(x1385).

"We are now making it feasible for companies to cost-effectively deliver
high-bandwidth, high-quality MPEG multimedia and large document files to
all of their locations using DirecPC's satellite delivery service ad
Starlight software," said Tom McPherson, vice president and general
manager, Satellite Broadcast Products and Services, Hughes Network
Systems. "DirecPC provides a framework to integrate Internet content on
company intranets with new media and existing applications, and create a
unified, collaborative computing environment. Multimedia can now be an
integral element in the corporate infrastructure, making existing
applications come alive and opening the door to new, interactive
possibilities."

"DirecPC will revolutionize how we use the Internet," claimed Dan Abouav,
Managing Director of HP's Interactive Media Solutions Group. "Video and
audio on Home Pages will become commonplace. Companies can now bring their
home pages on the worldwide web to life, and know that their audience will
experience the full impact of dynamic imagery and sound. DirecPC makes
electronic commerce viable using a private network that makes secure
transactions possible. Finally, we ca realize the full potential of the
Internet to directly reach audiences."

Jim Long, president of Starlight Networks, said, "The ad hoc growth of
corporate intranets, along with new multimedia-based applications, has
created a new problem for corporate IS -- how to integrate Internet
services with all of these other, disparate corporate applications and
crate a unified, collaborative environment? This is the new intermedia
market. What we're announcing today with DirecPC provides a feasible
solution for an integrated, interactive, InterMedia environment.
Information providers have an opportunity to crate a whole new class of
interactive applications for corporate networks, intranets and the
Internet."

MULTIMEDIA ACROSS THE ENTERPRISE

HNS' DirecPC multimedia delivery service is now available and can support
the real-time distribution of high-quality MPEG video across wide areas to
remote sites and throughout the enterprise. This capability makes it
compelling for companies to enliven their existing applications with
dynamic multimedia content, and open the door to entire new classes of
interactive graphical applications.

Enliven sales and marketing presentations with dynamic video images.
Broadcast updated video of products to retail information kiosks. Bring
your online quarterly report to life with a videotaped address from your
company CEO.

Starlight's multimedia networking software technology enables the
transmission of high-bandwidth applications via the DirecPC satellite,
synchronizing audio and video, and assuring that transmission quality is
maintained. DirecPC uses a full Ku- band transponder on a Galaxy satellite
to provide broadcast channels totaling 12 Mbps, making it superior for
handling the high-bandwidth demands of multimedia data. The broadcast may
be scheduled any time, from weeks in advance to urgent, immediate
corporate messages. Companies provide their content to Hughes through
terrestrial connections, tape, disk or via satellite.

The DirecPC computer becomes a mixed media server when installed with
Starlight's StarWorks software, which manages the delivery, bandwidth
reservation, and server storage functions required to distribute the
incoming multimedia data to users on the network. The incoming broadcast
can be distributed immediately or stored for later retrieval. This is
advantageous where files do not need to be delivered in real time.
Instead, information can be transmitted at a lower bandwidth over a longer
time at non-peak times for less cost.

The mixed media server hardware and InterMedia network clients are provided
by HP. The HP/UX or NetServer running Starlight's StarWorks multimedia
networking software provides the mixed media server to store and manage
the multimedia data broadcast from Hughes' DirecPC Service, and HP's
Vectra PCs provide the InterMedia network clients or servers.

The DirecPC mixed media server ca e connected to the network using standard
network connections. Companies can use their existing networking
technologies, including Ethernet, but may need to examine the ability of
the network to handle their bandwidth load, choosing to upgrade to higher
bandwidth options, such as FDDI, 100VG, 100BaseT, etc. The DirecPC
receiving platform is equipped with a DirecPC board and cable connection
to a 24" satellite antenna, and it can receive multiple addressed channels
(to a maximum of 99). Each client on the network runs Starlight's client
software.

The Starlight-based 'mixed media' server not only receives transmissions
from the DirecPC service (including its Turbo Internet service), but it
manages the delivery of InterMedia information to users on the network
from other sources as well, for example, from a Notes server, Internet
server, multimedia server, etc.

INTRANET SERVICE FOR INSTANTANEOUS DELIVERY OF MULTIMEDIA-BASED WORLDWIDE
WEB CONTENT

With DirecPC's Turbo Internet service, users can now make a request as
usual through their Netscape browser and immediately hear audio or see
high-quality, full-frame (30 frames per second) MPEG video-based Inernet
content at their desktop. Satellite delivery makes it possible to bypass
the limited bandwidth capability of communications devices, such as modems
and phone lines, which take hours to download multimedia data before users
can open up and view the file. DirecPC allows you to see and hear
interactive Internet content as soon as you request it.

You can use your current Internet connection to play Internet multimedia
from the desktop. A user identifies a URL from his Netscape browser to
initiate a search. the request is made via modem to the DirecPC Turbo
Internet service, which downlinks the requested file, delivering it via
satellite to the DirecPC computer. From there, delivery of the multimedia
file is managed over the network to the client requesting it by
Starlight's software. The file can be delivered over the network as it is
being transmitted or it can be stored to the server for later retrieval.

Information providers can use Hughes' Turbo Internet service to make their
multimedia web sites available to users to browse and play content located
on Turbo Internet on an ad hoc basis. Companies can cost-effectively use
interactive content to educate, advertise, publish, merchandise, support,
collaborate and communicate with their targeted audiences--internally with
employees over the company intranet and externally with
customers--directly through their worldwide web Home Page.

DirecPC provides a secure, private network for confidential electronic
commerce transactions. Information providers can reach and conclude
transactions directly with their intended audiences. Multimedia provides
the middleware interface for personalized communications.

Welcome new employees the first day on the job with a personal videotaped
greeting from the company CEO that can be opened through their web
browser. Bring your web page to life with a live videotape that gives
online viewers a more personal, experiential picture of your products and
services.

THE INTERMEDIA MARKET

Corporations today are faced with the challenge of how to incorporate the
onslaught of new mixed media datatypes within their current IT
infrastructure, including the connections that everyone wants to the
Internet and the worldwide web. The collaborative, interactive environment
that integrates these disparate datatypes and makes them available to
users throughout the enterprise--over corporate networks, intranets and
wide areas--is the InterMedia market. InterMedia consists of three major
application/content areas: mixed media content includes audio, video,
animation, graphics, text -- a company's current database, word processing
and document applications, as well as graphics and new multimedia-based
applications incorporating audio and video; collaborative applications --
including groupware, file sharing; and Internet and intranet services.

Multimedia presents an exciting opportunity to bring existing applications
alive, to make them dynamic. New middleware solution are make them
available across the network to users at their desktops, locally or at
remote sites. Multimedia then becomes a powerful, collaborative ally.

DirecPC provides an InterMedia solution that combines this mixed media
panoply in an interactive, collaborative environment spanning the
corporate communications network both internally (intranet and LAN) and
externally (Internet and WAN).

PRODUCT PRICING AND AVAILABILITY

DirecPC's Multimedia Delivery Service supporting MPEG video is currently
available. DirecPC can be purchased for $1295 (including satellite
receiving antenna, DirecPC card, and Starlight's software), and can
support up to 100 PC clients at $99.95 per user (including Starlight
client software, giving users access to the server).

ABOUT HUGHES NETWORK SYSTEMS

Headquartered near Washington, D.C. with international sales and support
offices worldwide, Hughes Network Systems is a leading supplier of
satellite and wireless communications, and of enterprise networking
solutions. HNS is a subsidiary of Hughes Electronics Corporation. The
earnings of Hughes Electronics are used to calculate the earnings per
share attributable to GMH (NYSE symbol) common stock. HNS is located at
11717 Exploration Lane, Germantown, MD 20876; phone 301/428- 5500; home
page http://www.hns.com and DirecPC home page at www.direcpc.com.

ABOUT HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY

Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing,
communications, and measurement products and services recognized for
excellence in quality and support. HP has 99,900 employees and had revenue
of $25 billion in its 1994 fiscal year. HP's worldwide web address is
http://www.hp.com.

ABOUT STARLIGHT NETWORKS

Starlight Networks is the leader in providing multimedia services over
enterprise networks with its StarWorks(r) and StarWare(r) multimedia
networking server software products. StarWorks and StarWare provide
multimedia storage management and network delivery management functions to
ensure reliable delivery of video and audio to the desktop over today's
networks, including 10BaseT, 100VG, Fast Ethernet, Token- Ring, FDDI, and
ATM. StarWorks' open systems approach supports all of the popular video
formats and network operating systems on PCs, Macintosh, and UNIX systems.
StarWare is a Novell NetWare-based video networking software solution.
Starlight Networks is located at 205 Ravendale Drive, Mountain View, CA
94043; phone 415/967-2774; home page http://www.starlight.com.
 
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