Look Who's Talking: CompuServes, Xing Technologies Partnership Adds Voice
Conferencing to the Online Community

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Sept. 18, 1995 -- If you listen closely, you can hear the
future. That's because CompuServe is unveiling technology that's the talk
of the town. CompuServe, the world's largest, most extensive online
information service, is adding cutting-edge multimedia technology to its
online conferencing services that will have users hearing voices.

CompuServe has formed a partnership to license sophisticated voice audio
compression and decompression software along with other audio technology
from Xing Technology Corp. of San Luis Obispo, Calif. Xing is creator of
the innovative StreamWorks(TM) distributed media delivery system. The deal
will help CompuServe add near real- time voice transmission and broadcast
quality music capacity to its online conferencing tools.

This announcement is part of a major effort by CompuServe to incorporate
advanced multimedia technology and high quality online conferencing
capabilities into its new interfaces. This effort includes enhancements to
voice, audio and image transmission technologies.

The new technology will be available as part of CompuServe's upgraded
WinCIM 2.0 interface, set for release next month. The voice technology
will also be incorporated into future CompuServe Internet products.

"CompuServe is committed to expanding its lead in the industry when it
comes to online conferencing and related technologies," said Jeff Miller,
CompuServe's director of research and development. "This technology is
going to change the way we look at online communication. Talking and
seeing will supplement the traditional writing and reading. Combining
technologies like this is going to shape the future of communications."

CompuServe and Xing: Talk About Technology

CompuServe has licensed audio components of Xing's leading- edge
StreamWorks software. This technology provides audio compression and
decompression, live feed capability and real-time audio playback. Users do
not have to download audio information before they can play it. That means
the online conferencing experience can now include voice, audio, text,
images, and video, all shared in near real- time.

Said Howard Gordon, president of Xing Technologies, "An agreement with
CompuServe, the online information leader, helps put our new technology at
the forefront of a very exciting industry. We are changing the way people
will use online technology and creating a new means for communicating a
clear, spoken message to an online audience."

In order to receive the voice response, listeners need only a
Windows-compatible sound system, WinCIM 2.0 and, of course, access to the
conference. The StreamWorks technology, developed exclusively by Xing,
uses Low Bit Rate (LBR) voice audio to compress approximately one second
of voice into just 1000 bytes of data, thereby expediting the rate at
which it can be transmitted. For CompuServe users, that means sharing
clear, crisp voice messages and music using standard modem and telephone
line technology. This technology is geared primarily for voice
transmission and will not replace the popular
wav files currently used to transmit sound.

The agreement with Xing Technologies also offers CompuServe access to
advanced MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) audio technology. This will
enable the packaging and transmission of larger, more complex sounds such
as CD-quality music. Individuals who wish to work with sound of this
quality will benefit from faster data connections.

StreamWorks' unique streaming technology delivers sound more quickly,
clearly and easily than ever before. With live audio feed, users can
broadcast voice directly from a microphone. By offering the best
compression and networking technologies available, Xing is able to deliver
outstanding audio quality at a wide range of modem speeds.

Talk About Xing Technology

Xing has licensed audio and video compression as well as broadcast
technologies to Microsoft, Intel, Bellcore, NTT Japan, Fujitsu, Samsung,
Hewlett Packard and IBM.

StreamWorks, the company's innovative distributed media delivery system, is
the basis of delivery for NBC and Reuters financial news programming to
clients around the world. The StreamWorks system is creating a paradigm
shift in the broadcast industries by enabling audio and video broadcasters
to reach new audiences through the Internet. Xing Technologies is located
at 1540 West Branch St., Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. Telephone: 805/473-0145.
FAX: 805/473-0147. World Wide Web: http://www.xingtech.com.

Speaking of CompuServe Incorporated

The CompuServe Information Service continues to be the world's most
successful online service with more than 3.4 million members accessing the
service from more than 140 countries. CompuServe operates the most
comprehensive network in the world, providing value-added network services
to more than 800 corporate customers worldwide. CompuServe Internet
Division is the leading developer of Internet access products for the
office, home and publishing markets.  In addition, CompuServe offers
electronic mail and business information to customers worldwide.

Founded in 1955, H&R Block, a diversified services company, is the world's
leading tax preparation and online information services company. H&R Block
provided tax-related services for almost one in every seven returns filed
with the IRS in 1995, and served more than 17.1 million taxpayers in more
than 9,500 offices worldwide.

CompuServe is an H&R Block (NYSE:HRB) company.
 
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