Starlight Networks

Starlight Networks was founded in 1991 by Charlie Bass (engineer), Jim Long^[1] and Mark Gang with backing from investors Accel Partners and Interwest Partners. The company created some of the first commercial Video-on-demand and Video Streaming products.^[2][3] The first Starlight Networks product was named StarWorks^[4][4] and enabled on demand MPEG1 full motion videos to be randomly accessed on corporate networks.

Originally the press referred to networked video as 'store & forward video' but that changed after Starlight Networks began describing it as 'Streaming Video'.^[5]

In 1995 Starlight introduced Streaming Video over satellites with Hughes Network Systems.^[6] In February 1998 Starlight introduced one of the first full motion video Web Conferencing products, StarLive! (the exclamation point was part of the product name).^[7] Technology Analyst Om Malik wrote in May 1998 how Starlight software helped power Bloomberg Television and Starlight partnered with RealNetworks to enable Web Conferencing at Smith Barney.^[8] General Electric also tapped Starlight Products for Corporate Communications and Training.^[9]

Other investors included Sequoia Capital, and Merrill, Pickard, Anderson, & Eyre Ventures. Starlight was acquired by PictureTel in 1998.^[10]

References

1. "Digital Hollywood Conference 2007".
2. "Video Servers in the Spotlight".
3. "Full Stream Ahead".
4. "CompCon Spring 1993-StarWorks-a video applications server".
5. "Digital Hollywood Conference 2001".
6. "Starlight Networks and Hughes Network Systems".
7. "Starlight Networks Introduces StarLive! -- Intranet Streaming Media Application for Enterprise Communications.".
8. "Online broadcasting".
9. "Starlight Networks Creates Video Solutions for GE Information Services".
10. "PictureTel to buy Starlight Networks".