Unofficial history of XVD technology. Timeline.

(under construction. Comments/corrections/additions are welcome)


- Prehistory -

1992: Alaris started to work with Gregory (GT Tech.)
Prof. Babkin (Moscow) visited California. Efficient IDCT algorithm is developed.

Spring 1992: Alaris/GT started to work with Prof. Kolesnik.
Audio group is organized (LIAP, dep. 35). Speech codec (TELP) development is started.

1993: Image compression project is started.
(Fractal Image Compression, I.Asnis, K. Shabunov)


- Video -

1994: Video compression project is started.
(I. Asnis, K. Shabunov, S. Semenov)

Jun 2, 1994: First video codec "IKS" (GrayScale only)
is released on June 2,1994. official release text

Jun 30,1994: IKS Project closed:
Started FCP - Full motion Coded and Player

Sep 26,1994: FCP Project closed.
Started VTCP - Video Telephone Codec and Player

November 17,1994: First VTCP release to Alaris
(simulated Intra blocks)

December 24, 1994: Second release to Alaris
(real JPEG-compressed Intra blocks)

April 4, 1995: Version 2.45 (First real Bitstream). readme file
Released to Alaris on April 10, 1995

Oct-Dec 1995: Ilya Asnis visits Alaris
Raymond makes a decision to switch from VT (video-telephone) to Videogram project. (Report(rus) by ila ).
P. Chan converts video codec to ICM interface

Nov 1995: Alaris unveils Videogram technology at Comdex

Jan 1996: VT 1.09 - video codec release for the first Videogram product

1996: First Videogram SW is released by Alaris

1996: Pixel codec (by S.Kovalev) is released.

Dec 1996: VT 1.22 - second video codec release for Videogram

Spring 1997: VT 1.22 is ported to Java

Fall 1999: UCF codec interface (original .h file dated Nov 99)

Fall 1999: "Domen" codec is released

Early 2000: Videogram/Java project is released
VMaker/Java player, vgm file format, Domen+Muzip2 codecs
Talkway deal

Feb 2000: VG2 File Format developed


- XVD -

Spring 2000: VT2k (called XVD later) is started by A. Marsavin, I. Asnis

June 2001: amars and ila are relocated to Fremont, CA

Summer 2001: LittleBits A/V technology is developed
VT2k codec is renamed to BigBits (aka XVD 2.2)

Fall 2001: amorozov is relocated to Fremont, CA

Early 2002: Alaris -> RightBits transition

Spring 2002: Videogram Creator (based on LittleBits) is released

Fall 2002: RightBits -> DS-USA transition
BHA's investment. Frank Wilde is chairman of the board.
BigBits+Muzip4 is renamed to XVD (eXtended Video Disk) technology

Spring 2003: PCI card - IO-Data deal

April 2003: Kirill Shabunov joins XVD team (again)

Summer 2003: BHA releases XVD Encoder Plus

Summer 2003: CamCast release. Nakanishi deal

Fall 2003: Board resigned. Albert Lam is General Manager.

Fall 2003: XVD 2.4 is released.

April 2004: DS-USA -> XVD Corp. transition
Defta/BHA investment. Sam Takagi is CEO.
CamCast Pro and HV are demonstrated at NAB

Fall 2004: XVD 2.5 is released

April 2005: HD-TX1000 and HD-WTX1000 are demonstrated at NAB

Aug 1, 2005: Product release for HD-TX1000/RX1000

Fall 2005: XVD 2.6 is released (for HD product line)

Jan 2006: Defta-vs-Nova. Joe Lam is back as COO/CEO.
Sam Takagi, Albert Lam, Steve Law left XVD.

April 2006: Keith Dunford is a new CEO

May 2006: XVD 2.7 is released

June 2006: Victor Kolesnik resigned

August 7, 2006: St.Petersburg Branch is closed

August 15, 2006: Kirill and Andrew resigned

August 23, 2006: Ilya resigned


- Afterlife-


April 1, 2007: Transition from XVD Corporation to
XVD Technology Holdings LTD (XVDTH) in Ireland, XVDTH-USA in San Jose,
XVD Corp in San Diego and XVD Japan in Tokyo


Novemeber 2007: Keith and his team left XVD.