The DDN-Bull solutions provide reliable and scalable solutions for more than 10 Gbits/second of simultaneous video streams and records enabling streaming consolidation.

DataDirect Networks, the recognized leader in high performance large capacity storage networks, has set a world record for Video on Demand (VoD) and Network Personal Video Recorder (NPVR) streaming establishing 2,800 simultaneous streams (ie more than 10Gbits/second) from a single Silicon Storage Appliance (S2A) with Bull’s streaming application on a NovaScale Server.

“Simultaneous (or separate) streaming and recording environments require a storage architecture using high bandwidth controllers that enables controlled latency I/O. Bull’s highly reliable and scalable solutions reduce information system infrastructure complexity and can be quickly deployed and operated,” said Jean-François Le Prince-Ringuet, managing director of Bull’s international Telecommunications & Media Division. “The conjunction of Bull’s and DDN’s know-how provides a unique cost effective and reliable offering.”

“DDN S2A unique architecture was specifically designed for video streaming & recording environments reducing the complexity of large-scale VoD environments, while providing cost and operational benefits vastly superior to other approaches,” said Alex Bouzari, DataDirect Networks’ CEO and co-founder. “With this integrated solution approach on Bull’s NovaScale Server, customers can take the next quantum jump in cost effective streaming performance, scalability and reliability.”

In January, Bull launched a new advertising campaign for its NovaScale® servers, once again using the ‘freedom’ messages from the Architect of an Open World ™ campaign of Q4 2005, but with a new treatment and visuals.

Based on the theme of Free up your finances!, it highlights just how competitive NovaScale is, as the world leader in terms of price/performance running Microsoft SQL Server 2005 in the TPC-H decision support benchmarking. NovaScale servers are based on FAME (Flexible Architecture for Multiple Environments), designed by Bull and featuring standard Intel® Itanium® 2 processors.

Following a European email campaign in December, launched utilizing the CNet/ZDNet network, the new on-line campaign will be rolled out over the course of three weeks in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.

The reverse stock split carried out towards the end of December 2005 is in line with the other actions Bull is taking to improve its image and align it more closely with the reality of its current business success and dynamism. Having brought in a new management team, return to both growth and profitability, and launched an aggressive communications campaign under the banner Architect of an Open World™, Bull has now taken its stock market image in hand.

In practical terms, Bull’s shares have been consolidated, with ten old shares being swapped for one new one: financial intermediaries will automatically carry out the conversion. This move is designed to reduce the stock’s volatility on the market and may attract a new category of shareholders. It also allows Bull to leave behind the rather unattractive status of a ‘penny stock’ (shares with a unit value of less than €1). The company’s market capitalization remains unchanged .