New Access to Comdex

Comdex, which is to computer trade shows what Liberace was to piano recitals, gets underway this week in Las Vegas. For those who aren’t attending the show but want to see some of the spectacle, AST Research Inc. is planning its own cybercast of the event.

The Irvine-based computer manufacturer said it will broadcast video of Comdex that computer users can view by logging on to the company’s Web site at https://www.ast.com. AST officials said there will be cameras and microphones capturing images and sounds from the main showroom floor, plus video of staged events and entertainment at AST’s Comdex booth.

No word yet on whether AST will broadcast images of Samsung’s booth. Samsung Electronics Co., which owns nearly half of AST, is reportedly planning to attract attention by hiring scantily clad models to carry around its products, echoing the company’s risque magazine ad campaign.

Greg Miller covers high technology for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at greg.miller@latimes.com