VBrick Wins First Place, Best Product or Service in the Video Category at TeleCon West 2000
VBrick Systems, Inc., an innovator in low-cost TV-quality video networking appliances announced today that it has won first place for the Best Product or Service in the Video category at the 19th annual TeleCon Expo awards, given last night at the TeleCon West 2000 conference and exhibition, here. The VBrick Model 3200 network video appliance and VBrick’s StreamPlayer II(TM) software were selected by a panel of judges as the most significant new products. VBrick is the first MPEG-based product to win this prestigious award.
VBricks are MPEG-based network video appliances that can be attached to any Ethernet network. They are small (10“x9”x3“) and weigh less than 5 lbs. Each VBrick can accept one analog video and audio stream and multicast to an infinite number of PC’s, VBricks or standard televisions.
StreamPlayerII is a Windows-based application that works with Windows Media Player. StreamPlayerII enhances Windows Media Player so that it can play live video, capture video and audio streams to disk and edit the video files after they have been captured.
“Enabling high-quality, interactive video networks is significant not because of the technology involved, but because of the personal, educational and social benefits it delivers to users of the technology,” said Richard Mavrogeanes, president and founder of VBrick Systems, Inc. “VBrick’s small size, ease of use, low-cost and video quality enables nearly anyone to set-up a high-quality video network for a wide range of applications,” Mr. Mavrogeanes, continued.
The TeleCon award is regarded as the “Oscar” of the teleconferencing and collaborative technology field. The award has typically been given to established manufacturers of very high-end video systems.
“This selection, by a panel of judges deeply involved in teleconferencing and telecommunications, indicates the value MPEG video can deliver. As a technology company it is easy to focus on technical aspects of products or deployments. The real value of technology is how it empowers people at every educational and socioeconomic level to achieve newer and greater understanding of the world we all share. I commend the judges on their selection, not of technology, but what that technology is delivering,” stated Mr. Mavrogeanes.
Any camera or other video and audio source connected to a VBrick 3200 can be viewed by any other person attached to the network. Not only is the output viewed on standard TV monitors using another VBrick to decode, but any user can also view the video from their PC by using the VBrick StreamPlayer software.
“The versatility of the VBrick is demonstrated by the wide-range of customers using VBricks for so many exciting and revolutionary applications. Like Mississippi EdNet’s use to convert analog and digital signals, to investment banks using them for ”Morning Call“ and live television feeds directly to traders’ desktops, West Virginia Public Broadcasting use for statewide digital town meetings and Fulton-Montgomery Community College using VBricks for local video distribution and wide-area distance learning. Users find VBricks a perfect fit for so many applications because the VBrick has been designed to be a multi-function network device,” said Mike Savic, VBrick Director of Product Marketing.
Pricing and Availability
The VBrick network video appliance is available now in several configurations. Pricing begins at $4,995. Volume discounts may apply. StreamPlayerII software is available now. StreamPlayerII is provided as “shareware” and is available for download from the VBrick website
About VBrick Systems
VBrick Systems, Inc. has as its mission to enable customers to deliver quality vision across their networks through innovation in the size, cost, functionality and quality of its networking products. The company designs, manufactures, and markets affordable high-performance audio/video networking systems for broadband and wideband network applications. VBrick Systems provides true TV-quality video and CD-quality audio on an end-to-end basis for video conferencing, distance learning, remote monitoring, video-on-demand and video authoring applications. The company is located in Wallingford, Connecticut USA. Its products are distributed through industry-leading value-added resellers, system integrators and distributors. Additional information can be found at the VBrick web site www.vbrick.com.
VBrick and the VBrick logo are trademarks of VBrick Systems, Inc. all rights reserved.
Contact Information:
VBrick Systems
Mary Brandon, 203/265-0044
maryb@vbrick.com
The Strayton Group, Inc.
Rob Strayton, 508/655-6965
rob@strayton.com
