MAHWAH, N.J., Dec. 15, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Communications Research, Inc. (OTCBB:CRHI) announces that their partnership for software development with The Arkansas School for Mathematics and Sciences, Hot Springs, Arkansas, has successfully tested with TeleWRITER AGS (Advanced Graphics System) Audiographic, Collaborative Computing System and was able to call and successfully communicate with Polycom ViewStations over the Internet in an H.323 standards based call.
Normally only used as an interactive Audiographic, Collaborative Computing solution, this marks the first time the software based system was successful in establishing and interactively communicating with a standards-based video conference system. Polycom has recently been successful in capturing the majority of the distant learning and corporate computing market for compressed video codes. This testing by our partner is significant for them, as anyone with a standard PC or MAC and the TeleWRITER AGS system can participate in a video conference without a special codec costing thousands of dollars and special communications circuits as ISDN, ATM or Ethernet circuits. For all schools, K-12 students and adult education can be offered in the home with compressed full motion video and audio or graphics, white boarding and computing collaboration, delivered to their home by the internet, provided by cable companies or DSL by local telephone companies.
Initially developed in 1981 by Optel Communications, TeleWRITER was the first audiographic computing collaboration system on the market. Communications Research acquired TeleWRITER and formed TeleWRITER Corporation in 2000. At its peak, TeleWRITER-AGS had approximately a 60% share of the collaborative computing market and thousands of users in the mid-1990's. The market has exceeded industry expectations over the years and currently has well over 2 billion in annual revenues and growing.
The Arkansas School of Mathematics and Science is one of the most advanced and intensive programs for preparing exceptional students in college and university programs pursuing continuing education in math and science. CRI and the school have partnered for the continuing development and updating of TeleWRITER AGS. The school is well suited for the initiative as they have a great depth of technical resources and have been a power user of TeleWRITER for many years to provide classroom programs between schools and children at home, without the high cost of video conference equipment and high speed telecommunications circuits. The school will continue research on TeleWRITER and video testing over a recently installed standards-based video conference bridge, which they are in the process of commissioning.
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding CRI's business strategies and future plans of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risk and uncertainties. The company's risks and uncertainties include: intense price competition, economic, political and regulatory uncertainties, the need to raise additional capital for growth and expansion and its reliance on the internet as a means for promoting the software it sublicenses. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release speak only as of the date hereof and CRI disclaims any obligation to provide public updates, revisions or amendments to any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect changes in CRI's expectations or future events.