LAS VEGAS, April 7, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- NAB 2003 - Virage Booth No. SL1854 -- Virage, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRGE) today introduced VS Webcasting(tm) 3.0, its next-generation software solution for enterprise webcasting. The company will demonstrate this product for the first time at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 2003 Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 7-10, Virage booth No. SL1854.
VS Webcasting is the only webcasting software solution designed to meet the needs of the global enterprise. From an intuitive Web interface, the software enables distributed, self-service webcast production from a centrally managed server. Based on the Java(tm) 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) framework, VS Webcasting is a load-balanced and fail-over protected application that supports thousands of concurrent viewers and multiple simultaneous events. With VS Webcasting 3.0, Virage leverages the strength of popular application servers, such as IBM WebSphere(r), to deliver the scalability and reliability required for enterprise-scale webcasting.
VS Webcasting 3.0 also includes ScreenCast(tm) technology from Virage, an innovative new technology that enables presenters to demonstrate Web pages, Microsoft Excel(r) spreadsheets, Visio(r) diagrams, or any other document or desktop application. While other solutions offer static images or Web pages accompanied by a phone conference, ScreenCast is the first streaming technology to deliver desktop presentations in full motion, synchronized with audio or video from the presenter, to thousands of viewers. Audience members need only a standard Web browser and media player to participate.
"The trend in enterprise webcasting is to manage the process in-house with a turnkey solution," said Paul Ritter, program manager for Internet Business Strategies at the Yankee Group. "In addition to the J2EE architecture, Virage offers several features that just aren't available in any other solutions. ScreenCast gives presenters and trainers the ability to demonstrate desktop applications with full motion, a feature that is so important for training and education. Web-based editing capability extends the useful shelf-life of webcast content by allowing material to be updated and reused, increasing the ROI that can be achieved."
"We've built our webcasting product around the needs of global organizations," said Dave Girouard, senior vice president of Marketing and Business Development at Virage. "Our latest product enables non-technical employees to self-produce customized, high-quality webcast events for hundreds or even thousands of viewers, without the hands-on technical support required with traditional webcasting solutions. At the same time, our software enables the IT organization to centrally manage the webcasting system so that the content is secure and the corporate network is utilized efficiently."
In addition to the new J2EE architecture and ScreenCast technology, other new features in VS Webcasting 3.0 include:
- Advanced player customization -- allows non-technical producers to create multiple highly customized webcast players with flexible layout, style sheet, and branding options. - Sophisticated post-event editing and play lists -- supports slide editing, in- and out-point adjustment, clip creation/deletion, webcast duplication, and webcast recombination. Maximizes the useful life of webcast content and radically reduces the time to edit and repurpose material. - Optional advanced speech recognition -- translates spoken words into text in real-time, enabling fine-tuned search for particular topics within a webcast or across all webcasts. - Remote SmartEncode(tm) control -- enables centralized control of all encoding and indexing operations from the Web-based VS Webcasting console, eliminating the need for complex and error- prone manual operations. - Multi-location webcasts -- supports seamless delivery of webcasts with multiple presenters from multiple remote locations. - Content delivery management -- eliminates wide-area network (WAN) congestion through automated replication of media files to edge media servers and redirection of users to appropriate servers. Also supports integration with advanced content distribution solutions. - Webcast simulation tools -- enables administrators to load-test particular hardware and software installations in advance of critical live events. Verifies in advance that server and network infrastructure can support a webcast with a particular profile. - Customizable registration forms -- enables audience self- registration for webcasts with fully customizable registration form. Producers can define and save forms for future use. - Export to learning management systems -- compliant with the shareable content object reference model (SCORM) version 1.2 to enable webcast content to be delivered to and accessed through commercial learning management systems. - Channel guide -- allows producers to create programming channels by topic, targeted audience, or any chosen metric, enabling rapid categorization of content. Also enables pinpoint search and retrieval of important webcast information across the enterprise.
About VS Webcasting
VS Webcasting is an enterprise software solution that simplifies and streamlines the workflow for producing live webcast events and on-demand presentations. A secure and cost-effective alternative to legacy satellite systems and webcast service providers, the VS Webcasting solution makes it easy for organizations to deliver video- and audio-based presentations on corporate intranets, extranets and the Internet. From event scheduling and preparation, to real-time webcast operations, to detailed event reporting, the solution provides powerful Web-based tools that make it easy to assemble and manage interactive webcasts-such as sales and marketing presentations, company town meetings, morning calls, human resource broadcasts and training classes-that combine high-quality streaming audio and video with slides, digital documents, product demonstrations, polling, Q&A, Web pages and other online media.
For more information about VS Webcasting, including product specifications, a white paper, and a self-running product demonstration, please go to http://webcasting.virage.com. Virage will demonstrate VS Webcasting 3.0 at NAB 2003 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Virage will be located at booth No. SL1854. To schedule an appointment, please call +1 (650) 372-3496.
About Virage
Established in 1995, Virage is a leading provider of video and rich media communication software. Virage builds integrated rich media business solutions for corporations, media & entertainment companies, universities and government agencies worldwide. Headquartered in San Mateo, California, Virage (www.virage.com) has offices throughout the United States and Europe.
The Virage Inc. logo is available at: http://media.primezone.com/prs/single/?pkgid=338
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking" statements about the products and services of Virage, as that term is used in Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are denoted by such words as "will demonstrate", "will be located", "will look", "will be looking", "will be made", and similar terms and phrases. These types of statements address matters that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. In addition, our forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of other risk factors discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to our annual report on Form 10-K and 10-Q filings, available online at http://www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to the company on the date hereof, and the company assumes no obligation to update such statements.
Virage and VideoLogger are registered trademarks of Virage, Inc. The Virage logo, SmartEncode, VS Webcasting, VS Publishing, VS Production, MediaSync, Virage ControlCenter, ScreenCast and Virage Solution Server are trademarks of Virage, Inc. Other company product and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others, and are hereby acknowledged. The determination of when VS Webcasting 3.0 will be made available for general distribution, if ever, remains at the sole discretion of Virage, Inc.