Low-Cost, No-Hassle Videoconferencing is a Boon for Small & Medium Businesses
BERKELEY, Calif., and AUSTIN, Texas–Feb. 26, 2008—SightSpeed Inc., the leading provider of Internet video communications and operator of a fast-growing network of SIP videoconferencing endpoints, and VTEL, a pioneer in group videoconferencing systems, today announced a partnership to provide easy-to-use, low-cost videoconferencing for conference rooms and remote PCs and laptops.
The partnership, created as a way to make this solution readily available to customers, will also enable SightSpeed Business services to be featured in VTEL’s reseller channel.
The immediate result, however, is that it’s now possible for small and medium-sized businesses to have professional videoconferencing quality in their conference rooms and remote offices for a fraction of the cost, set-up time and hassle of traditional business videoconferencing systems. Users can immediately set up multipoint conferences involving as many as four sites and send documents to all sites during the conference, making it ideal for training sessions, sales meetings, production planning and design reviews.
“In the past, bringing remote colleagues together virtually has required a huge investment in conference room equipment and infrastructure,” said VTEL President Richard Ford, “but VTEL’s all-in-one IPanel conferencing room system combined with SightSpeed’s best-in-class online videoconferencing services take the cost—and aggravation—out of videoconferencing. Now, even multipoint conferences are simple and affordable.”
“Through the combination of SightSpeed Business online video services and VTEL’s all-in-one videoconferencing system, small and mid-sized businesses can now afford a fully functional conferencing solution operating on the public Internet,” said SightSpeed CEO Peter Csathy. “And these businesses also gain the benefit of full access to SightSpeed’s highly scalable and robust SIP architecture, providing them with greater interoperability and flexibility.”
The VTEL IPanel seamlessly blends videoconferencing, computing and HDTV viewing into one integrated system. The system features an Olevia 32-inch LCD high-definition TV, a full pan-tilt-zoom camera, full-duplex audio and an integrated PC. The IPanel is all a company needs in its conference room to conduct local meetings or to conference with remote sites.
Among the benefits of the new service are:
• VTEL all-in-one conference room system for the complete price of $3,995;
• SightSpeed Business software, supporting multi-party videoconferencing, in-call file sharing, unlimited video calling, and video and voice call recording for a package price of $1,495 for five conference systems (room systems or individual PCs/laptops); and
• Simple-to-use plug-and-play functionality, including the ability to easily invite remote users.
Visit www.SightSpeed.com/vtel for more details and to order this productivity package designed for small and medium-sized businesses.
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About VTEL Products Corporation
Based in Austin, Texas, VTEL Products Corporation celebrated its 20th anniversary as a videoconferencing system manufacturer. The company introduced the industry’s first PC-based videoconferencing systems in the late 1980s. VTEL is leading the industry in “all-in-one” conference room systems combining HD television, PC operations, and professional videoconferencing delivered in the IPanel, a turn-key system for the conference room. For more information, visit www.vtel.com.
About SightSpeed, Inc.
SightSpeed Inc. is the award-winning provider of Internet video communications for both the business user and consumer. The company offers the broadest portfolio of industry-leading Internet video communications services, including SightSpeed Business, the world’s first high-quality, cost-effective and hardware-free videoconferencing service for all businesses (including SMBs); and SightSpeed Light, SightSpeed Free and SightSpeed PLUS, the most widely praised consumer-focused video chat services, which turn a PC or Mac into an easy-to-use video phone to communicate with friends and family around the world. SightSpeed's services are SIP-based and standards-compliant and run on SightSpeed’s fast-growing, reliable network of SIP videoconferencing endpoints. The company’s revolutionary human perception-based technology is patented and based on more than ten years of research and development originating out of Cornell University.
Founded in 2001 and based in Berkeley, Calif., SightSpeed is a privately held company funded by The Roda Group, best known for launching Ask Jeeves and PolyServe. For more information about SightSpeed, visit www.sightspeed.com.
Contacts:
For SightSpeed:
Sue Huss
Comunicano, Inc.
sue.huss@comunicano.com
619-379-4396
For VTEL:
Todd Clayton
VTEL Products Corporation
todd_clayton@vtel.com
512-535-1988
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