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Jacey Overton, LifeSize Communications – USA (512) 623-4215 - PR@lifesize.com

Updates to LifeSize Video Center Facilitate Easier and More Widespread HD Video Conferencing Recording and Viewing

New Features Enrich the User Experience and Improve Management, Reporting, and Distribution of Content into Customer Environments

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 12, 2010 - LifeSize®, a division of Logitech (Nasdaq: LOGI) (SIX: LOGN), today announced new administrative and end user controls to manage, brand, and distribute videos recorded with LifeSize Video Center. This HD video conferencing infrastructure solution combines one-button recording, streaming and auto-publishing, transforming the way organizations create and distribute information.

The latest software update for LifeSize Video Center better enables organizations to meet a broad set of needs and applications – including corporate communications, training, education, distance learning, and healthcare. With the new capabilities, end users can more easily communicate business-critical information both live and on demand for improved collaboration and increased communication across the organization.

New features of LifeSize Video Center include:

  • Management: The latest software release for LifeSize Video Center, Version 1.1, allows administrators to seamlessly integrate LifeSize Video Center into any Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server, including Active Directory. A one-time configuration for the entire organization gives IT teams more centralized, simplified management for both individual users and groups.
  • Reporting: The Version 1.1 software also gives IT administrators access to rich, built-in reports to track video viewing statistics, allowing administrators to understand user behavior, system usage and ROI.
  • Branding & Customization: Administrators can tailor the look and feel of LifeSize Video Center’s Web UI to fit the customer’s corporate branding. Straightforward controls allow administrators to place the company’s logo, unique browser icons and key messages within the user-facing pages. 
  • Embedding video URLs: The new software also allows HD videos hosted on LifeSize Video Center to be embedded within any other Web page. Now, company intranet sites and outward facing corporate pages can showcase product demos and key positioning announcements recorded and streamed directly from LifeSize Video Center.
  • Recording capabilities for all LifeSize endpoints: LifeSize Video Center now allows users to record content directly from all current LifeSize and standards-based third party endpoints.  

"LifeSize Video Center is an unparalleled product that allows users to clearly and easily get their message across, no matter the time or distance. For example, we are using LifeSize Video Center to capture professors’ lectures, in simulation training for our department of nursing and for internal admissions training to our remote campuses,” said Tom Umphress, information services director, Globe University/Minnesota School of Business. “We look forward to implementing the new features of Version 1.1, especially the LDAP connectivity, embedding of videos and branding components. When a student logs into the web portal to view a lecture they will be able to use their standard student login and they will see the Globe University/Minnesota School of Business logo, which creates a truly seamless user experience between the university and the IT back-end. That’s what makes LifeSize Video Center so applicable for us.”

In addition, LifeSize is developing an Application Programming Interface (API) to enable technology companies to integrate with LifeSize Video Center. Under a sales and marketing partnership with LifeSize, VBrick Systems, headquartered in Wallingford, Conn., will use the API to combine LifeSize Video Center with the VBrick enterprise IP video platform for content management, distribution, and integration with unified communications platforms such as Microsoft OCS, Microsoft SharePoint, and IBM SameTime.

By the end of the year, joint customers will be able to use LifeSize Video Center with VBrick Enterprise Media System (VEMS), VBrick HD Reflectors and VBrick Online Streaming Services (VBoss) to better manage content, more efficiently stream content across disparate networks to multiple users, to multicast video on local area networks, and to easily stream video over the Internet. 

“Our partnership with LifeSize will ensure that our joint customers can simply and efficiently create compelling video content and distribute it to the entire enterprise,” said John Shaw, chief operating officer, VBrick Systems. “VBrick System’s renowned enterprise IP video platform bridges the gap between video conferencing and IP video streaming, and LifeSize Video Center is the ideal product to integrate with because of its ease of recording and high quality video images.”

“The updates to LifeSize Video Center demonstrate how rapidly we can respond to customer feedback with features that continually make it easier for them to extend the reach of high-quality video conferencing in their organizations,” said Michael Helmbrecht, vice president of product marketing for LifeSize. “The API we are developing will extend the power of the Video Center platform by enabling interoperability with leading players in the broader video conferencing ecosystem such as VBrick.”

Pricing and Availability

  • LifeSize Video Center Version 1.1 software will be available for download this month.
  • LifeSize Video Center is globally available for $29,999 U.S. MSRP.

Additional Resources

About LifeSize Communications

LifeSize is a pioneer and world leader in high-definition video collaboration. Designed to make video conferencing truly universal, LifeSize solutions are simple to buy, adopt, support and use. Offering video conferencing systems and software applications as well as a full line of video infrastructure, available on premise or in the cloud, LifeSize is committed to universal video collaboration. With LifeSize, customers can participate in large multi-party HD calls, live streaming and recording, collaboration on any mobile device, on any network, all at the highest level of quality. LifeSize was founded in 2003 and acquired by Logitech in 2009. For more information, visit http://www.lifesize.com.

Note to editors: Photos available at http://www.lifesize.com/press/media_kit.

LifeSize, the LifeSize logo, Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are trademarks and may be registered. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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