News for and about the Internet2 community

["Karoline McLaughlin" <>]

 

LifeSize™ Selected by Northwestern University and New World Symphony for Live Internet2 Presentation

 

Attendees from 206 Universities to Experience Live Music Instruction Powered by

LifeSize High Definition Video and Audio Products  

 

AUSTIN, TX – September 12, 2005 – LifeSize, the high definition video communications company, today announced it is working with Chicago’s Northwestern University and New World Symphony in Miami to demonstrate a live music instruction session using LifeSize’s breakthrough high definition video and audio products.  This live, interactive display will be conducted on September 20^th during the Fall 2005 Internet2 Member Meeting and will feature a high definition video communications link between the conference site in Philadelphia, the instructor in Chicago and the music student in Miami.

 

Internet2 conference attendees will be able to view the 3-way video multipoint live music instruction at up to 1Mbps with LifeSize’s flagship high definition video communications solution, LifeSize Room™.  Until now, educational institutions have relied on upwards of 10-15 Mbps bandwidth to experience the same level of video quality.  Tom Snook, New World Symphony Chief Technology Officer (CTO), and Larry Amiot of Northwestern University, will be in Philadelphia to facilitate the demonstration between all three locations.

 

“We are tremendously excited to collaborate with LifeSize and Northwestern University in this demonstration of next generation video and audio communications technology,” said Tom Snook, New World Symphony CTO.  “New World Symphony is a virtual institution relying extensively on distance learning to provide our students with the highest levels of musical instruction.  LifeSize’s high definition products enable us to enhance the remote communications experience for instructors and students, creating a learning environment very much akin to that of a traditional setting where all parties are in the same room.”

 

The LifeSize high definition product suite, which analysts call “a quantum leap in capabilities for users of video communications,” provides nearly 10 times the quality of existing solutions and unparalleled simplicity for the end user and IT manager.  Unlike traditional videoconferencing solutions, the LifeSize user experience relies on superior high definition video, high definition audio and intuitive real-time manageability which allows dispersed organizations to share important information and valuable insight. 

"Even at a bandwidth-rich institution such as Northwestern, there is an appreciation for how lower bandwidth video technology can help us to reach new audiences for our teachers and researchers,” reports Larry Amiot, Senior Digital Video Engineer at Northwestern University.  “By offering better quality conferencing at low bandwidths, LifeSize’s high definition video promises to dramatically improve the user experience for any organization."

 

Attendees of the Fall 2005 Internet2 Member Meeting in Philadelphia can view the LifeSize Live High Definition Music Instruction demonstration on Tuesday, September 20^th from 1:15pm-2:30pm EDT.  For more information, visit www.lifesize.com/internet2/ or http://events.internet2.edu/2005/fall-mm/.

 

About LifeSize Room™
LifeSize Room is a high definition video communications system for conference rooms.  Includes high definition codec; LifeSize-designed high definition camera and wide angle zoom lens with a 70 degree field of view; high definition audio conference phone; and wireless remote control.  Uses the H.264 standard to deliver up to 1280x720 resolution (high definition at 1Mbps), 30 frames per second, and better quality at all bandwidths.  LifeSize Room works with most displays and includes embedded multipoint bridging and dual streaming support for multimedia collaboration.  List Price: $11,999.

About Internet2®
Led by over 200 U.S. universities, working with industry and government, Internet2 is developing and deploying advanced network applications and technologies for research and higher education, accelerating the creation of tomorrow's Internet.  Internet2 recreates the partnerships among academia, industry, and government that helped foster today's Internet in its infancy.  For more information about Internet2, see: http://www.internet2.edu/

About Northwestern University

Northwestern University is an ambitious institution, striving for a level of preeminence achieved by only a handful of institutions in the world.  It has distinguished itself as an institution that encourages innovation and the integration of experience across many fields.  This culture positions Northwestern well to lead higher education in the 21st century in a world of great complexity and challenge.  Northwestern combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment that transcends traditional academic boundaries.  It provides students and faculty exceptional opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth in a setting enhanced by the richness of Chicago.

 

About New World Symphony

Established in 1987 under the artistic leadership of Michael Tilson Thomas, the New World Symphony is an intensive, multi-faceted three-year fellowship program that prepares highly gifted graduates of distinguished music programs for leadership positions in orchestras and ensembles throughout the world.  Since its inception, more than 630 New World Symphony fellows have launched careers as musicians and educators in professional orchestras, ensembles and arts institutions in the United States and abroad.  The New World Symphony is internationally recognized for developing new models of orchestral training, including its pioneering use of Internet2, an advanced communications technology.  NWS is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music and a member of the American Symphony Orchestra League.  Additional information is at www.nws.edu.

 

About LifeSize

LifeSize is the high definition video communications company.  Founded in 2003 by industry veterans, LifeSize is changing the way people around the world are conducting business with a fully encompassing product offering that combines exceptional quality, user simplicity and administrator manageability to make video communications a productive, true-to-life experience.  LifeSize is privately-held and headquartered in Austin, TX with international subsidiaries in the U.K. and Hong Kong. 

 

For more information, visit the LifeSize Web site at www.lifesize.com or call 1.877.LIFESIZE in North America, +44 1256 480591 in EMEA and +852 8239 3695 in APAC.

 

 

###

 

 

Karoline McLaughlin

Director of Marketing Programs

LifeSize Communications

The High Definition Video Communications Company

www.lifesize.com

512.351.4249