Applications

When you move video onto your network, anything seems possible.  And affordable. And perhaps most important, do-able. VBrick solutions help you turn strategy into tactics – and implement them immediately. Existing methods and operations are enhanced. Information moves faster and more accurately. Instead of reading about the potential of virtual training or streaming news distribution or distance learning, you can be realizing it today – and gaining new levels of productivity and competitive advantage. While VBrick is working with a wide range of blue-chip customers to develop video-driven solutions, they have extensive experience in the areas listed below.

Solutions for Education

• Distance Learning
• Media Retrieval & Distribution
• Virtual Fieldtrips
• Video Distribution
• Event Broadcast

Solutions for Government

• Surveillance & Security
• Personnel Training
• News Distribution
• Video Visitation
• Remote Court Arraignment

Solutions for Corporate

• News Distribution
• Employee Training
• Videoconferencing
• Factory Process Monitoring

 

Distance Learning
The benefits of distance learning stretch far beyond the delivery of an educational experience.

• Improve bottom line – Rolling out classes to remotely located students lets you increase the revenues from added enrollment without increasing the overhead for an on-campus student.
• Allocate teaching resources more efficiently – When a lecture to 100 students is broadcast by streaming video to 400 more students who later take automatically graded tests on the school’s Web site, you can dramatically increase the number of students per teacher with little impact on the teacher.
• Upgrade course offerings at branch campuses – When high-profile faculty on the main campus can essentially teach the same course remotely to branch-campus students, it can enhance the educational offerings of your branch campuses.

 

Media Retrieval
The benefits of networked media retrieval and distribution stretch far beyond the delivery of an educational experience.

• Eliminate lost or damaged media problems – Videocassettes and DVDs will no longer be misplaced or stolen or passed on to another teacher without first returning. Nor is there any degradation of image quality from multiple viewings or rough handling.
• Avoid scheduling conflicts – With media resources all stored on hard drives, there is no more waiting, no reserve lists. A given video can be watched at a moment’s notice – by several different classes, simultaneously.
• Provide real-time class enhancement – Leverage the spontaneity of class discussion by immediately accessing a video resource for a more vivid learning experience.
• Reduce costs – Record it once and it’s available forever. You don’t have to invest in blank tapes to make multiple copies. You also eliminate the need for – and the cost of – checking in, checking out, tracking down, and cataloging.

 

Virtual Fieldtrips
Imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to:

• Take a real-time, tailored virtual tour – With their web-streaming products, you get a live feed that can be tailored to your needs and is at no risk of being outdated.
• Tour with other classrooms – Following the example of the New York City Public Schools, you can use VBrick's MPEG encoder/decoders to arrange for live video links with other classrooms, thus amplifying the fieldtrip experience.
• Control the tour remotely – Imagine exploring the undersea world off the coast of California, operating the cameras in a submersible vehicle…while standing in a building in Connecticut. Using VBrick's MPEG encoders/decoders, the Mystic (CT) Aquarium was able to provide just such a visitor experience. The benefits of virtual fieldtrips stretch far beyond the delivery of an educational experience.
• Expand educational resources while reducing costs – You make local destinations available as educational resources without the costs of (or headaches of arranging) travel. You can also arrange virtual tours of distant destinations that would have been entirely inaccessible.
• Provide cross-cultural experiences – By linking classes in different communities or urban neighborhoods, you can add another dimension to the virtual tour by bringing in the different perceptions of various ethnic and demographic groups.
• Increase actual on-site visitation to the destinations – When kids have a great experience at a destination, they often plead with their parents to bring them back again on the weekend. With proof that virtual tours are an equally effective promotional tool, schools should be able to entice more and more institutions and destinations to collaborate in developing virtual tours.

 

Video Distribution
With cost-cutting initiatives so prevalent in the corporate world since the early 1990s, conventional video technology has been put to work in several different areas of operation. But even an emerging application like videoconferencing can be turbo-charged by video-enabling your network. You can amplify your corporate and business news distribution. Improve both effectiveness and efficiency of employee training. Make videoconferencing a truly useful tool for widespread collaboration. Make factory process monitoring more flexible as well as more pervasive. And create a more progressive and sophisticated image for your company.

Seven common misperceptions
Many people considering the use of network-based video in the workplace mistakenly believe one or more of the following:

• Reliability is questionable.
• Bandwidth is needed by the bucketful.
• Network congestion is out of control.
• Off-network video conferencing is the only viable option.
• Expense is prohibitive.
• Complexity is overwhelming.
• Quality video is not routinely possible on a PC.

How VBrick makes it better
Through technological innovation and best-of-breed partnerships, the VBrick solution turns every one of these misperceptions on its head.

• Reliability -- founded on an uncannily simple technology, VBrick products leverage that simplicity for unprecedented reliability – which is why you’ll see VBrick products in The White House, on Wall Street, and in Fortune 500 company boardrooms.
• Bandwidth – a pioneer in the use of MPEG-4 technology, VBrick has developed networked video solutions that require less than 100K of bandwidth for video transmission.
• Network congestion – networks built with Layer 3 switching assure that video transmission will not interfere with your mission-critical applications.
• Off-network video conferencing – VBrick not only gives you live video streaming without the need of a 3rd-party host, but the VBrick comprehensive functionality also gives you full store-and-forward, video-on-demand capabilities.
• Expense – when you put your distance-learning video solution on your network, the cost is merely incremental, and far less than the cost of standalone options.
• Complexity – with even  the entry-level encoder/decoder, the VBrick solution is as close to “plug-and-play” as you can get.
• Quality – with a VBrick MPEG-2 encoder/decoder, you can have DVD-quality video streamed to the desktop. This not only provides a better viewing experience, but eliminates “visual fatigue” from extended viewing.

 

Event Broadcast
The benefits of networked event broadcast stretch far beyond the delivery of an educational or “school spirit” experience.

• Generate new revenue streams – Become your own Home Box Office: with the flexibility of the video distribution system, you can package live event broadcasts into subscriber series that are delivered free to all students, but on a fee-basis to student’s families.
• Expand the school community – By making live events accessible to students at branch campuses or who weren’t able to get tickets to sold-out events, as well as to students’ families, you extend the sense of involvement in the life of the school to a broader audience.

 

Surveillance and Security
Video has long played a major role in the surveillance and security arena. But traditional, standalone, fixed-video set-ups can be cost-intensive, especially because they lack flexibility for viewing. But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to: Monitor areas too sensitive for on-site observation, using MPEG encoders to provide video of test missile ranges, war games, and other vital operations and facilities. The set-top-box and streaming software decoders then let this video be observed from any room with a TV or a computer hooked into the network. Adjust traffic controls in real-time by using our MPEG encoders and set-top-box and streaming software decoders to provide high-quality video images of traffic trouble spots.

The benefits of using networked-based video for surveillance and security stretch far beyond simply being able to keep an eye on things.

• Boost productivity – When your traffic monitoring video is integrated with traffic control systems, you can create an Intelligent Transportation System for real-time alterations of lights timing and highway message boards.
• Enhance monitoring flexibility – VBrick's monitoring solution isn’t plugged into a single bank of display screens. Images can be viewed on any PC or device on the network – in other words, by anyone with authority no matter what office they may be in.

 

Personnel Training
Many people still firmly believe that you can’t beat face-to-face classroom sessions for the most effective training. Interactive training over the Web is being employed more and more, however, to cut travel costs, provide greater flexibility for individual employees to fit the training into their schedules, and deliver training more quickly and efficiently.

But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to:

• Stream training classes, live or on-demand, to employee PCs or conference room PCs, using VBrick's MPEG encoders and set-top box and streaming software decoders.
• Offer interactive training – remotely, using VBrick's MPEG encoders/decoders to provide all the value of the face-to-face classroom experience between people who are located on the other side of town…or the other side of the globe.
• Provide training on-demand so that employees get the training they need when they can best put it to use. We offer store-and-forward solutions for temporary video storage and a video-on-demand system for your permanent training archives.

The benefits of networked-based video for employee training stretch far beyond the delivery of an educational experience.

• Lower costs – When you can provide all the value of classroom training without putting on the classes themselves, you save money on travel, on trainers, and on the time your employees have to take away from work.
• Empower your employees – Give them the full advantages of interactive training with high-quality video, but let them control the process so they can schedule their training when it will be most productive for them.
• Boost productivity – When your employees can use video-on-demand training materials to easily refresh their memory of vital information before a crucial presentation, you have given them a powerful productivity tool.

 

News Distribution
The Internet has already revolutionized corporate news distribution, as daily news briefs are posted on the corporate intranet overnight and newsflashes are pushed out in real-time as an edge-of-the-screen scroll or on the intranet home page. CEO speeches and notable events could always be televised by closed-circuit TV to corporate cafeterias and break rooms. Imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to: Broadcast a CEO speech or other live event straight to the desktop as well as to TVs in lunchrooms, boardrooms and common rooms. VBrick's web-streaming products make this possible. Multicast network or cable news stations, using the MPEG encoders at the headend and set-top box and streaming software decoders at the receiving end, to give you a flexible, yet powerful videocasting system. Put the all-important Morning Call on every desktop of your financial services institution, using VBrick's web-streaming solutions.

The benefits of corporate news distribution stretch far beyond simply staying in the know.

• Enhance productivity – With videocast corporate events and broadcast TV available on the desktop, employees don’t need to leave their desks in order to stay on top of the latest corporate or outside news.
• Enrich understanding – There are limits to what a person can get out of a text blurb on the intranet or a radio report of a newsworthy incident. Transmit this information in high-quality video and you convey nuances of information, of perhaps great potential value, that aren’t otherwise available.
• Boost morale – When you can beam your CEO’s words, in a live, worldwide broadcast, you create a greater sense of inclusion and solidarity that provide a motivating force in both good times and bad.

 

Video Visitation
It used to be that prisoner visitation either happened over the phones at the glass barrier or it didn’t happen at all. Video has made it possible to expand visitation privileges to even the most dangerous prisoners, but conventional video technology puts a straightjacket on the way prison administrators can apply the solution. But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to: Send and receive signals from any location, using VBrick's MPEG encoders/decoders in a portable system that gives you much greater flexibility in using it. Assure video transmission by having a system administrator use VBrick's scheduling software to book the desired time, conferencing sites, and configuration.

The benefits of video visitation stretch beyond making prison administration more simple and secure.

• Expand the volume of prisoner visitations – Not only can you make visitation easier to implement with high-security prisoners, but you can also expand the volume of visitations with having to expand your dedicated visitation room. Video visitation signals can be received on any TV or PC connected to the network.
• Facilitate parole board hearings – Parole board and other administrative hearings with prisoners can be set up on short notice and without requiring travel by any of the participants.

 

Remote Court Arraignment
Court arraignments have not typically been remote before. They generally require the accused to appear in person before the court, which can take more time for traveling to the courtroom and waiting to see the judge than for the arraignment itself. But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to: Arraign the arrested from their holding cell, using VBrick's MPEG encoders/decoders for a much more efficient process.

The benefits of remote court arraignment stretch beyond making this court procedure more simple and secure.

• Reduce the wait time between arrest and arraignment – The court dockets can become extremely crowded at times. Remote court arraignment can ease the bottleneck by streamlining the arraignment process. No time is wasted even in clearing the court after one arraignment and waiting for the next to be ushered in.
• Lower costs – if you don’t need multiple guards to escort each arrested person to and from the arraignment, much less wait outside the courtroom as the schedule inevitably starts to fall behind, then you can reduce your staffing…and put that courtroom to other use.

 

Employee Training
Many people still firmly believe that you can’t beat face-to-face classroom sessions for the most effective training. Interactive training over the Web is being employed more and more, however, to cut travel costs, provide greater flexibility for individual employees to fit the training into their schedules, and deliver training more quickly and efficiently. But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to: Stream training classes, live or on-demand, to employee PCs or conference room PCs, using VBrick's MPEG encoders and set-top box and streaming software decoders. Offer interactive training – remotely, using VBrick's MPEG encoders/decoders to provide all the value of the face-to-face classroom experience between people who are located on the other side of town…or the other side of the globe. Provide training on-demand so that employees get the training they need when they can best put it to use. We offer store-and-forward solutions for temporary video storage and a video-on-demand system for your permanent training archives.

The benefits of networked-based video for employee training stretch far beyond the delivery of an educational experience.

• Lower costs – When you can provide all the value of classroom training without putting on the classes themselves, you save money on travel, on trainers, and on the time your employees have to take away from work.
• Empower your employees – Give them the full advantages of interactive training with high-quality video, but let them control the process so they can schedule their training when it will be most productive for them.
• Boost productivity – When your employees can use video-on-demand training materials to easily refresh their memory of vital information before a crucial presentation, you have given them a powerful productivity tool.

 

News Distribution for Corporations
The Internet has already revolutionized corporate news distribution, as daily news briefs are posted on the corporate intranet overnight and newsflashes are pushed out in real-time as an edge-of-the-screen scroll or on the intranet home page. CEO speeches and notable events could always be televised by close-circuit TV to corporate cafeterias and break rooms. But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to: Broadcast a CEO speech or other live event straight to the desktop as well as to TVs in lunchrooms, boardrooms and common rooms. VBrick's web-streaming products make this possible. Multicast network or cable news stations, using VBrick's MPEG encoders at the headend and set-top box and streaming software decoders at the receiving end, to give you a flexible, yet powerful videocasting system. Put the all-important Morning Call on every desktop of your financial services institution, using VBrick's web-streaming solutions.

The benefits of corporate news distribution stretch far beyond simply staying in the know.

• Enhance productivity – With videocast corporate events and broadcast TV available on the desktop, employees don’t need to leave their desks in order to stay on top of the latest corporate or outside news.
• Enrich understanding – There are limits to what a person can get out of a text blurb on the intranet or a radio report of a newsworthy incident. Transmit this information in high-quality video and you convey nuances of information, of perhaps great potential value, that aren’t otherwise available.
• Boost morale – When you can beam your CEO’s words, in a live, worldwide broadcast, you create a greater sense of inclusion and solidarity that provide a motivating force in both good times and bad.

 

Employee Training for Corporations
Many people still firmly believe that you can’t beat face-to-face classroom sessions for the most effective training. Interactive training over the Web is being employed more and more, however, to cut travel costs, provide greater flexibility for individual employees to fit the training into their schedules, and deliver training more quickly and efficiently. But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to: Stream training classes, live or on-demand, to employee PCs or conference room PCs, using VBrick's MPEG encoders and set-top box and streaming software decoders. Offer interactive training – remotely, using VBrick's MPEG encoders/decoders to provide all the value of the face-to-face classroom experience between people who are located on the other side of town…or the other side of the globe. Provide training on-demand so that employees get the training they need when they can best put it to use. We offer store-and-forward solutions for temporary video storage and a video-on-demand system for your permanent training archives.

The benefits of networked-based video for employee training stretch far beyond the delivery of an educational experience.

• Lower costs – When you can provide all the value of classroom training without putting on the classes themselves, you save money on travel, on trainers, and on the time your employees have to take away from work.
• Empower your employees – Give them the full advantages of interactive training with high-quality video, but let them control the process so they can schedule their training when it will be most productive for them.
• Boost productivity – When your employees can use video-on-demand training materials to easily refresh their memory of vital information before a crucial presentation, you have given them a powerful productivity tool.

 

Videoconferencing
You’ve had two options. You can book the board room and use the big-screen unit whose sound always seemed to have a glitch in it at the most inopportune time. Or you can use the desktop application that gives you the postage stamp image in the corner of your PC monitor and video of extremely dubious quality. But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to: Experience high-quality video and sound on any device, from boardroom big-screen, to conference room TV, to office PC, to road warrior’s PDA, with the help of VBrick's MPEG encoders/decoders. Assure video transmission by having a system administrator use VBrick's scheduling software to book the desired time, conferencing sites and configuration.

The benefits of videoconferencing stretch far beyond saving money on meeting travel.

• Make videoconferences more inclusive – Once you move videoconferencing out of the boardroom, you make it possible for everyone who ought to attend the meeting to be there, using the location and device that works best for them.
• Project a high-quality image – This isn’t just about your video image. This is about your corporate image. If you have an important customer prospect in for a presentation or outside collaborators in for a project launch, a state-of-the-art networked videoconference will say a great deal about your company.

 

Factory Process Monitoring
Walking the floor – that’s what factory process monitoring has been until recent years. Now, some companies have begun to bring video monitoring into the picture, often through the use of closed-circuit TV. It is cost-intensive. It has relatively limited flexibility. But it has demonstrated the potential of remote monitoring. But imagine having a network-based video solution that allows you to fully realize that potential by: Keeping an eye on factory personnel, using MPEG encoders and streaming software decoders to provide video images of stunning clarity and immediacy. Troubleshooting downed assembly lines remotely by viewing archived low-frame-rate video images on any computer with access to the network.

The benefits of using networked-based video for factory process monitoring stretch far beyond simply being able to keep an eye on things.

• Boost productivity – The quicker you can troubleshoot a work-stoppage and get back up and running, the higher your productivity.
• Enhance monitoring flexibility – VBrick's monitoring solution isn’t plugged into a single bank of display screens. Images can be viewed on any PC or device on the network.

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