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Number of results 21 for audio

26/01/2012 - Cablevision's Optimum Lightpath targets SMBs with new conferencing lineup

Cablevision (NYSE: CVC)'s Optimum Lightpath, which sells VoIP and other Ethernet-based communication solutions in the New York metropolitan area businesses, is rolling out conferencing services that it says will deliver enterprise-class audio and web conferencing.

The initiative is aimed at the increasingly UC-savvy mid-market business segment and is part of Optimum Lightpath's Collaboration Suite.

The Optimum Lightpath Conference Bundle includes support for up to 300 audio only or 125 Web and audio participants, allows an unlimited ability to add audio conference moderators and includes a "Connect Me" feature that will automatically call participants logging into a meeting via the Web.

The offering also gives users a personal digital library for storing and quickly sharing frequently used files, enables real-time administrative controls and a Web portal to manage the service, and one-click conference recording.

The bundle is is available to existing Optimum Lightpath customers and is based on flat-rate pricing for packages of minutes and licenses. Live tech support is available 24/7.

"Cost savings remains a difficult-to-quantify benefit, therefore IT managers are increasingly looking at bundled services that reduce costs while improving user access," said Irwin Lazar, vice president of Nemertes Research.

For more:
- see this release

02/11/2011 - InterCall launches integrated audio conferencing for Microsoft Office 365

Conferencing and collaboration services provider InerCall said it has completed beta testing its integration of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Lync Online with its Reservationless-Plus audio conferencing platform. The company said it will begin offering the product to North American customers, as well as to clients in the EMEA regions.

The West Corp. subsidiary said Lync Online, included in Office 365, integrated with its audio conferencing solution delivers a comprehensive conferencing and productivity solution for small and mid-sized businesses.

InterCall, meanwhile, also said it achieved a Gold Unified Communications Competency in the Microsoft Partner Network, which required a company to complete various tests to prove their level of technology expertise, have at least four Microsoft Certified Professionals on staff, submit customer references and demonstrate commitment to customer satisfaction.

For more:
- see this release

01/09/2011 - LG-Ericsson unveils new IP audio conference terminal

LG-Ericsson has announced a new IP conference phone, the iPECS ACT-50 Audio Conference terminal, as part of the company's existing line for its iPECS-LIK IP telephony and unified communications product family. The company's press release argues that the phone is "designed to make conference calls even clearer than face-to-face meetings," meaning that some company somewhere will soon say its phone sounds clearer that the voices in your head.

Kidding aside, the ACT-50 sports 16 integrated microphones and four speakers and a 20-foot coverage area to help ensure all conference call participants' voice are heard, whether you are right in front of the phone or on the other end of the call. The technology was developed by Yamaha.

The conference unit also has a built-in audio mixer, multiple microphone modes, adaptive echo cancellation and auto tracking to ensure voice quality. It supports LAN, PSTN and audio in/out interfaces, and also can be daisy-chained for use in larger spaces.

The terminal should be a nice addition to the iPECs-LIK product line that LG-Ericsson only recently began selling in the U.S. market.

For more:
- see the LG-Ericsson release

01/08/2011 - Equity firm buys U.K. conferencing firm MeetingZone for $62.6M

With the pace of adoption for webconferencing and videoconferencing picking up as companies continue to look for ways to shave costs, it's no surprise that M&A activity in the space also looks to be heating up.

Last month, for example, HP sold its visual collaboration business to Polycom for $89 million. Today, European private equity group GMT Communication is announcing it is acquiring conferencing and collaboration service provider MeetingZone for $62.6 million.

The U.K.-based company generated $17.9 million in revenue last year and has presence in the U.K., North America and Germany. The company expects to grow by more than 20 percent in the current financial year ending March 2012.

The company, launched in 2002 by Steve Gandy and Tom Duffy, has seen CAGR of 20 percent over the past three financial years. Both Duffy and Gandy will remain significant shareholders; Gandy will continue in his role as CEO and Duffy will become non-executive chairman.

MeetingZone provides an array of conference call and collaboration solutions to global organizations, from self-managed reservationless conference calls to event calls for shareholder communications. The company uses "e-business self-service" principles to fully automate its operations.

"Tim and Steve have built a superb business over the past nine years, and we look forward to working with this high-caliber team," said GMT partner Stefan Franssen, who will join the company's board. "With the U.K. and European conferencing markets forecast to grow at around 10 percent a year to the end of 2013--driven by the desire of corporates to cut travel and time costs, reduce carbon emissions and cater for increasing numbers of home or remote workers-- MeetingZone is ideally positioned to capitalize on its market-leading technology. There is also scope to pursue acquisitive expansion and grow this highly scalable business internationally."

For more:
- see this release

29/03/2011 - Black Diamond Video Launches the Sapphire-QHD1 Conferencing Solution

Black Diamond Video launched its comprehensive high definition conferencing solution, Sapphire-QHD1, a four-faceted package that offers bi-directional HD video and audio conferencing, unidirectional HD video and audio streaming, HD video recording, and HD image capture. Black Diamond Video’s HIPAA compliant Sapphire-QHD1 can be incorporated into BDV’s popular Integrated Digital Surgical Suite (IDSS) for medical applications or stand alone as a commercial, business, or military conferencing system.

26/07/2010 - AudioCodes E-SBC expands to SIP Trunking market

AudioCodes is applying its enterprise session border controller (SBC) expertise to the SIP trunking world to make it easier for customers to connect their existing environments to SIP Trunking as they move to take advantage of IP communications.

AudioCodes Enterprise Session Border Controller allows customers to safely and transparently migrate from traditional PSTN to SIP Trunking. The device protects their network from VoIP security threats as well as their existing investment in IP and TDM PBX equipment. Additionally, the new E-SBC has Multi-Service Business Gateway capabilities.

"The AudioCodes E-SBC family is creating a new breed of CPE products for the emerging SIP Trunking market," said Elka Popova, Program Director at Frost & Sullivan in the release. "Customers have been looking for a safe and straightforward way to move their existing telephony environment from PSTN services to the more cost-effective SIP Trunking services." AudioCodes' offering is sure to please customers considering such a migration from traditional TDM-based T1 circuits to SIP trunking.

For more:
- read the release

08/07/2010 - AudioCodes offers UcSIPT for MS Communications Server 14

VoIP tech provider, AudioCodes has announced their new solution: UcSIPT. The offering is a solution set for combining Microsoft Communications Server 14 and SIP Trunking using their Media Gateway and Enterprise Session Border Controllers.

The solution will allow companies to securely connect with Microsoft Office Communications Servers using cost saving SIP trunking. Companies can use AudioCodes Mediant 1000 and Mediant 2000 to provide mediation to implement the solutions quickly.

"With the latest announcement of Microsoft Communications Server '14' and Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, supported by the AudioCodes Mediant 1000 and Mediant 2000 Survivable Branch Appliances, customers can now accelerate their adoption plans of the Microsoft Unified Communications architecture as their solution for enterprise voice services," said Nimrod Borovsky, Vice President Marketing at AudioCodes.

For more:
- read the release

24/06/2010 - Verizon Business launches VIPER for easy UC

Verizon Business has upgraded its IP communications offerings to companies looking to adopt unified communications (UC) solutions.

The latest moves include the launch of VIPER or VoIP IP Enterprise Routing, which is a new cloud-based VoIP feature that allows for business-to-business calls eliminating domestic and international per minute calling charges when calls are made between Verizon VoIP VIPER customers in the U.S. and Europe. Because the new service is enabled on the Verizon network, customers don't have to deploy any additional software or hardware. With Verizon's wide customer base, the service provider sees the potential for lots of cost savings when two customers connect.

Verizon also announced its IP Audio Conferencing solution which allows companies to launch instant voice meetings while eliminating the additional per minute charges for calls originating from a Verizon IP-enabled location.

For more:
- read the release

22/03/2010 - Skype for SIP adds new IP PBXs and gateways for SMBs

The business-facing front of the Skype revolution is trucking along with lots of new players becoming certified as interoperable with the system. Still in open beta, Skype for SIP now includes AudioCodes, Grandstream Networks and VoSky as part of the family of interoperable hardware solutions with Skype for SIP.

Skype for SIP is now interoperable with AudioCodes Mediant 1000 Multi-Service Business Gateways which will allow small and medium businesses connect to Skype. Businesses can use their existing TDM-based PBXs and key systems to make calls to landline and mobile phones through Skype as well as receive inbound calls from the service.

Grandstream's IP PBX and gateway is now also interoperable with Skype for SIP. Companies using Grandstream's GXE502x series IP PBX and related gateways can make calls with Skype at competitive rates and allow their customers and remote employees to make free inbound calls to their PBX system using Skype.

Finally, VoSky's SSG is a PBX-to-Skype for SIP gateway enabling SMBs to connect any legacy analog PBX or key system to Skype.

The certification process was done by TekVizion Labs--an independent testing and certification company.

For more:
- read the AudioCodes release
- read the Grandstream release
- and read the TekVizion release

28/09/2009 - Whaleback adds Polycom phones to hosted VoIP offering

Whaleback Systems, a New Hampshire-based managed VoIP provider, announced it has added compatibility for three Polycom HD audio phones. Now, Whaleback customers can use Polycom SoundPoint IP 450, 550 and 670 phones for its managed VoIP offering, CrystalBlue Voice Service, which supports the G.722 wideband codec.

The addition of these phones broadens Whaleback's offering and enables customers to make calls with higher fidelity and audio quality, according to the company.

For more:
- see the Snapvoip.com article here

31/08/2009 - AudioCodes hops into Australian market

AudioCodes, an Israeli IP communications vendor, announced it is bolstering its operations in Australia and seeking partnership deals to further its efforts selling unified communications and SIP trunking solutions. The company, which has been selling it products Down Under through the channel since 2002, has placed Chris Papaioanou as director of sales for the operation.

Papaionanou said he hopes to increase headcount as the company grows its Australian business. He added that AudioCodes would like to sign a national distributor and 20 more channel partners in Australia, and he's looking for VARs that have Microsoft certification and experience selling other IP communications gear, according to an ARNnet.com article.

For more:
- see the ARNnet.com article here

17/08/2009 - Audiocodes, MailVision target the iPhone opportunity

AudioCodes and MailVision announced that iPico, a mobile SIP client solution created by MailVision, is compatible with Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. iPico has found a sizeable niche for itself in the mobile handset market. In addition to the iPhone, iPico is supported on other major wireless devices including Nokia's Symbian and Windows mobile phones.

A standalone mobile phone SIP-based Soft Client, MailVision's iPico features presence (availability/non-availability display) and high-quality voice in various codec formats. Interoperable with major SIP softswitches and gateways, iPico is ready to be deployed in large scale service provider networks. Since iPico leverages a phone's address book's contacts, users can use their already stored information with their iPhone's standard interface. Similarly, the iPico enables an iPod touch to become a fully functional mobile phone over WiFi. An iPod touch user could, for example, leverage the iPico's WiFi capability to reduce the cost of international roaming charges.

For more:
- see the press release here

13/08/2009 - Is HD Voice ready for its moment?

HD Voice is gaining momentum, at least in buzz and conversation, leading into ITEXPO West and Q4 of what has been a tumultuous year for the IP communications space. But, despite proclamations made by gung-ho advocates like Jeff Pulver and vendors like AudioCodes, 2009 has not seen many significant domestic deployments of HD Voice products.

Pulver and the leaders of the nascent HDConnect project, Doug Mohney and Daniel Berninger, are absolutely correct about the potential for serious improvements in the rather abysmal call quality currently available in the U.S. In a short video clip about the upcoming HD Communications Summit in New York City, Pulver berates the lack of improvement in telephony call quality, which he claims has remained unchanged since 1937. He sees "billions of dollars in revenue" potential for both service providers and equipment manufacturers.

Given the technological advances in IP telephony, one would think progress would have been made, but Pulver says telephone calls still leave out ranges of frequencies crucial for discerning intonations. He said that the "pathetic reality" is that a "tin can to tin can" phone call probably provides better quality than current telephony options.

As for a personal anecdote, I conduct dozens of interviews via telephone every week, and I would love the ability to understand more nuances in these conversations and not have to have stop people when they're on a roll, just so they can repeat something to me.

Check out this piece, reposted on Pulver's website, for a look at where the market currently stands on HD Voice, both for carriers and equipment manufacturers

I'm really interested in having conversations around HD Voice at ITEXPO West in early September, so let me know what you or your company sees as the potential for HD Voice. It could be a game-changing wave of innovation for IP communications, which is desperately in need of growth engines. But without a significant push to educate enterprises and consumers about the benefits of the technology, HD Voice could end up another has-been technology that never realized its full potential.

- Pete
@fiercevoip

03/06/2009 - SoliCall Broadens Reach of its VoIP Voice Quality Software

SoliCall has signed three international deals with companies from the UK, US and India for its noise reduction and echo cancellation (AEC) technology.
The Israel-based provider of software for VoIP solutions, mobile phones and IP PBXs has developed patent pending algorithms for audio improvement.

06/05/2009 - AudioCodes feels Nortel's bankruptcy, posts Q1 loss

AudioCodes, an Israeli VoIP technology and networking provider, announced a $1.6 million loss for the first quarter, due in large part to $1.7 million Nortel owes the company in deferred revenue. AudioCodes also reported $29.3 million in revenue for the first quarter, down from $43.7 million in the same quarter of 2008.

This is an additional pain point for the company, because Nortel was its largest customer in 2008, and it looks as if Nortel's bankruptcy is hurting AudioCodes's bottom line, though CEO Shabtai Adlersberg blamed the economy for the revenue slide.

"Our revenues decreased in the first quarter of 2009 as a result of the downturn in the global economy and the challenging environment," Adlersberg said. "Based on early second quarter inputs, we anticipate improving market conditions and forecast better financial performance in the coming quarter."

While the market may improve, AudioCodes relied on its OEM relationship with Nortel to the tune of 17 percent of its yearly revenue. AudioCodes cut salaries across the board to improve competitive position in January.

For more:
- see the AudioCodes press release here

24/03/2009 - RadiSys adds VQE to Convedia media server

RadiSys announced today it has added voice quality enhancement (VQE) features to its Convedia Media Server. The new VQE solution removes common sources of poor voice quality in VoIP conferencing applications, including noise, packet loss and echo, and captures statistics for voice quality measurement suitable for upholding SLAs.

RadiSys VQE implements noise gating, noise reduction and noisy line detection mechanisms. The new VQE technology also includes packet loss concealment by intelligently restoring audio packets lost or unacceptably delayed by traffic congestion on the Internet. Convedia media servers with VQE also remove acoustic echo by continuously monitoring all VoIP call legs, dynamically detecting echoes and selectively applying echo cancellation.

All VQE features are supported with new audio and packet statistics, allowing conferencing service providers to continuously measure audio quality for performance measurement and support SLAs with customers.

Benefits of the VQE package embedded into Convedia media servers include improved audio quality, minimized end-to-end delay, streamline network integration, and reduced capital expenditures and ongoing operational costs through consolidated utilization of network equipment resources (i.e. fewer network boxes means lower total cost of ownership).

13/03/2009 - CounterPath announces fiscal Q3 results

CounterPath, a desktop and mobile VoIP company, announced its fiscal third-quarter results Thursday, showing a year-over-year drop in revenue. CounterPath generated $2 million in revenue in the fiscal third quarter ended Jan. 31, 2009, compared to $2.6 million in the same period in 2008, while its net loss for the quarter of $2.2 million matched the 2008 results.

Both software and service revenue declined year-over-year, as software revenue dipped to $1.3 million from $1.7 million and service revenue fell to $0.7 million from $0.9 million in 2008.

"Our third quarter financial results reflect the decrease in bookings from key OEM customers in the quarter as a direct result of the global economic downturn," CEO Donovan Jones said in a statement. "In the current economic downturn, CounterPath is following a well developed plan to strengthen our business through more efficient operations in an effort to drive profitability."

CounterPath said it is positioned to cut operating expenses and grow revenues, as it has almost fully integrated the assets it acquired when it purchased FirstHand and BridgePort in February 2008.

For more:
- see the CounterPath press release here

06/03/2009 - Skype Seeks To Establish Common Audio Codec by Offering High-Quality Silk for Free

Skype is to license for free a high-quality audio codec in its latest VoIP software to any developer or vendor.
Called Silk, the "super-wideband" codec delivers a sound quality that captures the full sound of the human voice.

12/02/2009 - AudioCodes reports record yearly earnings, but a net loss for 2008.

Announcing mixed results, AudioCodes said it recorded a record $174.7 million in revenues for 2008, over a 10 percent rise year-over-year. On the other hand, they posted a GAAP net loss of $81.3 million for the year as they wrote down various things

Revenues in Q408 declined around 9.5 percent to $38.8 million, down from $42.8 million in Q407. Revenues for the full year smoked, however, as the company brought in $174.7 million in 2008. That's a $16.5 million increase from AudioCodes's $158.2 million haul in 2007 - and it's not even counting $1.7 million of unpaid revenues that Nortel owed AudioCodes before it went Chapter 11 in January.

During Q4 the company wrote off (non-cash) around $86 million in goodwill assets and an investment in an affiliate, giving the company a GAAP net loss of $86.7 million and $2.26 per diluted share for the quarter, compared to net income of $1 million and $0.02 per share for Q407. For the year, AudioCodes reported a GAAP net loss of $81.3 million and $1.97 per share, as compared to a GAAP net loss of $3.9 million and $0.09 per share in 2007.

Digging deeper, AudioCodes repurchased $51.5 million of its senior convertible notes due in 2024 for $50.2 million. The company issued $125 million worth of the notes in November 2004, so being able to retire the debt early is always a good thing. At the end of the year, the company had around $115 million between cash and equivalents, deposits, and securities to tap into.

For more:
- AudioCodes official word. Release

21/01/2009 - AudioCodes HD VoIP code arrives on MIPS cores

AudioCodes has announced that its VoIPerfect and VoIPerfectHD software are now available on MIPS32 processor cores. It's an interesting evolution both for AudioCodes and MIPS.

Chip designers and the companies who want a single "System on a Chip (SoC)" solution to drop into IP phones and other integrated devices can now get HD VoIP technology integrated straight into a solution without additional parts. Fewer parts, cheaper devices, everyone is happy. AudioCodes says it has optimized HD VoIP solutions for MIPS single and multi-threaded 32-bit cores, with higher acceleration on a multi-threaded core.

MIPS processors show up in a variety of devices for the digital home, network devices, and even mobile devices. Broadcom and Cavium Networks build their single-chip solutions on the MIPS architecture and the end-result appears in everything from IP phones to routers and even media devices. Take a screwdriver to your consumer electronics boxes and you'll find MIPS family chips in Linksys, NETGEAR, Sony, Pioneer and even laser printers.

For more:
- Release on MSNBC.com

14/01/2009 - AudioCodes cuts salaries

VoIP technology provider AudioCodes is cutting wages across the board, a measure being taken to keep the company competitive and effective "in the face of the current global economic crisis," said CEO Shabtai Adlersberg. Line employees will take a 6 percent pay cut, while management will take a 10 percent pay cut.

The cuts come a week after the publicly traded company announced preliminary fourth quarter 2008 unaudited revenues for the fourth quarter of 2008. AudioCodes believes it will have 4Q08 revenues between $39 million and $41 million.

In comparison, its 3Q08 results were a record $46.6 million, with GAAP net income of $3.2 million, and its 4Q07 revenues came in at $42.8 million, with GAAP income of $1.3 million. So, things aren't as bad as they seem. No job cuts, either.

For more:
- AudioCodes announces pay cuts. Release.

All sections | Sections | All articles | News |

26/01/2012 - Cablevision's Optimum Lightpath targets SMBs with new conferencing lineup

02/11/2011 - InterCall launches integrated audio conferencing for Microsoft Office 365

01/09/2011 - LG-Ericsson unveils new IP audio conference terminal

01/08/2011 - Equity firm buys U.K. conferencing firm MeetingZone for $62.6M

29/03/2011 - Black Diamond Video Launches the Sapphire-QHD1 Conferencing Solution

26/07/2010 - AudioCodes E-SBC expands to SIP Trunking market

08/07/2010 - AudioCodes offers UcSIPT for MS Communications Server 14

24/06/2010 - Verizon Business launches VIPER for easy UC

22/03/2010 - Skype for SIP adds new IP PBXs and gateways for SMBs

28/09/2009 - Whaleback adds Polycom phones to hosted VoIP offering

31/08/2009 - AudioCodes hops into Australian market

17/08/2009 - Audiocodes, MailVision target the iPhone opportunity

13/08/2009 - Is HD Voice ready for its moment?

03/06/2009 - SoliCall Broadens Reach of its VoIP Voice Quality Software

06/05/2009 - AudioCodes feels Nortel's bankruptcy, posts Q1 loss

24/03/2009 - RadiSys adds VQE to Convedia media server

13/03/2009 - CounterPath announces fiscal Q3 results

06/03/2009 - Skype Seeks To Establish Common Audio Codec by Offering High-Quality Silk for Free

12/02/2009 - AudioCodes reports record yearly earnings, but a net loss for 2008.

21/01/2009 - AudioCodes HD VoIP code arrives on MIPS cores

14/01/2009 - AudioCodes cuts salaries

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