Streambox earns IBC recognition for CNN project

Streambox, Inc. today announced that it is among the key partners behind a CNN digital newsgathering project that has been awarded the 2007 IBC Innovation Award for content creation as well as the Judges' Award, the most prestigious award for innovation given at the yearly IBC trade show.

CNN's complete digital newsgathering project incorporates the Streambox® ACT-L3™ Portable Video Transport solution that was used by the network in its remote coverage of the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict in July 2006. Utilizing Streambox's sophisticated encoding technology, journalists were able to file hundreds of live reports with portable IP transmission gear that fit neatly into a backpack and yielded images delivered over IP-based networks in tandem with satellite uplinks, which proved significantly better than earlier technologies.

The groundbreaking project has enabled CNN to deliver high-quality breaking news reports from around the world. The Judges' Award noted that it is the first complete newsgathering tool that works over any existing IP infrastructure, affording reporters ultimate flexibility in terms of live and store and forward transmission, real-time content editing and monitoring, as well as voice communication.

"Our newsgathering and video transport solutions were designed to meet the real-world needs of broadcasters and, in particular, their digital newsgathering requirements," said Bob Hildeman, chairman and CEO at Streambox. "The IBC2007 Awards recognize innovative technology applications that deliver real benefits to the user, and we're proud that our solutions contributed to the on-the-ground success of the project as well as the resulting live news coverage."

The IBC2007 Innovation Awards celebrate excellence in the creation of complete technical and operational solutions, and they are unique in recognizing not only technology, but also the application of that technology. Each award, given to the end user rather than the supplier, reflects the way that the industry comes together to create the content that consumers want – better, smarter, and faster.

An international panel of judges under the chairmanship of Michael Lumley awarded the Judges' Award, which honors technology applications that combine content creation, management, and delivery in a unique way that delivers outstanding benefits for users. The innovation awards were announced on Sept. 9, 2007 during the IBC2007 Awards Ceremony which also represented the 40th anniversary of IBC.

The Streambox® ACT-L3™ Portable Video Transport solution enables broadcasters to deliver high-quality live and stored broadcast video over low-data-rate connections such as BGAN, 3G networks, and other IP and satellite networks. Typically used for mobile newsgathering, Streambox's real-time portable video transport systems are ideal when mobility, flexibility, and a low power requirement are needed. Performance, reliability, and low end-to-end latency are hallmarks of Streambox solutions. These features, along with robust error correction technologies, ensure unrivaled video quality at low data rates.

More information about the ACT-L3™ video transport system and other Streambox solutions is available online at www.streambox.com.