Cranfield University Selects Vidyo to Interact With Worldwide Partners, Researchers and Students

Founded over 60 years ago as the College of Aeronautics, then later Cranfield Institute of Technology, today Cranfield's student population is comprised of over 2,700 Masters students and over 700 Doctoral students. In addition, 14,500 continuing professional development delegates are currently enrolled in courses at the University's three campuses.

"Vidyo enables us to communicate with our key partners, researchers and students across the world with high quality and reliable interaction," said Chas McManus, IT Projects Manager, Cranfield University. "We needed clear, dependable quality and minimum fuss. Compared to PC-based video conferencing solutions from other vendors we tested, Vidyo was much easier to use, reliable and offered impressive quality. We were able to use it without ever reading any guide or manual, which means it will be easy to roll-out to first-time users and to support. And we have yet to see a Vidyo meeting screen freeze or crash, unlike other video conferencing products."

"First Connections worked with Cranfield University to ensure we provided a solution that met their needs and Vidyo was an ideal fit, allowing a cost effective roll out of video conferencing to a potentially very large and mobile user base," commented Keith Gyford, Manager Director at First Connections Limited, a major integrator of video solutions in the UK.

Vidyo: Superior Video Communications That Gives Access to ALL

Vidyo's systems are easy to deploy and use. The versatility of VidyoConferencing enables BOTH desktop and room HD video conferencing that can be used by everyone within an organization. At Cranfield University, anyone on any of their campuses can access the Vidyo system, whether from an office, a classroom, home or while traveling, via general IP networks. Whereas other video conference solutions are dependent on various combinations of hardware, specialized equipment and room setups, and dedicated networks to accommodate HD resolution, Vidyo takes a much simpler approach with superior results. VidyoTechnology(TM) eliminates the central component of legacy video conferencing -- the Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) -- and replaces it with a distributed architecture using an application layer router. Because there is no MCU encoding and decoding bottleneck, there is no latency introduced on a Vidyo Conference. The experience is smooth and natural.

"More and more universities are recognizing the simplicity, value and high quality of VidyoConferencing to reach new markets, meet financial needs, reach new student groups, and support staff projects," said Ofer Shapiro, Vidyo's CEO. "We are pleased that a prestigious institution such as Cranfield University, whose student body is comprised mostly of technology and science postgraduates, has identified Vidyo as a superior solution and has chosen VidyoConferencing to support its communications requirements."

Although the Vidyo system has been deployed at Cranfield for a only a few months, the University has already made good use of VidyoConferencing to broadcast its most recent graduation ceremonies live to plasma screens in reception and forum areas of its School of Engineering, School of Management, School of Applied Sciences and to overflow rooms on the University campus. The University administration considered the application to be a huge success.

The University's Integrated Vehicle Health Management Center together with the Cranfield IT Department has selected Vidyo to support collaboration with its partners on key research projects. VidyoConferencing will also be used throughout the University for sharing lectures with various student groups and to communicate with remote research facilities. Cranfield University also plans to use Vidyo to conduct business meetings and interviews.

About Cranfield University

Cranfield University's mission to transform knowledge into ingenious solutions in science, technology and management places it at the forefront of some of the world's most practical, cutting-edge projects. From unique cabin evacuation research to finding life on Mars, from a frost blanket for racecourses to zero-emission cars, and from the next generation of anti-landmine devices to a new blood glucose monitor, Cranfield's focus is squarely on the application of its research. Cranfield has a global reputation for inspirational teaching and research, industrial-scale facilities and superior links with industry and commerce. As a wholly postgraduate institution, Cranfield is the first choice for ambitious and skilled individuals wishing to enroll in Masters, Doctorate and professional development programs.

First Connections Limited

First Connections is a UK based company that specializes in designing, installing and running video communications solutions. Partnering with many of the world's leading manufacturers they value the benefits of working closely with Vidyo Inc. Their technology delivers advanced solutions that exploit IT and network assets that are widely deployed today (PC or MAC plus Broadband, WiFi and the Internet). Vidyo enables companies and organizations of all sizes to join in and gain the benefits of Personal Telepresence, wherever they may be.

About Vidyo, Inc.

Vidyo, Inc. is making personal telepresence a reality. Personal telepresence enables anyone, anywhere and at any time to communicate in multi-party video conferences using a personal computer, with HD quality over converged IP networks. Leveraging its patented technologies built on the new H.264 Scalable Video Coding (SVC) standard, Vidyo delivers the industry's best error resilience and lowest latency video conferencing over the Internet and general-purpose networks. Vidyo's technology for OEMs and end-to-end product solutions for enterprises support point-to-point and multi-point connections that include a variety of different platforms ranging from Mac & Windows desktops to dedicated room solutions. Vidyo has achieved international recognition, and industry accolades including a DemoGod award, Best of Interop, and Frost & Sullivan's 2009 Conferencing and Collaboration Product of the Year for its ground-breaking technology. Based in Hackensack, New Jersey and founded in 2005, Vidyo is backed by top tier venture capital investors, including Menlo Ventures, Sevin Rosen Funds, Rho Ventures, and Star Ventures. Learn more at www.vidyo.com.