Streambox Responds Rapidly to Supply Real-Time, High-Quality Video Transport Solutions for Disaster Preparedness Exercise

SEATTLE – Oct. 3, 2006 – Streambox today announced its successful participation in Strong Angel III, a collaborative demonstration of civil and military cooperation and communication capabilities organized by a partnership of private companies, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. Hosted by San Diego State University and held in San Diego from Aug. 20-26, Strong Angel III field-tested effective means of delivering life-saving humanitarian relief and rapidly deployable communications systems in the wake of major real-world disasters.

Strong Angel III simulated the impact of a worldwide pandemic caused by a highly contagious virus, further complicated by a wave of cyber-attacks inflicted by terrorists, crippling critical local infrastructure and systems. Strong Angel III team members conducted field trials and demonstrations of solutions that addressed 49 specific humanitarian relief challenges, both technical and social, that have not yet been adequately overcome in real disaster relief efforts.

Streambox was recommended to the project by partners and customers who use the company’s real-time ACT-L3™ video transport solutions to deliver high quality video, both live and stored, over low data rate connections such as broadband, BGAN, and other available IP networks. For the Strong Angel III exercise, Streambox deployed its portable encoders to send video from the San Diego test area to the American Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C., where a Streambox decoder was set up to enable live viewing of reports from San Diego.

“In the wake of major incidents like the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Southeast Asia, it is more important than ever to have an integrated response when disaster strikes,” said Eric Rasmussen, MD, director of Strong Angel III and professor at San Diego State University. “The level of public- and private-sector engagement in Strong Angel III was at the highest level it’s ever been, underscoring the significance of the task at hand and the commitment of everyone involved to work together to maximize preparedness and coordination efforts.”

The demonstrations included developing solutions for redundant power, adaptive communications, austere network communications, rapid assessment techniques, and much more. As a case in point, when the Streambox ACT-L3™ portable video transport system was demonstrated, the generator supporting the system went down. While systems in the command truck suffered as a result, the Streambox system switched to battery power and continued to provide the simulated emergency video link to the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C., where viewers remained unaware of the power interruption until told of it later.

Typically used for mobile newsgathering via broadband or IP, Streambox solutions, including its real-time portable and compact video transport systems, are ideal for any application in which portability, flexibility, and a low power requirement are desired. The systems support 4:2:0 and 4:2:2 color profiles, ensuring excellent picture quality through robust forward error correction and burst error correction. Low end-to-end latency maintains the quality of real-time video in both newsgathering and video conferencing applications.

“The small form factor, low power requirement, and high portability of Streambox systems enable video delivery, even under difficult circumstances and from the most challenging locations,” said Bob Hildeman, chairman and CEO of Streambox. “Our ability to transmit high quality video without a hitch during Strong Angel III demonstrates the flexibility of Streambox solutions. The ease of use of our systems will prove invaluable in real-life disaster situations when non-technical staff may be operating the equipment. Likewise, real-time high quality video will enhance local, state, and federal agencies’ ability to assess and respond to emergency situations quickly.”

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About Strong Angel III
Strong Angel III was the third in a series of demonstrations that have taken place since 2000. The first two Strong Angel demonstrations were held in 2000 and 2004 in Hawaii associated with the joint Naval exercises called RIMPAC. The primary goals of Strong Angel III were to field-test and demonstrate effective means of delivering life-saving humanitarian relief in the wake of natural and man-made disasters, to foster close collaboration and communications between aid agencies, governments and military in providing disaster relief, to provide local communities with solutions that will help them cope with disasters more immediately and effectively, and to enable military forces to better prepare for and execute humanitarian relief efforts. Strong Angel III sponsors included Cisco Systems, CommsFirst, Microsoft, Save the Children, Sprint Nextel, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the U.S. Department of Defense. More information on Strong Angel III, and a listing of participating public- and private-sector organizations, is available at www.strongangel3.net.

About Streambox
Streambox provides a single platform for all live and file-based video acquisition over IP. The company develops industry-leading solutions for encoding, video management, and play-out for broadcast and broadband based on the innovative ACT-L3™ codec. Our software-based solutions provide unrivaled performance, reliability, and video quality over low data rate wired and wireless IP networks. Streambox solutions enable broadcasters, government agencies, and enterprises and other users to enhance content ownership, simplify operations, and increase operational efficiencies. More information is available at www.streambox.com.

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