Microsoft Voice Quality More Than Measures Up
Intel, Texas Instruments and others license Microsoft intellectual property for voice; new Quality of Experience Monitoring Server for customers unveiled.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 21 / -- Today at the VoiceCon San Francisco 2007 Conference, Microsoft Corp. outlined how its software-based approach to voice communications is creating new benefits for partners and customers and gaining industry recognition in unified communications. Intel Corporation., Texas Instruments Inc., AudioCodes Ltd., Dialogic Corp., LG-Nortel Co. Ltd. and Polycom Inc. will license Microsoft's voice codec software, RT Audio Codec, which has been shown to deliver superior sound quality, according to Psytechnics Ltd., a company specializing in voice and video quality monitoring.
Used to compress digital speech samples into a digital media bitstream, RT Audio Codec provides partners with the flexibility to build customized solutions for customers. By converting analog sound into secure digital packets for transmission and then restoring the data into audible sound, RT Audio Codec can be used in an array of solutions, such as audio conferencing, video, wireless over Internet Protocol and games. For example, Intel plans to deliver the codec in an upcoming Intel Integrated Performance Primitives (IPP) software library release optimized for the PC platform to further accelerate industry adoption and reduce implementation barriers. Information on how the other companies will use the technology is in the attached quote sheet.
"As we approach the general availability of our unified communications products, we're seeing tremendous validation for our offerings from industry players and early adopters alike," said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president in the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft. "Customers have downloaded 80,000 copies of our beta for Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 in just five months. A new era of business communication is upon us, defined by software, not hardware -- and sound quality will be one of the key product differentiators."
Quality of Experience Monitoring Server
As part of its commitment to providing high-quality voice solutions, Microsoft also announced the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Quality of Experience Monitoring Server, a comprehensive tool to monitor voice and video quality. IT administrators can use the server to quickly troubleshoot voice and video performance issues, enabling them to effectively implement and manage solutions that provide superior audio quality. The server provides real-time updates, alerts and detailed analysis of network performance to accurately reflect users' experience based on the endpoint they're using. As a result, administrators can proactively address problematic issues that may arise while monitoring voice and video quality anywhere and anytime, without needing expensive network management solutions. More information about Microsoft's approach to quality of experience is available at microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=05625af1-3444- 4e67-9557-3fd5af9ae8d1&displaylang=en.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Industry Partners License Microsoft RT Audio Codec
Quote Sheet
August 2007
"Intel and Microsoft are working closely together to make truly unified communications a reality. Microsoft's innovative software, powered by Intel's multi-core client and server platforms and media infrastructure technologies, delivers an outstanding user experience with enhanced security and reliability. Combining 'better than phone' RT Audio Codec, excellent video quality and familiar Microsoft® Office integration for increased productivity, this solution provides compelling business value for enterprises of all sizes."
o Doug Davis
Vice President, Digital Enterprise Group
General Manager, Embedded and Communications Group
Intel Corporation
"Texas Instruments and Microsoft are excited to collaborate on IP telephony solutions to address the small-to-medium and enterprise business markets. TI and Microsoft, as leaders in communications technology, share a common vision for voice as an integral part of the unified communications environment. To further extend our leadership in the VoIP market, TI has licensed the Microsoft RT Audio Codec for potential integration in future products."
o Tom Flanagan
Director of Technical Strategy, DSP Systems
Texas Instruments Inc.
"AudioCodes and Microsoft are committed to delivering a unified communications solution that natively operates with existing PBX systems and can directly connect to the PSTN. This collaboration enables our customers to protect and leverage on existing telephony investments while providing a basis for advancing to the next level of voice communications. AudioCodes' media gateways enable the enterprise customer to fully utilize the simultaneous strength of both Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, making use of the same flexible, field-proven, high-quality product. AudioCodes offers a range of media gateways for Microsoft's unified communications environment.
"These include Basic gateways that are designed to interface with external Microsoft Mediation Servers, and Basic Hybrid gateways that integrate the Microsoft Mediation Server software internally.
"The AudioCodes Mediant 1000 gateway is uniquely positioned in the market to support all of these capabilities, in addition to very high VoIP quality, independently tested and acknowledged by ETSI, and interface flexibility and modularity, supporting FXO, FXS, BRI and T1/E1 interfaces in the same box.
"We are pleased to continue our work with Microsoft and to assist customers with the benefits that enhanced VoIP can provide."
o Lior Aldema
Vice President of Marketing
AudioCodes Ltd.
"Dialogic has confidence in Microsoft's software leadership in unified communications and is ready to ship its newest gateway series, the Dialogic DMG4000, a hybrid design that features Microsoft's audio codec software pre-loaded."
o Jim Machi
Vice President of Marketing
Dialogic Corp.
"LG-Nortel is using Microsoft's RT Audio Codec across our product lineup to provide better audio quality and to enhance security for our customers. LG-Nortel and Microsoft have a strong partnership and will continue to ensure interoperability between our companies' products and solutions to deliver best-in-class unified communications solutions for enterprises around the world, including devices for Microsoft Office Communicator 2007, Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 and Windows® CE 6.0-based SIP terminals. We clearly see a great opportunity in VoIP-based communications and are confident in Microsoft's leadership in unified communications, and together we can deliver a better communications experience for our shared customers."
o Jong Dae An
Vice President of Enterprise Sales Division
LG-Nortel Co. Ltd.
"Polycom will incorporate Microsoft Corp.'s RT Audio Codec advanced speech codec into a wide array of products for use with the OCS 2007. RT Audio Codec will help ensure interoperability with a range of Microsoft-compatible products, and together with Polycom technologies will deliver a more secure, reliable and superior voice experience to users."
o Sunil Bhalla
Senior Vice President and General Manager, Voice Communications
Polycom Inc.
Source: Microsoft Corp.
CONTACT:
Jocelyn Boudreaux
+1-503-443-7000
jboudreaux@waggeneredstrom.com
or
Rapid Response Team
+1-503-443-7070
rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, both of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, for Microsoft Corp.
Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/
If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.
