OSTN selects Video Furnace to deliver student channel to global audience
Video Furnace enables OSTN to extend reach to all campus users regardless of device operating system or player software
and enables additional functionality
CLEVELAND - Nov. 1, 2007 - OSTN (www.ostn.tv), the leading provider of student-produced entertainment, educational and news IPTV content and services, today announced the selection of Video Furnace (www.videofurnace.com) as its new video distribution system provider.
The Video Furnace video distribution solution is a complete, integrated system that enables educational institutions and other organizations to deliver live, broadcast and on-demand TV-quality video to any computer or TV connected to the network. Platform-independent, the Video Furnace solution is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems, and it is the only one that does not require any resident player software, browser plug-ins or hardware on the connected devices. An industry first, Video Furnace's patent-pending viewer, InStream, arrives with the video stream and disappears when viewing ends, eliminating the need to install or manage end-user software.
With the migration to Video Furnace, OSTN now can extend its reach to all users on a campus network, regardless of the device operating system or player software. Previously, users needed a specific operating system or media player to view OSTN content. With Video Furnace, OSTN can provide integration with course management software to deliver content such as distance-learning assignments and event broadcasts.
"After an 18-month competitive analysis, we selected Video Furnace because it provides a robust feature set and seamless viewing experience," said Rich Griffin, OSTN executive vice president and director of Technology. "The OSTN/Video Furnace partnership provides institutions with a scaleable and secure solution to meet the growing demand for IPTV communication and education."
"OSTN content is available to more than 4,500 colleges and universities across the globe. Any university or research institution connected to Internet2 or other multicast-enabled network can join OSTN and receive its content," said Arun Kumar, OSTN president and CEO.
"Having the leading provider of educational and entertainment IPTV content and services choose Video Furnace is a testament to the power, flexibility and ease-of-maintenance our system provides, especially for the education market," said Howard Weinzimmer, CEO, Video Furnace.
About Video Furnace
Video Furnace is a leading provider of mission-critical, end-to-end, enterprise-class IP video solutions. The privately held company has developed the only solution that brings live and pre-recorded video as well as video-on-demand (VOD) to network-connected devices, such as laptop and desktop computers, without requiring the user to install any resident player software or hardware. Enterprise, education and government organizations use Video Furnace to manage and deliver live and prerecorded TV-quality video to improve communications, deliver training, offer entertainment and enable complex monitoring. With more than 100 customer installations around the globe, the five-year-old company has quickly established itself as the video distribution technology of choice in the enterprise space. Headquartered northwest of Chicago, Video Furnace distributes its products through value-added resellers, system integrators and distributors. For more information about Video Furnace, please visit http://www.videofurnace.com.
About OSTN
OSTN is the leading provider of entertainment, educational and news IPTV content and services. OSTN features the only 24/7 worldwide channel exclusively devoted to student-produced programming. OSTN now is delivered to 42 million subscribers at more than 4,500 university member campuses and 37 countries around the globe.
About Internet2
Internet2 is the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium. Led by the research and education community since 1996, Internet2 promotes the missions of its members by providing both leading-edge network capabilities and unique partnership opportunities that together facilitate the development, deployment and use of revolutionary Internet technologies. By bringing research and academia together with technology leaders from industry, government and the international community, Internet2 promotes collaboration and innovation that has a fundamental impact on the future of the Internet.