Broadcast International Taps Leading Technologist, Ron Bell, to Head Up CodecSys Division
Broadcast International (OTCBB: BCST) (“BI”) today announced the appointment of Ron Bell as Senior Vice President and General Manager of its CodecSys Division. Bell has come on board to oversee the evolution of the company’s breakthrough CodecSys software.
Bell is a well-known international figure in the definition, design, development and application of a wide range of technologies including microprocessors, operating systems, and networking. Bell was involved in the evolution of the UNIX operating system while serving as the General Manager of the UNIX Systems Group at Unisys and later as its Chief Technology Officer. Most recently Bell served as Chief Technology Officer at MathStar in Hillsboro, OR, as well as at Micro Linear in San Jose, CA.
Bell will head up Broadcast International’s video software division, CodecSys, which provides the industry’s most advanced software-based video compression technology. Bell will oversee the continuing development and evolution of the CodecSys software, which has emerged as one of the video industry’s most advanced technologies. CodecSys enables video providers to reduce their bandwidth needs more than 80% for HD quality, and pack more video onto less bandwidth — a key capability in the broadcast, cable, satellite, mobile and IPTV markets. In December, BI announced a license agreement with IBM for its CodecSys software.
“We are exceptionally proud to be able to bring a technologist of Bell’s caliber on board,” said Rod Tiede, CEO of Broadcast International. “It speaks volumes about the quality and potential of our CodecSys software. Under Bell’s direction, we expect to take CodecSys to the next level, breaking new ground in the exploding video technology market. His wide-ranging technical expertise, as well as his management experience in guiding development teams is simply unmatched in the industry.”
“The video industry, including cable, wireless and IPTV, is one of today’s most exciting technology arenas, and CodecSys has already emerged as a breakthrough product,” said Bell. “I’m looking forward to leveraging my expertise in microprocessors, operating systems and application design, for the further development of CodecSys, which has enormous potential in many areas of the video market. I’m hoping that under my guidance, it will emerge as a true cornerstone technology.”
Bell has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Utah, and has completed management training programs at the Wharton School of Business. Bell has led and participated in many industry programs to identify technology directions, establish consortiums and research cooperatives and identify standards for companies including Intel, Motorola, Sun, National Semiconductor, AMD and MIPS. He has worked on PC interface chip set definition and design, as well as UNIX operating system consolidation efforts. Bell also led development of a new, multiprocessor approach to media processor design with a total systems orientation. In addition to his long career at Unisys and his most recent post at MathStar, Bell was formerly Chief Executive Officer at Equator Technologies, and Vice President and General Manager for both the Consumer Products Division and the Computer Products Division at LSI Logic.
About CodecSys
CodecSys provides the industry’s only software-based approach to video compression. It achieves unrivaled performance — live video encoding under 3Mbps with HD quality — by automatically selecting the codec best-suited for a particular frame or video sequence from an entire library of specialized codecs. By selecting the best expert codec for the job, CodecSys is able to eliminate the chokepoints that plague other compression solutions.
A multi-core processor engine accelerates the CodecSys codec-switching process, providing a platform for nearly unlimited processing power and video compression capabilities. The combined technologies promise to change the video distribution world by making it possible for cable, satellite or IPTV providers to deliver live HDTV at compression levels four to six times higher than is currently possible.
One of the key benefits of the CodecSys software approach is that CodecSys-based video encoders can be easily changed as standards and requirements evolve. With CodecSys, codecs can be upgraded and added through simple, cost-effective software downloads. Other commercial solutions based on embedded systems require costly, full replacement. The underlying multi-core hardware platform is also highly programmable and scalable, enabling users to add additional processing power by simply adding extra processors.
About Broadcast International
Broadcast International is a leading provider of video-powered broadcast solutions, including IP, and digital satellite, Internet streaming and other types of wired/wireless network distribution. BI’s patented CodecSys software is a breakthrough, artificial intelligence-based video compression technology that cuts video bandwidth requirements more than 80% over satellite, cable, IP and wireless networks. By slashing bandwidth needs, CodecSys enables a new generation of applications such as streaming video to cell phones, and offers unprecedented price/performance benefits for existing applications such as HD video.
Broadcast International is a public company (OTCBB: BCST) headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT. For more information go to www.brin.com and www.codecsys.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
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