October 24, 2006 -- Analog Devices, Inc. today announced that Cisco is applying ADI's digital signal processing expertise to Cisco's visual collaboration system supporting high-definition (HD), "face-to-face" communications over existing enterprise Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

Key to the Cisco TelePresence Meeting system's innovation in video communications is its incorporation of ADI's Blackfin processors to handle high-quality, real-time high-definition (HD) video compression. The Cisco TelePresence Meeting solution ushers in an exciting new era of telecommunications with ultra-high definition 1080p video so clear and natural that colleagues, customers and business partners based anywhere around the world will feel like they are sitting in the same room with each other.

The Cisco TelePresence Meeting system is capable of handling real-time, ultra-high definition 1080p video communications with easy, immediate call setup with the touch of a single button. Cisco's solution minimizes overall expense by utilizing the power of the underlying network to accommodate the exchange of ultra-high definition images with the appropriate priority and quality of service from site-to-site. This brings an end to the grainy images, jerky movements, dropped calls, frustrating setups, and wasted time associated with two-way videoconferencing systems. The system also eliminates expensive monthly "rental" charges for dedicated videoconference networks and services.

During Cisco's in-house development of Cisco TelePresence, the Blackfin processor's unique programmable architecture also allowed Cisco to mitigate project risks and hardware redesigns associated with alternative fixed-function ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) to reduce risk, cut time to market, and to enable quick addition of new features using the network.

The aspects of video transmission that separate the Cisco TelePresence Meeting system from traditional video conferencing products stems from the Blackfin processor's new category of 720p and 1080p HD encode/decode technology in combination with Cisco's innovative software architecture. This enables truly life-like interaction with people in real-time via a wider range of campus, metro, and global IP network implementations, thus lowering the cost and time of deployment. The Cisco TelePresence Meeting system uses Cisco's video compression solution to shrink video traffic payloads to fit in existing network architectures with minimum impact to system bandwidth with imperceptible delay. In turn, this allows pristine quality, low-latency ultra-high definition video to instantly connect multiple users across the globe.

Go to the Analog Devices, Inc. website for product details.