Sonic Foundry Enhances Webcasting and Video Distribution with Mediasite 6.1 and Mediasite Desktop Recorder

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May 8, 2012
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Sonic Foundry Enhances Webcasting and Video Distribution with Mediasite 6.1 and Mediasite Desktop Recorder

New features mark a more holistic approach to user-generated content with recording at the desktop, approval workflows, search-based catalogs and unprecedented customization

MADISON, Wis., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the trusted market leader for lecture capture, enterprise and event webcasting, todayunveiled several significant new Mediasite features at UNLEASH 2012, its sixth annual Mediasite User Conference.

The new functionality marks the most holistic and enterprise approach to creating, managing and distributing video-based instruction and user-generated content (UGC).

This evolution of the Mediasite EX webcasting and video content management system (VCMS) provides unprecedented control and flexibility for universities and enterprises with multiple content producers, featuring web-based tools and collaboration workflows to manage their growing online knowledge libraries.

Now from the convenience of their desktop or laptop, Mediasite users can also record rich media presentations, learning object or training modules that synchronize video with their visual aids and automatically upload to the powerful Mediasite EX platform.

New Mediasite features include:

    -
               Web-based Mediasite Desktop Recorder for user-
               generated content creation

               "The Mediasite Desktop Recorder will look better, be
               easier for our faculty and students to use and be
               easier for us to maintain than other software-based
               options. And because the Mediasite Desktop Recorder is
               a web client, our user-generated content will
               automatically upload to our Mediasite EX management
               platform. The app is just so easy to use, I know even
               our most tech-challenged staff are going to quickly
               adopt it."

              ~Brian Smith, IT Specialist, University of Florida

           -
               Collaboration workflows to review-edit-approve
               multimedia presentations before distributing

               "With more faculty requesting control over their own
               content, and with the University looking at creative
               ways to allow students to add presentations into our
               Angel LMS though Mediasite that are true works of
               academic content, it is important for us to have
               workflows identified that not only allow us to review,
               edit and approve presentations, but also maintain
               multiple revisions over time. Additionally, we want to
               be able to give our end users - no matter what their
               role is at the university - the feedback ability to
               help us manage content that has become dated. Lastly,
               we have been looking forward to a user-friendly
               playground to further explore user-generated content
               for playback both within and outside of our
               organization, and with Mediasite 6.1, we can automate
               and streamline how we publish these presentations
               through the approval pipeline.  We see this assisting
               us internally with in the Angel LMS and are excited
               about the possibilities of how it may also lend itself
               to our admissions department in the marketing of our
               university."

               ~Thomas Kemp, Director of Instructional Technology &
               Learning, Ashland University

           -
               Catalog creation based on search terms, enhanced mobile
               catalog navigation and analytics for individual catalog
               owners

               "As our Mediasite video library continues to grow, we
               find that different groups need to present custom
               playlists of presentations based on specific topics or
               themes. Allowing anyone in the organization to curate
               catalogs on the fly from search terms will have a big
               impact on our ability to customize the experience for
               different audiences and allow us to maximize our
               collection of on-demand rich media content."

              ~Scott Lawson, Director of IT Architecture, QAD Inc.

           -
               Mediasite Player customization, including the ability to
               change video, slide and thumbnails sizes

               "The NASA Safety Center uses Mediasite for technical
               training, and occasionally there's a need to increase
               the size of the slides being presented to enhance
               something that's very detailed on the screen. The
               ability to customize the player solves that problem.
               And, while the Mediasite Player is very streamlined and
               professional looking, we're looking forward to being
               able to customize it to work well with the brand of The
               NASA Safety Center."

               ~James D. May, Ph.D., ELearning Program Manager,
               Alphaport, Inc., supporting the NASA Safety Center

           -  Personalization of the Mediasite Management Portal

           -   Content import and management for MP4s generated by
               NCast(TM) and Camtasia Relay(R), in addition to current
               H.264 and Windows Media Video import capabilities

               Web-based Mediasite Editor, automatic software updates
               and data collection for Mediasite Recorders, plus
               dozens of workflow enhancements to the Mediasite
               Management Portal, Mediasite Analytics and Mediasite
           -   API
"To date, we engineered Mediasite as a room-based system that efficiently extracts and digitizes the knowledge shared every day, in classrooms or conference rooms. Once captured, this knowledge is then preserved, secured, distributed and analyzed, but always just a link away from anyone who needs it. With Mediasite 6.1, our new Mediasite Desktop Recorder and the evolution of our Mediasite EX VCMS, knowledge sharing can now happen anywhere, in an automated fashion, regardless of technology infrastructure or users' technical skills," said Gary Weis, chief executive officer of Sonic Foundry. "We took time to understand why current desktop offerings failed to deliver, and we identified key capabilities that we know are required for widespread adoption of user-generated content creation. Through that process, we eliminated much of the complexity that has kept online video from scaling effectively at an enterprise level. With the explosion of e-learning and massively open online courses or MOOCs, our clients are now eager to combine automated room-based recording with the market's easiest-to-use desktop capture, and thus fulfill the promise of online learning with a proven leader and scalable approach."

Mediasite 6.1 and the Mediasite Desktop Recorder will be available for demonstration at UBTech booth 301, June 11-13, and InfoComm booth C9141, June 13-15 in Las Vegas, Nevada

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.

Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, http://www.sonicfoundry.com) is the trusted market leader for enterprise webcasting and lecture capture, providing video communication solutions for education, business and government. Powered by the patented Mediasite webcasting platform and Mediasite Events group, the company empowers people to transform the way they communicate online, using video webcasts to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.

Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE  Sonic Foundry, Inc.

Sonic Foundry, Inc.

CONTACT: Tammy Jackson, +1-608-770-9052, tammy@sonicfoundry.com, or Nicole Wise, +1-608-237-8678, nicolew@sonicfoundry.com, both of Sonic Foundry, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.sonicfoundry.com

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