Codian Brings Together Fans and Team Participants in High Definition

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Codian, a leading manufacturer of video conferencing infrastructure products, says the company’s award-winning MCU 4500 has been selected to deliver high-definition video conferencing for the Greater Kansas City regional FIRST Robotics Competition. The MCU 4500 was chosen because it is the only conferencing bridge that can seamlessly communicate with a combination high-definition and standard-definition endpoints in the same call without any compromise in HD performance. The Codian MCU will be at the heart of the video conferencing configuration, communicating with standard-definition bridges and high-definition endpoints that otherwise lacked interoperability.

Founded in 1989, FIRST Robotics Competition encourages high-school students to gain an appreciation for engineering and research by developing remote-controlled robots and participating in team performance competitions. Student teams are given identical sets of basic parts to design and build their robots. The teams, assisted by parent, teacher and engineering mentors, are given 6 weeks to prepare their robots for competition. In the field of play, the students pilot the robots as they participate in a series of challenges. This year’s Greater Kansas City regional competition is being held at the Hale Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Missouri Research & Education Network, in partnership with FRC, the Great Plains Network, and Internet2, is bringing video connectivity to this year’s Greater Kansas City regional competition. Spectators at the Hale Arena and at numerous remote locations will be able to view live action or recorded video of team competition. Teams can view and review their competitors’ performance during and after the regional event to prepare for April’s final round of competition in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Codian’s high-definition bridge was pivotal to our being able to integrate high definition and standard definition at this event,” said Eric Nicklas, MOREnet Project Manager. “The mission of our video conferencing deployment is to promote student access and participation in this intriguing and exciting competition, so broad interoperability is essential. We are now able to deliver competition action in stunning clarity to HD endpoints while maximizing our outreach.”

The MCU 4500 is able to deliver high-definition video with unparalleled fluidity of motion and clarity that will greatly enhance the spectator experience. In addition, teachers and students in classrooms throughout the region will be able to participate in a variety of interactive sessions with competing teams, regardless of the classroom’s video resolution, endpoint hardware, codec, or connection speed.

“We are pleased to partner with MOREnet and Internet2 to bring high-definition video to this inspiring event,” said William MacDonald, Codian’s General Manager for The Americas. “Like MOREnet, most organizations deploying high-definition video conferencing are finding that real-world applications entail a mixture of standard-definition and high-definition endpoints. Interoperability is the ultimate enabler to effective outreach, and the MCU 4500 was designed with both performance and flexibility in mind.”