Bell Atlantic Offers Internet-Based Video Conferencing For ISDN Customers

Bell Atlantic Offers Internet-Based Video Conferencing For ISDN Customers

Company Picks Winnov and White Pine to Supply Video Package

June 4, 1997

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Communicating over the Internet is about to get a
lot more interesting. And fun.

Consumers now can use their PCs to chat face to face with distant
family and friends. Telecommuters can see colleagues while they
collaborate on projects or participate in video conferences.

Video, the next wave of Internet communications, is available starting
this week to consumers in the mid-Atlantic region who use Bell
Atlantic's residential Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
service.

Bell Atlantic is offering video software and equipment that enables a
personal computer to provide face-to-face communications over the
Internet when used in connection with an ISDN line. The package can
be purchased through Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed, the company's consumer
ISDN sales and service center.

The company has chosen Winnov, a specialist in desktop solutions, and
White Pine, a leading distributor of Internet video conferencing
software, to supply the video camera, software and equipment package.

Bell Atlantic will offer the Winnov Videum Conference Pro package,
which includes White Pine's CU-SeeMe* software, for $399. Users can
install the software board and camera themselves or have Bell Atlantic
InfoSpeed install it for $125.

"We expect desktop video over the Internet to be the next great
breakthrough in home communications, following in the footsteps of
email. Families and friends can see each other any time without
leaving home," said Tony Price, president, Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed.
"Video also will enable telecommuters to connect with their co-workers
and collaborate on complex projects using their PCs."

Bell Atlantic's video package provides users with the ability to:

• share and edit documents and graphics using the whiteboard, a type
  of group collaboration software,

• watch live events, such as NASA's shuttle launches, rock concerts,
  sporting events and political events which are broadcast over the
  Internet,

• participate in video chat rooms on the Internet, and

• produce still images, and video and audio clips which can be
  emailed or posted to web sites or personal web pages.

To chat face to face or to share and edit documents and graphics, both
parties need video capabilities, but it is not necessary for both to
use the same software package. The video package offered by Bell
Atlantic uses Windows** and Internet standards that enable users to
collaborate with individuals using other types of video software over
the Internet.

To use the package, customers will need a PC that is at least a 100
megahertz 486DX2 with 16 megabits of RAM and a CD-ROM. It operates
with Windows 3.11, Windows 95, or Windows NT 4.0.

ISDN, which transmits at speeds up to 128 kilobits per second (Kbps),
provides video at approximately 10-15 frames per second over the
Internet. Consumers use an ISDN line and a computer microphone and
speaker to see and talk with each other, instead of their analog phone
line. "The quality of the video over ISDN is very good for such a low
price," said Price.

Winnov's Videum Conference Pro system includes:

• Videum AV, a video and audio capture add-in board for
  videoconferencing, audio conferencing and Internet multimedia
  applications,

• Winnov's Color Video Camera, an ergonomically designed camera that
  plugs into the Videum AV board, and

• White Pine's CU-SeeMe software.

Customers also will receive a free headset when they order the video
package from Bell Atlantic InfoSpeed by July 31.

"We're pleased that Bell Atlantic has selected Winnov for offering
high quality video to its ISDN customers," said Olivier Garbe, founder
and CEO of Winnov. "Our easy to install Videum Conference Pro system
is unmatched in providing customers with high-end video conferencing
results at an affordable price."

Users can share video with others who don't have the video equipment
and software. For example, grandparents can still see a video of
their new grandchild by downloading software from White Pine's web
site at http://www.wpine.com.

"Millions of people use CU-SeeMe software and that number is growing
daily as people download from our White Pine site and other sites
around the world," said Brian Lichorowic, vice president of marketing
for White Pine. "Bell Atlantic's offering is a breakthrough because
it will enable more people to do more things over the Internet,
including real-time conferencing."

White Pine's CU-SeeMe software is easy to use and supports a variety
of applications including video and audio conferencing, whiteboard
sharing, and video chat and reflector sites.

Both CU-SeeMe and Videum Conference Pro can be used with an analog
phone line, however, ISDN makes the quality of video and audio sharper
and more real-time.

ISDN is an all-digital network technology that combines voice, data
and video signals on a single telephone line, and transmits them at
speeds up to 128 Kbps. When compared with 28.8 Kbps analog modems, the
increase in speed can be up to four-fold.

To order or receive information about Bell Atlantic's Internet video
package and residential ISDN service, consumers can call the Bell
Atlantic InfoSpeed sales, provisioning and service center at
1-800-204-7332 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Customers
also can send an e-mail message to isdncin@bellatlantic.com.
Information also is available on Bell Atlantic's residential ISDN home
page at http://www.bellatlantic.com/isdn/consumer.

Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, Bell Atlantic's telephone company subsidiaries
are the premier providers of local telecommunications and advanced
services. Globally, it is one of the largest investors in the
high-growth wireless communication marketplace. Bell Atlantic also
owns a substantial interest in Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and
is actively developing high-growth national and international business
opportunities in all phases of the industry.

Winnov, founded in 1992, is uniquely dedicated to providing powerful,
low-cost, easy-to-use personal Internet communications solutions with
a strong emphasis on videoconferencing and multimedia authoring. Last
June the company introduced its desktop videoconferencing and web
authoring products: Videum AV, Winnov's low-cost, high-performance
audio/video capture board specially designed for use with Internet
videoconferencing and multimedia authoring, which can be used with
several of Winnov's products: Videum Conference Pro, a complete
desktop videoconferencing solution, which includes Videum AV, Color
Video Camera, and CU-SeeMe videoconferencing software; Winnov Color
Video Camera, and VideumTV***.

White Pine develops, markets and supports multi-platform web-based
internetworking software that facilitates worldwide video and audio
communication and data collaboration across the Internet, Intranets,
Extranets and other networks that use the Internet Protocol. White
Pine's video conferencing software products, CU-SeeMe and the White
Pine Reflector, create a client-server solution that allows users to
participate in real-time, multi-point video, audio and data
conferences over the Internet and Intranets. Additional information
on White Pine is available on the Web at , or
via email at or by calling 603-886-9050.

* Cu-SeeMe is a trademark of White Pine Software, Inc.
** Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.
***Videum TV is a trademark of Winnov

REPORTERS NOTE: Bell Atlantic and White Pine will be doing
demonstrations at PC Expo June 17-19 at the Jacob Javits Convention
Center in New York.