Microsoft Voice Quality More Than Measures Up

Today at the VoiceCon San Francisco 2007 Conference, Microsoft Corp. outlined how its software-based approach to voice communications is creating new benefits for partners and customers and gaining industry recognition in unified communications. Intel Corporation., Texas Instruments Inc., AudioCodes Ltd., Dialogic Corp., LG-Nortel Co. Ltd. and Polycom Inc. will license Microsoft’s voice codec software, RT Audio Codec, which has been shown to deliver superior sound quality, according to Psytechnics Ltd., a company specializing in voice and video quality monitoring.

Used to compress digital speech samples into a digital media bitstream, RT Audio Codec provides partners with the flexibility to build customized solutions for customers. By converting analog sound into secure digital packets for transmission and then restoring the data into audible sound, RT Audio Codec can be used in an array of solutions, such as audio conferencing, video, wireless over Internet Protocol and games. For example, Intel plans to deliver the codec in an upcoming Intel Integrated Performance Primitives (IPP) software library release optimized for the PC platform to further accelerate industry adoption and reduce implementation barriers. Information on how the other companies will use the technology is in the attached quote sheet.

“As we approach the general availability of our unified communications products, we’re seeing tremendous validation for our offerings from industry players and early adopters alike,” said Gurdeep Singh Pall, corporate vice president in the Unified Communications Group at Microsoft. “Customers have downloaded 80,000 copies of our beta for Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 in just five months. A new era of business communication is upon us, defined by software, not hardware — and sound quality will be one of the key product differentiators.”

Quality of Experience Monitoring Server

As part of its commitment to providing high-quality voice solutions, Microsoft also announced the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 Quality of Experience Monitoring Server, a comprehensive tool to monitor voice and video quality. IT administrators can use the server to quickly troubleshoot voice and video performance issues, enabling them to effectively implement and manage solutions that provide superior audio quality. The server provides real-time updates, alerts and detailed analysis of network performance to accurately reflect users’ experience based on the endpoint they’re using. As a result, administrators can proactively address problematic issues that may arise while monitoring voice and video quality anywhere and anytime, without needing expensive network management solutions. More information about Microsoft’s approach to quality of experience is available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=05625af1-3444-4e67-9557-3fd5af9ae8d1&displaylang=en.

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