"VCON reinforces its commitment to providing global solutions to a multicultural community. Font Fusion enables us to provide our customers with the wide range of language options they require," explained Danny On, VP Research & Development and Technical Alliances, VCON. "Font Fusion's technology provides the flexibility we require for integration in our Falcon set-top videoconferencing system, while occupying very little memory resources."

VCON also licensed complementary Bitstream fonts, including stroke-based fonts. Bitstream's stroke-based fonts are extremely compact, high-quality Asian fonts for embedded systems. These fonts enable developers to keep storage and memory requirements to a minimum. For example, a Traditional Chinese font in this format includes over 13,000 characters in less than 500 KB. Developers do not have to dedicate a large amount of ROM space to store a stroke-based font, nor do they have to use a lot of memory to display it.

VCON is integrating Font Fusion in its Falcon IP product line. An easy-to-use set-top appliance, Falcon IP offers advanced features at low cost. A dual-mode communication set-top appliance that operates over both IP and ISDN networks, Falcon IP delivers system quality and performance, is easy to use, and has a small footprint. With advanced features like Interactive Multicast participant support, VCON PacketAssist Architecture, and Ad-hoc conferencing support, Falcon IP is the best solution for customers looking to start or grow their videoconferencing network with a TV-based set-top solution.

Bitstream's solution enables VCON to display high-quality fonts while supporting multiple languages and preserving system memory. It also enables developers like VCON to reduce system costs and accelerate their time-to-market.

"VCON combines the best of both worlds in Falcon IP - interactive TV and video conferencing - to create a networked video solution. By integrating Font Fusion, VCON will enable customers to dynamically display text to anyone participating in a video conference," said Anna Chagnon, President of Bitstream. "Because our font rendering engine is fast, customers can immediately see the correct text rendered in the correct font during their videoconferencing sessions. We're very gratified that a well-renowned company like VCON joins our long list of set-top licensees."

About

Font Fusion
Font Fusion provides developers with full font fidelity and high-quality typographic output at any resolution on any device, while maintaining the integrity of the original character shapes. Font Fusion is small and fast. Most developers can compile the source code in 32-105 KB, depending on options. It generates more than 16,000 characters per second, using the Arial font at 25 lines per em on a 233MHz Pentium II processor, cache turned off.

Font Fusion performs well in memory- and performance-constrained environments. For example, a complete traditional Chinese TrueType font with over 13,000 characters can occupy as much as 8MB. With Font Fusion, the same characters occupy less than 0.5MB, representing considerable savings in memory and disk space costs.

Font Fusion is designed for operating systems, software applications, Web applications, low-resolution screen devices, multimedia servers, high-definition television screens (HDTVs), set-top boxes, continuous tone printers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other embedded systems and information and wireless appliances.

Bitstream Inc.
Bitstream Inc. (NASDAQ: BITS) is the leading developer of font technology, digital fonts, and custom font designs. Bitstream licenses its award-winning TrueDoc and Font Fusion technologies to Web and application developers, and to manufacturers of information appliances, wireless and handheld devices, set-top boxes, embedded systems, and printers. Setting the standard for excellence in font technology, Bitstream holds numerous key patents that cover the creation of portable fonts for the Internet. Building on this experience, Bitstream has released ThunderHawk, a breakthrough technology for the wireless Web.

Founded in 1981, Bitstream is the first digital font foundry. In 1999, Bitstream created MyFonts.com, Inc. (http://www.myfonts.com), the Web site for finding, trying, and buying fonts on line. Bitstream is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

VCON
VCON develops and manufactures visual communications solutions that bridge distances between people. Our award-winning technology ensures the highest audio and video performance over your enterprise IP and ISDN networks. VCON's meeting and collaboration solutions include desktop and group videoconferencing products, along with an advanced IP video PBX that operates as a management, administration, and billing tool. The company markets its products and services through a network of reseller partners, OEMS and value-added resellers worldwide. Headquartered in Israel, VCON holds subsidiaries in six continents and is publicly traded on Le Nouveau Marché (Sicovam No. 022021).

Bitstream and TrueDoc are registered trademarks, and Font Fusion and ThunderHawk are trademarks of Bitstream Inc. Other technologies and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Danny On
Vice-President, Research & Development and Technical Alliances
VCON Telecommunications Ltd.
+972-9-959 0030
dannyo@vcon.co.il