SAN MATEO, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avistar Communications Corporation (Nasdaq: AVSR) has launched a new Standard Edition of its C3 desktop videoconferencing software. The package provides an entry level solution for point-to-point and multi-point video calling that is rapidly deployable, is a fully supported enterprise application, and is proven at scale. In addition to individual desktop or laptop installations, C3 Standard Edition can also be installed in offices or larger team rooms. Full integration with Avistar C3 Professional Edition gives the option for specified users to gain multi-party videoconferencing capabilities, within a larger Standard Edition deployment.

"Avistar clients use desktop videoconferencing to boost productivity, eliminate travel and associated expense, and substantially reduce corporate carbon emissions," said Stephen Epstein, chief marketing officer at Avistar. "Our new Standard Edition provides these benefits at significantly lower cost through a point-to-point and multi-point solution which retains all the benefits of being fully supported and proven at scale with thousands of users."

Avistar C3 has been designed to help organizations unite people both internally and externally through rich media communications and built-in collaboration tools. C3 Standard Edition is a software-only solution that delivers IP-based point-to-point and multi-point videoconferencing, voice (VoIP) and presence. Based on market-proven technology scalable from ten to thousands of users, it is ideal for organizations of any size. For SMB (small/medium business) users it provides a low cost yet reliable solution for desktop or room based videoconferencing; for the enterprise it facilitates flexible deployments that can be rapidly scaled, or upgraded to multi-party videoconferencing.

C3 Standard Edition can be installed at the desktop, on laptops for mobile use, or as a room system using a standard or wide-angle camera with speakerphone. It does not require proprietary hardware, but instead runs on industry standard PCs and supports USB 2.0 webcams, Bluetooth headsets and VoIP speakerphones.

As well as providing internal videoconferencing, C3 Standard Edition is fully interoperable with market-leading communications systems from other vendors, in order to retain the value of legacy investments and to enable external communications to third parties. The software has built-in capability to make intelligent and automatic adjustments that seamlessly support connection with external VoIP, video within web-based instant messaging clients, room-based videoconferencing systems, and high-end HD telepresence systems.

The inherent adaptability of C3 is especially relevant for organizations thinking about unified communications (UC). Deployments of C3 Standard Edition can be easily and quickly modified to add broader capabilities, more users, or to integrate with UC software from other vendors. "As they start to deploy rich media capabilities for their unified communications systems, organizations need a scalable solution based on industry standards for voice and video processing, without extending network capacity or compromising performance," said Melanie Turek, Principal Analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

Avistar C3 Standard Edition is priced per user and is available direct from Avistar and from Avistar-certified value-added resellers.

About Avistar Communications Corporation

Avistar is working to define the future of unified communications and collaboration by inventing and delivering integrated visual communications and dynamic network bandwidth management software that helps companies of all sizes improve business results. From the desktop, from the laptop and from conference rooms, Avistar delivers enterprise-quality and easy-to-use audio/video conferencing, multi-party videoconferencing, and integrated data sharing anywhere in the world. By integrating visual communications with enterprise application software, Avistar incorporates communications into the daily workflow and seamlessly connects communities of users within and across enterprises.

Founded in 1993, Avistar is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices in New York and London. With more than 17,000 seats sold across 40 countries, Avistar's global deployments of its unified visual communications desktop software are among the largest in the world. Avistar holds a portfolio of 80 patents for inventions in the primary areas of video and network technology and offers technology and IP licenses to companies in video conferencing, rich-media services, public networking and related industries. Current licensees include Sony Corporation, Polycom, Inc., Tandberg ASA, Radvision Ltd. and Emblaze-VCON.

For more information, visit www.avistar.com

SOURCE Avistar Communications Corporation