TANDBERG and HP Open Up World of Telepresence

TANDBERG and HP today unveiled a solution that links HP Halo Collaboration Studios, HP's telepresence system, and standards-based videoconferencing systems.

By seamlessly bridging videoconferencing solutions and HP Halo, the new HP Halo Gateway expands the world of telepresence – and the lifelike collaboration that can take place within it – to a much broader audience.

As the interest in telepresence solutions has increased, so has the demand to extend its reach to better leverage existing videoconferencing assets and personnel in remote locations. By connecting Halo studios to standards-based videoconferencing systems located anywhere in the world, customers can instantly access their best talent and accelerate decision-making – driving better business results.

"For companies looking at telepresence, solutions that provide the greatest flexibility and level of performance across an organization offer the highest level of investment protection," said TANDBERG CEO Fredrik Halvorsen. "The HP Halo Gateway is the first of many efforts that will continue to extend the unequalled performance of HP and TANDBERG visual communication solutions."

"Telepresence is driving new levels of collaboration and real-time decision-making, which are key competitive advantages," said Ken Crangle, general manager, HP Halo Collaboration Studio Unit, HP. "Only HP and TANDBERG are making it possible for companies to bring that same level of collaboration to everyone in an organization."

The HP Halo Gateway solution consists of a TANDBERG 6000 MXP codec, a TANDBERG Video Switch, a Halo compositor, an HP ProLiant server and HP-designed software.

The solution stems from an alliance TANDBERG and HP announced in January to make their respective videoconferencing and telepresence portfolios interoperable. The alliance's goal is to allow customers to collaborate using everything from the immersive telepresence experience of HP Halo Collaboration Studios to TANDBERG's conference room and desktop-based systems, without requiring further investments in internal IT resources or upgrades to corporate networks.

HP Halo has seen consistent customer and network growth since launching in December 2005, with a customer base that includes such world-class companies as ABN AMRO, AIG Financial Products Corp., AMD, BHP Billiton, Canon, DreamWorks Animation, General Electric Commercial Finance, Novartis and PepsiCo.

There are 120 HP Halo studios in operation or being installed globally in 22 countries on five continents. These countries include: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world's largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $100.5 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended July 31, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

About TANDBERG

TANDBERG is a leading global provider of video communication products and services. The company has dual headquarters in New York and Norway. TANDBERG designs, develops and markets systems and software for video, voice and data. The company provides sales, support and value-added services in more than 90 countries worldwide. TANDBERG trades publicly on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker TAA.OL. Please visit http://www.tandberg.com for more information.

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© 2007 HP