Anystream announced that it will release the world's first lecture capture appliance designed specifically for the needs of higher education. Known as Apreso Coursecaster, the appliance dramatically lowers the total cost of ownership and simplifies the complex deployment process associated with general purpose presentation capture products. By incorporating all software, audio/video and networking components in an affordable, compact enclosure, Apreso Coursecaster enables the broad deployment of lecture capture in classrooms of any size with any budget.

"Lecture capture is no longer a novelty. It has proven to increase comprehension and retention and decrease withdrawal and failure rates," said Anystream's VP of Education Products Mark Jones. "By dramatically simplifying deployment and operational challenges, Apreso Coursecaster will accelerate the widespread adoption of lecture capture in higher education."

Embracing the philosophy of Apreso's modular product line, Apreso Coursecaster is an unobtrusive, fully automated solution that requires no change in existing teaching styles. Installed as a dedicated capture device, Apreso Coursecaster automatically captures and publishes rich media and podcast versions of the classroom experience for on demand student review. Apreso Coursecaster's compact design and affordability is ideal for new-build environments and can be seamlessly used in conjunction with Apreso Classroom and Apreso Podcast solutions deployed in existing classrooms.

"Apreso Coursecaster was purpose-built to address the economic, technology and deployment challenges associated with large scale installations of lecture capture systems," said Anystream's Chairman and Founder Geoff Allen. "Mirroring many of the attributes that have enabled data projectors to become broadly deployed in higher education, Apreso Coursecaster is both easy to use and install. Most importantly, it is as affordable as a data projector in terms of up-front purchase and ongoing cost of use."

Apreso Coursecaster integrates audio, video and VGA capture, along with a VGA splitter/distribution amplifier and networking components in a single device. With a footprint only slightly larger than a college textbook, it can easily be deployed within a podium, on a tabletop or in a single unit of an equipment rack. It is built upon a hardened, embedded Linux operating system, alleviating the need for IT intervention and frequent maintenance such as virus protection, software patches and security updates. Apreso Coursecaster leverages QuickTime, advanced AAC and H.264 encoding formats for audio, video, and full motion VGA sources to create high-quality, full-fidelity, rich media versions of the classroom experience. Students can review Apreso on demand lectures with only a PC or Macintosh and nothing more than a web browser and the free QuickTime player.