3Com adds video to routers

3Com this week said partner VBrick Systems has developed digital video portal capabilities for 3Com’s MSR Series multiservice router.

The VBrick Video Portal (ViP) is an application that runs on a Open Services processor module for the MSR router. It provides enterprises with central access to video podcasts, live content streams and on-demand digital libraries.

ViP enables users of the MSR router to create and watch video content from their Web browser without requiring additional multimedia infrastructure or management expertise, 3Com says. With ViP, enterprises can stream live presentations and company news to desktops and mobile devices, deliver Webcasts and expand on-demand access to podcasts and digital video libraries, 3Com says.

ViP includes priority alert broadcast capabilities designed to stream live or prerecorded alerts throughout an organization/campus or to specific sites or groups. The ViP also is designed to automatically broadcast live or stored emergency broadcast messages on networked user desktops and mobile devices.

Pricing for the VBrick ViP was not disclosed. Other services applications for the MSR include Asterisk VoIP and a WAN acceleration application from Expand Networks.

The applications are built to 3Com's Open Services Networking blueprint, which was launched a year ago to offer open platforms for integrating "best-of-breed" and open source applications developed by 3Com and third parties into the network infrastructure. This enables enterprises to simplify operations, reduce capital and operating costs, and preserve investment while adding incremental features and functions, according to 3Com.

These applications enable the MSR to compete with Cisco’s Integrated Services Routers, 3Com says.