eTreppid Technologies LLC, a privately
held company based in Reno, will
provide exclusive rights to its new
video-compression technology to GE
Interlogix, a wholly owned subsidiary of
the General Electric Co.
GE Interlogix said it plans to use the
eTreppid technology to manufacture
and market a new casino surveillance
system that uses digital video. The companies
didn't disclose a dollar value to
the agreement.
Along with the video compression
system, eTreppid's automatic gamingaudit
software and object-recognition
and tracking software will be included in
the GE Interlogix surveillance system.
A GE official said eTreppid's videocompression
system offers these benefits
for the new surveillance system:
* It allows video surveillance images to
be stored much more efficiently.
* Because the images use less bandwidth,
they can be transmitted over networks
and the Internet much more efficiently.
* Compressed images require less capacity
from back-up systems.
"We believe eTreppid's technology
represents a significant advancement in
video compression," said Ken Boyda, chief
executive officer of GE Interlogix. "We
have been successful in the field of video
compression for many years now and
believe eTreppid's technology offers a
major leap forward."
Boyda said the standards are particularly
high for surveillance systems for the
casino industry the market in which
GE Interlogix first will use the eTreppid
technology.
"Casinos place some of the most stringent
demands on video storage and surveillance,"
he said.
Warren Trepp, the chairman and chief
executive of eTreppid, said the agreement
with GE Interlogix marks "an important
first step" in the introduction of his company's
technology.
Like commonly used compression systems
the ZIP drives used in many
offices, for instance the eTreppid system
is based on identifying redundant patterns
in data. Once those redundancies are
identified, they're eliminated and the file
can be compressed. The eTreppid systems,
the company says, do a better job than
competitive products both in identifying
redundant patterns and eliminating them
during compression.
eTreppid operates from offices in the
South Meadows area of Reno. Along with
the surveillance and video systems that
drew the interest of GE Interlogix,
eTreppid is involved in game software,
audio it says its system is better than
the MP3 currently in widespread use
and systems to keep data secure as it's
transported.
Trepp isn't shy about the company's
prospects.
"eTreppid's video compression technology
will revolutionize the current landscape
for video quality, transmission and
storage costs associated with the use of
video, audio and security in entertainment,
cable, telephony and networking markets,"
he said in a prepared statement when the
GE Interlogix deal was announced.
Dennis Montgomery, the company's
executive vice president and chief technology
officer, worked the past 20 years as a
consultant on audio/video compression,
laser displays, optical storage and medical
systems development.
He served as vice president of
advanced research for 3Net Systems, Inc.
3Net Systems went public in a $6 million
offering in August of 1992, and was sold
to a healthcare group in August of 1993.
GE Interlogix, which is based in
Austin, Texas, operates as part of GE
Industrial Systems. Interlogix, which
operates in the United States and internationally,
markets products ranging from
the lock boxes used by real estate agents at
vacant properties to alarm systems and
surveillance cameras.
