City of Allen Expands ACTV Programming to AT&T U-Verse via Swagit EASE.

ALLEN, Texas -- The City of Allen government-access channel, Allen City Television (ACTV), is now available on AT&T U-Verse.

Utilizing the Swagit EASE solution the city already uses for their website's on-demand and live video streaming, Allen residents who subscribe to AT&T U-Verse TV service can now watch the City of Allen's ACTV on their televisions. "Increased accessibility of government programming is the idea behind our 'hands-free' streaming solutions," said Swagit Productions, LLC President Bryan R. Halley. "What better way to do it, than by adding another form of distribution for content using solutions already in place, and at no additional cost to the city."

Allen was able to deploy their content to AT&T U-Verse TV by leveraging their existing partnership with Swagit. "We have been using Swagit for on-line video on-demand since 2004 and have been very happy not only with the integrity of the product, but also with the quality of customer service," said ACTV Executive Producer Mark Kaufmann. "With the recent addition of Live streaming services, the opportunity opened to connect to AT&T's U-Verse TV network. We knew it was the right decision as we are constantly trying to find creative, cost-effective ways to reach more viewers."

The City of Allen is the first city in Texas to utilize pre-existing Swagit hardware to deploy content to AT&T's U-Verse TV system. The Swagit EASE encoder, located at the city, simultaneously encodes video for Allen's website and for distribution to the U-Verse system. The encoder's ViewCast Osprey-230 video capture card is at the heart of the operation.

"We're pleased to work with Swagit and AT&T U-Verse TV," said ViewCast President and CEO Dave Stoner. "The award-winning Osprey[R] card has proven over the years to be a highly reliable and ideal streaming solution. With SimulStream[R] technology from ViewCast the Osprey can deliver multiple robust, simultaneous streams in multiple streaming formats such as Windows Media[R], Flash[R], etc, and in multiple bit rates, which improves the workflow efficiency for the video staff while enabling a more quality viewing experience for the audience."

AT&T U-Verse, Swagit Productions, LLC and ViewCast all have headquarters located within the Dallas, Texas area. This allowed the three companies to work together seamlessly for the betterment of government transparency.

For more information about Swagit EASE with U-verse Compatibility, contact us.

About Swagit

Swagit Productions, LLC is a leading video production company specializing in providing streaming media solutions to television stations, newspapers and local government agencies. Swagit is the only company that does all your video capturing, editing and processing for you, offering a true "hands-free" solution. For more information about Swagit, please visit: www.swagit.com or call 1-800-573-3160.