Legal Broadcast Company Teams With Sonic Foundry to Deliver Customized Video Search Technology to the Legal Community.

Business Editors and Technology Writers

NAB 2002

BOOTH #S6737

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 9, 2002

Deposition Navigator(TM) synchronizes text and video,

enabling attorneys to save hours of valuable time

when reviewing video testimony

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 9, 2002

Thaon Communications, Inc. (OTCBB:THAO) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Legal Broadcast Company (LBC), will launch a secure, searchable video and text synchronization system called Deposition Navigator(TM) that will save attorneys time and money when reviewing video testimony by enabling text searches to locate and view exact segments securely over the Internet.

Deposition Navigator is a customized application based on Sonic Foundry's MediaSite Publisher and Navigator(TM), a suite of applications that provides media content integration, indexing and search technology. Under the terms of the agreement, LBC retains exclusive rights to the application for use in the legal industry throughout North America, while sharing revenue with Sonic Foundry(R) Inc. (Nasdaq:SOFO), a leading software and services provider of rich-media content creation and management technologies.

Unlike products that require tedious manual synchronization, a dedicated workstation or are CD-ROM based, Deposition Navigator automatically synchronizes the text and video from video testimony for secure Web-based searches and viewing; allowing attorneys, expert witnesses and clients to collaborate securely and remotely on deposition testimony. There is no need for hardware, custom software or an IT staff.

"Like telephones, computers and fax machines, LBC's Internet video technology will be an essential tool of future litigators," said Sidney K. Kanazawa, a partner at the law firm of Pillsbury, Winthrop LLC, a Los Angeles-based firm with approximately 900 lawyers in 17 locations, including 250 attorneys who handle complex and international litigation. "As we have seen in several major cases, visual images often overpower the words. As such, the ability to instantly search and see how the words were delivered in a deposition is invaluable. This technology will take us from individual standalone station searches to searches and presentations that can be conducted and conveyed instantly throughout the world -- a must in our new collaborative global community."

The importance of analyzing taped testimony has grown as attorneys try to gain a competitive advantage. Demeanor, voice inflections and other verbal and non-verbal cues simply are not apparent in text transcripts. Further, with a single case producing hundreds and even thousands of hours of video, manually locating one segment is both time-consuming and expensive. With Deposition Navigator, in a matter of seconds users can search large volumes of video material and locate specific segments containing discussion of key issues.

"I have been involved in the capture and archiving of video for legal proceedings for 16 years, and this technology represents a major paradigm shift in the way the legal profession and their clients will use video material in conjunction with all sorts of legal proceedings," said Doug Mondo, president, Legal Broadcast Company. "Not only will the efficient use of video allow firms to realize significant savings of time and money, but we believe it will help them win more cases. That's the true bottom line."

Because Deposition Navigator is available from LBC for individual cases through a service model arrangement, small-to-midsize firms who don't have an ongoing need for a standalone video system and large firms who don't want the hassle and expense of maintaining one, will both benefit. Pricing is based on a one-time content creation fee and a monthly recurring storage or access fee, which can be passed on to the client. In addition, LBC's national network of affiliates ensures quality video regardless of location.

"Our technology's ability to automate the synchronization of text and video makes it perfectly suited for tailoring an application in the legal industry, where video has become a critical strategic tool," said James Dias, VP of Strategic Solutions and Alliances, Sonic Foundry. "Working with LBC, the leader in legal video services, was a natural. The agreement will benefit firms of all sizes, and the clients they serve."

Already in use throughout corporate enterprises, and educational, media and government organizations, Deposition Navigator marks the first industry-specific custom application for Sonic Foundry's MediaSite Publisher product. To increase the ROI associated with rich media creation, the latest version of MediaSite Publisher, released today, provides fully automated media management and workflow capabilities for maximizing the usability and accessibility of all audio, video, text and business documents. On the user side, patented search and navigation technology provides multiple ways for rich media to be described, searched and located with frame-specific precision, giving users complete control over what and how they view, while reducing search and retrieval time and increasing productivity. Additional features of MediaSite Publisher include:

-- Video cataloging, indexing and publishing to the Web.

-- Customizable players that dynamically display rich media content on demand.

-- Export/import of textual information into a metadata index. Re-use notes,
emails, transcripts and other documents to augment video descriptions.

-- Optional plug-in modules including Real-Time Speech Indexing, PowerPoint(R)
Indexing, AutoIndexing, Image Match Indexing, Highlights Indexing, and Media
Formats.

-- AutoSegmentation module that allows users to segment transcripts using time
and case sensitivity as criteria.

-- XML-export that allows re-use of rich media metadata by other search
engines.

-- Support for industry standard databases such as Oracle and SQL Server.

About Legal Broadcast Company

With a presence in 34 U.S. cities, Legal Broadcast Company (LBC) is the country's leading provider of video documentation services for the legal profession. LBC videotapes legal proceedings for distribution via digital streaming, video conferencing and videotape. LBC's digital services include searchable text transcriptions synchronized to video footage, streaming, hosting and video conferencing. For more information please visit www.lbcvideo.com

About Sonic Foundry(R), Inc.

Sonic Foundry, founded in 1991, is a leading provider of professional rich media solutions with offices in Madison, WI; Santa Monica, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; and, Toronto, Canada.

Sonic Foundry Media Software develops sophisticated software tools for the creation, editing and publishing of digital multimedia. Production professionals use its Sound Forge(R), ACID(TM), and Vegas(R) Video tools worldwide for everything from audio and video creation to non-linear digital video editing and streaming media development. Sonic Foundry Media Systems provides customized development of automated rich-media applications, and scalable solutions that allow media and entertainment companies, as well as enterprises and government organizations, to deploy, manage and distribute video content on IP-based networks.

Sonic Foundry Media Services is the pre-eminent supplier of digitization, management, and delivery solutions for various industries, with emphasis placed on services for the entertainment sector. These services consist of conversion, reformatting, and encoding of television, film, and audio content for multiple delivery platforms. Serving as the link between content and customers, the services enable media delivery through existing and emerging distribution channels.

Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for Sonic Foundry's products, its ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services and/or systems, the effect of new competitors in its market, integration of acquired business and other risk factors identified from time to time in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.