Exhibit A: Streaming and Recording Solution
Prior to the changeover, Huney-Vaughn recorded and streamed live contents from a laptop with a built-in webcam. This set-up was less than ideal, offering limited ability to zoom in on the speaking witness or expert; moreover, if the streaming stopped or the recording failed because of the laptop not being able to keep up, this would be detrimental to the deposition. Huney-Vaughn sought a reliable appliance with built-in stream and record capabilities, instead of a laptop.
Huney-Vaughn became aware of Matrox’s offerings through the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the leading educational and informational resource for members of the legal community; after scrupulous study of available hardware and software options, the firm selected the Matrox Monarch HD streaming and recording appliance. The versatile, cost-efficient solution integrated seamlessly into Huney-Vaughn’s corporate workflow.
With the Monarch HD, videographers have the ability to stream and record simultaneously, ensuring the one-time deposition opportunity is capitalized upon. High-quality H.264 video is recorded as MP4 or MOV files; the Monarch HD’s deinterlacing and scaling engines produce superior footage with every recording. A file splitting feature is also available in the Monarch HD. While file splitting is not currently part of their workflow, Huney-Vaughn likes knowing this fail-safe feature is available if they need in the future.
The device can record digital video files at bitrates up to 30 Mbps (when recording without streaming) before saving the files to an SD card. This back-up system provides the assurance Huney-Vaughn needs; as Andrea Kreutz, manager of IT services, notes, “The last thing you want is to lose the video you’ve worked so hard to record.”
The Monarch HD also generates an H.264-encoded, RMTP-compliant stream at bitrates up to a maximum of 20 Mbps. These streaming capabilities means attorneys can conduct depositions from remote offices—thus saving on travel time and costs—while the deponents are present at one of the three Huney-Vaughn offices located in Des Moines, Davenport, and Council Bluffs. Depositions are broadcast via LiveDeposition.com, a cloud-based text-and-video streaming service.