School District Wins With AMX Technology Partnership; Virginia Beach Schools Converge Voice, Video, and Data Into a Single System

Business Wire, May 17, 1999

DALLAS--(9BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 1999--

AMX Corporation (Nasdaq:AMXX) is pleased to announce that its partnership with a public school district, a systems integrator, and a service provider has resulted in a successful application of technology convergence for a district-wide education network. This week, Virginia Beach City Public Schools unveiled the first phase of a technology plan that may revolutionize the way public school districts implement voice, video and data communication.

Dynamic Systems Integration, a Virginia Beach systems integrator, together with the school district, AMX Corporation, and Cox Communications, has developed learning network called Dynamic Fibernet. Dynamic Fibernet is a comprehensive design for educational technology implementation across all facilities within a public school district. The system provides over 500 channels of video for centralized media access and distance learning as well as high speed data services, centralized Internet access, telephony services and complete systems integration, training and ongoing support.

For the first time ever, the public school district has a single source for every aspect of their technology plan implementation. Over the past few years, public school districts have focused on providing individual capabilities to each school within the district. The VA Beach design focuses on the centralization of voice, video, and data resources at a District Resource Center, which are distributed to individual schools via Cox's fiber optic network.

Virginia Beach is initially utilizing Dynamic Fibernet to provide distance learning among three of the City's 10 High Schools. The Dynamic Fibernet Distance Learning component utilizes AMX AXCESS control systems and Synergy M3 scheduling software to automate a broad spectrum of point-to-point and multi-point distance learning events. Using standard Internet browser software, teachers will be able to schedule a video or a complex multi-site teaching session with the same ease as ordering a book from Amazon.com.

The video is broadcast quality, the audio is full duplex, and there is virtually no delay in transmission time between sites creating the perception of a "single classroom" for all sites included in an event. The system was designed to be almost transparent to the learning environment, maintaining a natural interaction between teachers and students. All sites are equipped identically, so that any site can be defined as an instructor or student site in any scheduled event. During an event, the instructor has complete control from an AMX touch panel in the lectern. At all student sites, the students can signal the instructor to ask questions by pressing a button on their desktop microphone. The students view two large screen displays at the front of the classroom, one monitor showing the instructor and the other showing the instructor-selected active site. Attention at each student site is not distracted by images other than what the instructor has selected for the student sites to view.

Jamie Butt, president of DSI states, "Our goal was to create a revolutionary network service, a service that breaks the mold of traditional voice, video, and data services. Dynamic Fibernet is a scalable solution, capable of supporting all of the voice, video, and data needs of public school districts and city government. Dynamic Fibernet is extremely cost-effective because we are leveraging fiber optic resources by delivering multiple services over the same fiber. It's a simple concept -- pooling valuable technology resources at a central location, and placing simplified network scheduling and control into the hands of each user. This concept, coupled with our ability to deliver it economically, is why DFN stands out in a maze of other services."

Victor Hobbs, AMX VP Synergy follows, "The kids in the Virginia Beach school district are the real winners in this partnership. In an arena where we see a lot of hype, promises, and dreams about the Internet and network convergence, the schoolchildren of Virginia Beach will be experiencing the practical benefits today."

Ron Hodges, Cox Communication manager for government and education said, "Cox Communications is committed to our educational community in southeastern Virginia by providing state-of-the-art transport through our robust fiber network. Our partnership with the schools in Virginia Beach and throughout southeast Virginia, as well as our partnership with DSI, has provided education with a total winning solution for distance learning, data, and voice services to our schools. We believe in what we do and have provided a scalable, affordable, turnkey solution. We asked first what our districts wanted in a technology solution and we tailored Dynamic Fibernet to their needs."

AMX Corporation, in concert with its wholly owned subsidiary PHAST Corporation, is the worldwide leader in integration network systems, innovations that bring people in touch with their technology. Specialists in the science and art of control, AMX Internet-active systems harness the power of electronic media, mechanics, and information so that technology behaves as a natural extension of our lives. Located in Dallas, with offices around the world, AMX stock is traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the symbol AMXX. For more information, contact AMX Corporation, 11995 Forestgate Drive, Dallas, Texas 75243, 800/222-0193, or visit AMX on the Internet at www.amx.com and www.phast.com.