LITTLE FERRY, NJ, June 30, 2004 - Confirming its leadership role in digital voice logging and archiving technology while setting the standard for reliability and scalability in public safety communications technology, Eventide announced that the VR615, the world's first Linux-based digital voice logger, was being installed in the new Arlington County Police Mobile Command Vehicle based in Arlington, Virginia.
The VR615 was specified by communications consultants, Emergency Telecommunications, Inc., long an elite designer and specifier in the public safety sector. Its choice of the VR615 proves that public safety communications professionals requiring a full-featured logging and archiving system in a two-rack space, self-contained form factor, have found the VR615 to be an ideal solution.
"We recommended the VR615 as a good digital recorder for that application," said David Craig of ETI. "As a consultant in emergency telecommunications, we try to find the best solutions for customers without being attached to a vendor but, because of the high quality and amount of channels the county wanted, we said to go with Eventide."
They did go with Eventide, and in June the VR615 was installed in the Arlington County Police Mobile Command Vehicle. The VR615 must serve as the digital voice logger and archiving system for 15 different radios, VOIP technology designed by Avaya and all voice, radio, and telephone traffic that runs through the mobile unit. It also serves as a voice auditing system and for radio recall checks.
Installed in the county's 40-foot custom-built truck, the VR615 allows the communications center within the truck to act as the nerve center for all communications traffic at major incidents and special events. Special events include 4th of July fireworks or the Marine Corps marathon with an estimated 40,000 runners. Security concerns are heightened due to the fact that the Pentagon lies within Arlington County Police jurisdiction.
There is a place for command staff to meet in the back of the truck so they can make on-scene decisions while having access to the technology they need. Satellite access and large video screens for monitoring are central to the vehicle's technology as is just about any type of communications capability imaginable. The concept is to be able to run all communications and decisions for a major incident, no matter the size, from the truck, while allowing headquarters to handle the rest of the county in as normal a way as possible.
The Eventide VR615 allows them to have as good a digital voice logger and archive system in a mobile command center as they would have permanently at headquarters. "The VR615 records everything on the radio and phone going in or out," noted Craig Allen of the Arlington County Communications Center. "We had heard about the Eventide logger and our consultants recommended it and it has fit well."
The VR615 features variable recording compression rates of 13.3, 16, 32, and 64 kb/s, giving users complete control over recording time and quality. Storage capabilities include a standard mirrored RAID-1 system with dual 120 GB hard disks, which can record 19,800 channel hours at 13.3 kb/s. Also standard is a DVD-RAM offering 1,540 of channel hours of storage per DVD.
An intuitive front panel interface offers complete control of all functions on the VR615, creating a fully functional stand-alone unit. Front panel features include an easy-to-read, bright 320x240 color TFT LCD screen, soft and hard keys, the easy-to-scroll Eventide navigation wheel, keypad, play-back speaker, volume control, LED indicators, and line-out and headphone jacks.
The VR615 can also function as a network server, allowing up to 16 separate users to simultaneously access the system via any standard Windows XP or 2000 networked PC workstations, using Eventide's Call Record Browser software. The Call Record Browser supports live monitoring or playback with talking/time/date of up to eight simultaneous channels. In addition, recordings can be e-mailed via simple drag-and-drop functions.
"Thanks to its space saving, two-rack space design," Gordon Moore, General Manager, Eventide Communications Systems Division explained, "The VR615 is particularly well suited for mobile environments. In life or death scenarios, where communication and accountability are paramount, the VR615 series delivers consistently and transparently on any level."
About Eventide
Founded in 1971 and headquartered in Little Ferry, NJ, Eventide developed the first digital voice logger in 1989. Eventide has recently introduced the VR778, its fourth-generation digital voice logger, featuring expanded connectivity, accessibility and density. The VR778 is fully usable as a stand-alone logger from the front panel, and functions as a network server for Windows 2000 or XP workstations. The VR778 will continue to operate even when your network doesn't. Visit Eventide on the Web at www.eventide.com.
Eventide is a registered trademark of Eventide Inc.