Description
VCI 3.7 is a main release containing improvements and bugfixes. This version also addresses changes in the SSH communication module in the Cisco TC software introduced in TC7.3.4. VCI versions earlier that this version are not compatible with TC7.3.4 and later.

Release Date
3 November 2015

Download
The download can either be done using the VCI Upgrade Service directly from the panel or by downloading it from here (73 MB).

Highlights
Support for remote controlling multiple codecs
VCI can now be used for controlling multiple codecs. Codecs to control are added into dedicated groups in Seevia.

General improvements
[VCI-827] - Possible to configure all text in VCI
[VCI-830] - Warning if codec software is not supported
[VCI-824] - Advanced Video Layout for SX80 enabled
[VCI-823] - Increased speed for pan/tilt/zoom
[VCI-819] - Custom camera speed for pan/tilt/zoom
[VCI-818] - Turned off warning message about no control panel for SX80
[VCI-816] - Now possible to differentiate between startup commands for the action 'Start Video Conference' and the action 'Start Local Presentation'
[VCI-817] - Support for SString for VCI Medical calls

Bugfixes
[VCI-831] - Keep selected camera
[VCI-829] - VCI crashed when clicking CAPS on the new hardware

VCI 3.4 includes support for Cisco SX80 codec (for VCI Standard, not Medical) and TC7 (including snapshot functionality).

Maintenance release addressing a problem for incoming calls in codec softwatre TC6.1.

For release notes, please click here.

Maintenance release addressing a weakness in the codec if there are more than one VCI panel controlling the same codec, of if the VCI panel changes IP address often.

For release notes, please click here.

Maintenance release addressing a few bugs that were introduced in Cisco TC5.1 software. This release also makes it possible to automatically initiate triple stream calls in VCI Medical.

For full release notes, please click here.

SVT, the Swedish public television, visited Gävle hospital in Sweden which implemented the VCI/Cisco triple stream telemedicine solution about six months ago. Multidiciplinary conferences within many medical areas are held several times a week, both between hospitals within the same area, and with remote hospitals, e.g. in Norway.

- The solution contributes to more reliable diagnostics, reduced traveling and increased patient safety. The perfect imaging quality helps doctors and expert at different locations to evaluate patient cases together, says business development manager at Gävle hospital, Lars Brandhammar. 

Two Swedish newspapers have also written articles about our solution lately:
Gefle Dagblad: http://gd.se/nyheter/gavle/1.4528420-har-halls-ronder-varje-vecka (PDF-generated: Swedish or English (translated by Google Translate.))
Arbetarbladet:  http://arbetarbladet.se/nyheter/gavle/1.4529375-videosamtal-ger-battre-vard  (PDF-generated: Swedish or English (translated by Google Translate.)) 

We are pleased to announce that VCI software version 3.0 is released, and is available for download.

VCI 3.0 is a major release containing lots of new exiting features, including embedded Lync support, support for duplex video in VCI Medical and lots of general improvements.

For full release notes, please click here. You can also have a look at our YouTube videos for more information about the functionality.

Medicinteknikdagarna has since 2004 been the annual national meeting place for medical technology and IT for the actors involved in health care, research and business in Sweden. The conference usually attracts between 350-500 attendees and a large number of exhibitors. Medicinteknikdagarna is arranged by the Swedish Society for Medical Engineering and Physics (MTF) together with, among others, the University of Linköping, Östergötland County Council, Swedish Research Council, VINNOVA and the Foundation for Strategic Research.

The University Hospital in Linköping transmitted a live surgery to the conference using two Cisco C90 codecs and a VCI panel to control which sources that should be sent from the hospital to the audience (the VCI panel was located in the congress hall, and was used to control the Cisco codec in the hospital remotely!). The picture below shows one video stream with the patient and the surgeon in the operating theatre and one video stream from the hospitals PACS system containing 3D ultrasound of the patient's heart.

Norwegian Minister of Health, Anne-Grete Strøm-Erichsen visited Gjøvik Hospital. She was received by CEO Morten Lang-Ree, Chairman Bente H. Meidell and division director Rasmus Vigrestad.

They demonstrated how multidiciplinary conferences between the hospitals in Tynset and Gjøvik work. The Minister attended a two-way communication that worked flawlessly. - This is the best transfer I've seen, and I have seen many, she said.

The hospital in Tynset started to offer MRI examinations last year, with the radiology department at Gjøvik as responsible. So far this year there have been conducted 1000 examinations, and the goal is to conduct between 1200 and 1300.

From Tynset Dr. Viggo Blomlie told that there have been many examples where patients have had a far quicker and better treatment than if they would have to drive to the nearest MRI facilities in Trondheim or Elverum.

Read an article on the hospital's web sites here (Norwegian): http://old.sykehuset-innlandet.no/modules/module_123/proxy.asp?C=50&I=23074&D=2&mids=162 (PDF-generated: Norwegian or English (translated by Google Translate.))

22 and 23 November, Telenor had invited the largest media groups in Norway to present the capabilities of the new LTE (fourth generation) mobile network in terms of data and video traffic. The event took place at the Telenor Expo centre in Oslo.

The idea was to show the staff in the newsroom communicating with on-site reporters, and simultaneously being able to view content from e.g. competitor's web sites. VCI and the Cisco C90 made sure that the relevant content was shown on the four wall mounted displays. In addition, the video from the on-site reporter(s) could be streamed directly to the newspaper's website using Cisco TCS's live streaming abilities - all controlled by one button click in VCI.

This is a cost efficient alternative to the current solutions in the market (usually satelite link buses need to be on-site to deliver live video with the same quality).

Hospitals in Sweden and Norway demonstrated the power in telemedicine across country borders for some of Sweden's top politicians today. The cases presented were:

1. High quality videos of a heart beating and a computergenerated cross section of the heart using contrast liquid

2. Patient case where the patient had internal bleedings and a serious back injury. Content from the PACS systems were shared between the radiologist in Norway and the audience in Sweden

The politicians were very impressed by the VCI Medical technology, and clearly expressed that this was revolutionary in the way it could improve efficiency within the health sector. Some also stated it was a milestone in the use of video conferencing technology within the Swedish health sector.

Read an article on the hospital's web sites here (Swedish): http://www.lg.se/Startsida/ikorthet/Nyfiken-Juholt-imponerad-av-Gavle-Sjukhus/ (PDF-generated: Swedish or English (translated by Google Translate.))

The picture above shows the configuration from the Swedish hospital, where the doctor's performed a local multidiciplinary meeting to discuss patient cases. (This picture is taken in the same room that the demonstration was held, but not from the actual demonstration.)

VCI was invited by Cisco and two of our German partners, xevIT and Dimension Data, to attend the world's largest medical and pharmacy exhibition, Medica in Düsseldorf (http://www.medica-tradefair.com). Together with our partners, we demonstrated two different solutions for use in a medical environment.

Triple video stream solution

This is our well-known and well-proven VCI Medical solution that allows hospitals to communicate with each other using three (or even four) video streams in full HD quality. We already have several reference installations in Scandinavia, and are now expanding this solution to other countires. VCI Medical is a standarized solution that enables hospitals across country borders to communicate with each other in a stanardized way.

Remote controlling CPS (Cisco Clinical Presence system)

The CPS from Cisco is a mobile video conferencing system. The purpose is to roll this system out to patients so they can have a consultation with the doctor without the doctor having to be physically present. Using VCI, the CPS can be controlled remotely by the doctor, e.g. controlling camera and make sure that local medical equipment such as ECG, X-ray etc. is sent from the CPS to the doctor.

We would like to inform you that VCI software version 2.0.1 is released, and is available for download.

VCI 2.0.1 is a maintenance release containing a brand new graphical user interface. The new user interface has an action driven approach and is thus more user-friendly. The customer can therefore choose between the ‘old’ and the new user interface from the ‘Customized Settings’ tab in settings. In addition, VCI 2.0.1 also addresses a security change issue in the codec (introduced in TC4.2). This security change caused the codec to react very slowly on the VCI communication.

For full release notes, please click here.

We are very pleased to announce that VCI software version 2.0 is released, and is available for download.

VCI 2.0 is a main release containing lots of news, including a new wireless alternative – a 12” pad! In addition, this release contains a number of improvements and bug fixes.   

The new features include (for full release notes, please click here):

VCI goes wireless
With the 2.0 release, a 12" wireless pad has joined the VCI hardware portfolio. The pad comes with a high quality 16:9 format capacitive touch display which can easily be passed around the table without being hindered by cables. 

Customize VCI for virtually any need
With the introduction of VCI Customization Framework, VCI can customized to meet virtually any customer need. Customizations might be anything from GUI adjustments and user surveys to advanced amendment in functionality, e.g.combining immersive and multipurpose Telepresence solutions.

Extended support functionality
For OCS enabled VCI panels, the support personnel will now be able to see the VCI panel display through VCI System Manager. This makes it easy to help users to performing successful meeting.

Microsoft Exchange integration for bookings
VCI is now integrated with Microsoft Exchange bookings. This means that VCI displays booking information from Exchange, and let users to book meetings ad-hoc from VCI. VCI now integrates with bookings from both Exchange and TMS.

Enhanced triple stream VCI
The VCI triple stream (named VCI Medical) has now been enhanced to also cover non-health related scenarios. VCI is capable of sending up to five sources in three - and even four - video streams that will be shown on three (four) displays both locally and on the remote site. The triple stream functionality is now also available ''offline'', i.e. without having any active calls (can be used for local training sessions, health board meetings etc.)

Recording triple stream
For VCI Medical all three streams may now be recorded at the same time using Cisco Telepresence Content Server (TCS).

Larger and more user-friendly phonebook
The phonebook has become taller, which improves the user experience. In addition, favourites are now merged with the rest of the phonebook which makes the graphical user interface more intuitive.

Accelerated scrolling
The phonebook, call history and all other lists now support accelerated scrolling (similar to smart phones and tablets).

Design-makeover of the welcome screen (fully customizable)
The welcome screen has been refurbished and gives a modern and fresh impression. The welcome screen design is fully customizable to meet customers'' requirements of using the company''s graphical profile. The default background image being used (which can be altered with company''s logo etc.) can be downloaded here.

Larger OCS window
The embedded OCS client has now been enlarged and is only shown when an OCS call is active. Thus unnecessary graphical elements are kept to a minimum.

Time zone support
VCI now has time zone support for all time zones around the globe.

Change password
The password required to enter the settings screen may now be changed to comply with company security policy.

VCI was invited by Cisco Germany to participate at the conhIT exhibition in Berlin from April 5 to 7.
conhIT is the largest and most important event for Healthcare IT in Europe where exhibitors were demonstrating how IT solutions can help service providers to improve the efficiency and quality of Healthcare.

The large Cisco booth

VCI was configured with the triple videostream solution

VCI and Cisco were represented with a joint stand at the European Congress of Radiology (ECR) in Vienna from March 3 to March 7. ECR became a huge success with more than 20,000 delegates from world wide.

We were presenting our telemedicine solution, VCI Medical. This solution is ideal for radiology scenarios, both for training purposes and for forums discussing patient cases.

VCI are, together with Cisco and its partners, in dialog with hospitals in Europe and North- and South America regarding other medical scenarios, such as simulation hospitals and remote patient consultations.

If you have a medical scenario you would like to discuss with us, please feel free to contact us.

 We are happy to announce the following great news.

New hardware (pad)

VCI will shortly be available on a 12” pad (similar to iPad, but with a somewhat larger screen). This hardware will enable wireless use of VCI.

New operating system

The pad will be delivered with a faster, dedicated operating system.

VCI Medical

With VCI 1.3 our telemedicine solution, VCI Medical, enables sending and recording up to five input sources in three HD (1080p@30fps) video streams. Please refer to our YouTube-video for more information:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paccCSKKAEA

VCI Customization Framework (VCICF)

The VCI 1.3 release (to be released in March 2011) will vastly expand the dimensions of VCI. VCICF enables customization of VCI via a dedicated application programmer’s interface (API). This framework allows for adding new functionality, change existing functionality or customize the graphical user interface.

Add-ins, alternative graphical interfaces etc. will be easily available through the “VCI Store” (usually included in the license cost). Please also note that VCI will be delivered with an optional new, more user-friendly GUI in 1.3.

This customization framework will allow VCI and our partners to offer tailor made and even better solutions to the customer.

Below, we have assembled four showcases utilizing the VCI Customization Framework together with VCI 1.3. 

Showcase 1: Import content from Internet or Intranet into VCI

We have received feedback from partners and customers that would like to import external content into VCI. This showcase demonstrates that VCI is providing more information about a person when selecting him or her in the phonebook and clicking an information icon next to the phonebook row. In this showcase we have chosen to show information about the person, the person’s calendar (Exchange integration) and the person’s LinkedIn profile. This functionality may be adopted to show literally any external content accessible from the VCI client.

Showcase 2: Surveys and statistics

Lots of customers wish to track return on investment, e.g. the savings of running video conference meetings as opposed to travelling. This may be implemented in VCI as a user survey that will pop up when the conference is ended. The response will be posted to a web service. The survey could have sufficient intelligence to link the next question to the previous response, thereby making it more interesting to the person being surveyed. Statistics can be generated using our web-based TMS report engine or other report engines.

Showcase 3: Controlling peripheral devices

Utilizing the four GPIO ports on the C-series codec, it is possible to control peripheral devices such as curtains, lightning etc. – triggered by events in VCI. E.g. close the curtains when a new video conference is started, or light a sign when the microphone is muted.

Showcase 4: Integration with other control systems

VCI will allow for integration with for instance Crestron or AMX control systems. This means that already existing setups can utilize the rich functionality in VCI, e.g. the unique telemedicine functionality.

We are proud to announce that VCI Medical was presented on the main stage at Cisco Collaboration Summit in Barcelona 13 December 2010.

It was Tom Erik Lia, Director Technology and Engineering at Cisco, that included a clip of our YouTube video in his interesting session about Integrator Solutions. Please find the full video below the pictures or at YouTube. 

VCI Medical was demostrated at TANDBERG Live - between Oslo and Stockholm - November 23rd. We had lots of visitors that were impressed by the solution, especially hospitals and other companies in the health care industry.

The laprascope surgery was recorded from Oslo University Hospital the week before utilizing the HD capabilities of TANDBERG Content Server. VCI Medical enables a C90 codec to send up to four streams of full HD (1080p @30fps) from e.g. a surgery room to a remote location with experts or students. VCI Medical also enables the surgery to be recorded and documented in full HD quality.

Below you will find the scheme of how VCI Medical works. You will also find pictures of the stands in Oslo and Stockholm respectively.

You will find more documentation about VCI Medical here.

Scheme of VCI Medical (click for larger images):



Oslo stand:


Stockholm stand:

VCI is proud to announce that VCI 1.2.0 is released!

'Even though we have lots of thoughts about future functionality, VCI 1.2.0 is a very comprehensive and customizable product that should cover the vast majority of requirements that customers have - from simple and user-friendly to advanced functionality', says VCI CEO Ståle Reitan.

'With VCI 1.2.0 the product is complete for use in the medical sector, as well as in the business sector. VCI has a powerful integration with Microsoft OCS which gives customers unique possibilities to integrate different platforms of visual communications and thus improve efficiency within the organisation significantly', Reitan continues.

New features in VCI 1.2.0 includes (for full release notes, please click here):

New Language Packs [VCI-336]
VCI now supports the following languages:

• Danish
• English
• Finnish
• German
• Italian
• Norwegian
• Russian
• Swedish

Support for 3 and 4 displays [VCI-272]
Support for 3 and 4 displays has been implemented in a user-friendly and intuitive way in VCI 1.2.0.

Video Tutorials [VCI-135]
Users can now easily access video tutorials from the welcome screen and while in conference. The video tutorials present VCI's functionality in an user-friendly and informative way - and makes VCI even easier to use!

Camera View as camera control [VCI-349]
Customers now have the possibility to replace the image representation of the room layout with live camera stream. This means that the actual video from the main camera is shown in the VCI panel. The users can control the camera by touching the video panel - a perfect alternative for customers that need the extra touch!

We are very pleased to announce that VCI version 1.1 is released, and is available for download.

VCI 1.1 contains lots of requested new features and improvements. It also contains important improvements within performance, usability and stability.

New features include:
- Advanced video layout
- List and book meetings directly from the welcome screen
- OCS Presence in search and contact list
- Finnish language pack

Please review the full release notes for version 1.1 as it contains important information.

VCI software version 1.0.4 is released, and is available for download either via the VCI update service or by manual installation.

VCI 1.0.4 is a maintenance release that contains important improvements within performance, usability and stability.

We encourage that all VCIs are upgraded to version 1.0.4 as soon as possible.

We are pleased to announce that VCI was released April 30th 2010, almost a year after the development was started.

The first version is both feature rich, easy to use and reliable.