SIP AV Software Development Kit (SIP AV SDK)

In my AOL TotalTalk blog entry I wondered if AOL was using Pingtel's open-source softphone. I wrote:

I am going to assume that similar to Earthlink's Vling, AOL is using Pingtel's open-source SIP-based softphone client. Let me break out my HEX editor and disassemble the AOL softphone and see if this is the case.

No need to break out a HEX editor or disassemble the AOL softphone - AOL is indeed using Pingtel's open source phone. In fact, it's even better that that. They're using what they are calling the SIP AV Software Development Kit (SIP AV SDK) which combines Global IP Sound (GIPS), On2 (video codecs), and Pingtel's softphone all-in-one SDK. Nice!!!! Only bad news is that the SDK is currently Windows only - sorry Mac and Linux users.

Check out the news...

Pingtel, the industry leader in SIP communications technology, Global IP Sound (GIPS), the leading provider of embedded voice-processing solutions for the Voice over IP (VoIP) market, and On2 Technologies (AMEX:ONT), the leading provider of state of the art video codecs, today announced the launch of a combined product, the SIP AV Software Development Kit (SIP AV SDK). The SIP AV SDK provides a complete Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) audio and video solution for developers who want to quickly build high-quality, feature-rich, multimedia VoIP applications. The companies will demonstrate the SIP AV SDK at the Fall 2005 VON tradeshow being held from September 19 to 22 at the Boston Convention Center (GIPS #735, Level3 Partner Pavilion #1009, Pingtel #936).

“In the SIP AV SDK, we've collaborated with GIPS and On2 to create a solution that is greater than the sum of its parts,” said Bill Rich, CEO of Pingtel. “Now vendors and service providers creating VoIP solutions, such as softphones and IM clients, and integrating real-time voice and video into enterprise applications, will have one-stop shopping for a high-quality, multimedia SDK. This combination of an industry-leading SIP stack and call processing, best-in-class media processing, and superior video, with a simple, rich API, will help our customers develop and rollout new products quickly and cost effectively.”

The SDK simplifies the intricate details of building multimedia VoIP applications by providing all of the necessary building blocks to quickly and easily implement peerless voice and video capabilities. Built on the sipXtapi framework from SIPfoundry, the SDK provides a simple to implement interface that can quickly and easily be integrated into existing network infrastructures, or serve as the foundation for a full-scale VoIP migration.

The SDK takes advantage of Pingtel's proven SIP User Agent (SIPxua) to provide a generalized telephony interface on top of SIP and real-time transport protocol (RTP) signaling and media transport, and includes complete “tuning” capabilities for audio and video processing. In addition, the SDK includes Global IP Sound's VoiceEngine Multimedia, which is a complete voice and video processing module for IP communications that incorporates GIPS' unmatched jitter buffer and error concealment capabilities, high-quality codecs, echo cancellation and noise suppression technology to empower VoIP multimedia solutions. The SIP AV SDK's high quality video processing is handled by On2's Truemotion VP7 codec, which provides unmatched video compression quality optimized for multiple data rates -- from dial up to broadband -- while only using only a fraction of the system's CPU cycles.

“This technology alliance allows companies to rapidly bring to market products that offer the best voice and video capabilities available on the market today,” said Gary P. Hermansen, President and CEO of Global IP Sound. “By providing the full breadth of functionality in an integrated solution, the SIP AV SDK empowers companies to focus on their core competencies to offer a fully-functional, feature-rich solution suited for carrier-class or enterprise-grade telephony systems.”

The SIP AV SDK also includes many of the other protocols and standards implementations necessary for voice and video communications, as well as a full set of features. Some of the key features include support for simultaneous, multi-party calls, volume control, caller ID, full-featured call transfer, integrated STUN, TURN and ICE support.

“While innovation is a key ingredient to any new IP application in the market, quality is the single most important attribute to ensure its success,” said Douglas McIntyre, chairman, president and chief executive officer of On2 Technologies. “For video-enabled VoIP applications to succeed, you must combine unparalleled video image quality with bullet proof voice processing and call management capabilities. This unique partnership exceeds in all three categories.”

The SIP AV SDK, supports the WIN32 Operating System.