FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NetTV Selected for 800 Kansas City Classrooms

North Kansas City School District Selects hybrid Digital Monitor - Television For Internet, Computer, and Audio Video Requirements

Kansas City, MO March 23, 1998---The North Kansas City School District announced today that it would proceed to modernize over 800 classrooms in its district with the addition of a product called the NetTV PC+TV, a combination Computer Monitor and Television. The district concluded that the NetTV was a cost-effective way to bring the internet, as well as up-to-date teaching methods into the classroom while continuing to meet traditional A/V requirements. A single NetTV replaces both a television and multiple small-screen monitors. The district expects major cost advantages along with an improvement in being able to focus student attention onto a single display controlled by the instructor.

NetTV calls its 29" monitor a breakthrough in television and computer display technology, with a combination of features that makes it well suited for classrooms. Company officials claim up to five times the clarity of competitive units when displaying internet and data applications. The monitor accepts audio and video input from the district’s Macintosh and Windows-based computers, notebook computers, DVDs, VCRs, cable and digital satellite receivers, and other AV equipment, making it a versatile tool.

 

NetTV’s large-screen monitors, permit students to sit comfortably at their desks while participating in multimedia lessons. The North Kansas City School District, following a rigorous, competitive procurement procedure, managed by Janet Herdman, Director of Instructional Technology, selected the NetTV over large-screen monitors from Sony, Philips, Zenith and other manufacturers. This project continues the School District’s pace-setting transformation of student education through the use of cutting-edge, digital technology.

Herdman’s selection committee was initially unable to find a unit that met all the requirements established by the district. "The state requires us to provide closed caption text capability for our hearing impaired students," states Herdman, "and none of the units initially submitted provided us this capability. NetTV specially engineered this into their monitor while still providing us with low bid. This meant a great deal to us. The large screen display also meets the needs of many of our visually impaired students."

NetTV’s HI-FI 29 PC+TV integrates a powerful 30watt amplifier, versus as little as 6 watts on other units,, stereo speakers, and a separate woofer that produces a great deal of sound. A cable-ready 181-channel television tuner with close caption capability is standard as is a hand-held remote control making it as easy to use as a television, a fact that should be appreciated by instructors. The tuner is designed to be easily and inexpensively upgraded to the new broadcast Digital TV standard when it becomes available.

NetTV offers several companion products that are built for the classroom. A variety of mounting hardware is available. A wireless keyboard and handheld remote control can be added to any IBM-compatible computer to add presentation capability. The company’s WorldVision Computers are multimedia computers, with built-in video conference capabilities, wireless keyboard, and handheld remote control, tailored for classroom and presentation usage. A DVD equipped WorldVision system can be used as a classroom language teaching aid since DVD instructional videos have alternative language tracks. A NetTV computer may be shared by several classrooms with an optional A/V cart, lowering the investment required by the school.

NetTV’s representative in the Mid-West is Sonacom Inc. who will be installing 892 systems in the North Kansas City School District classrooms. Sonacom, with headquarters in St. Louis, MO, was initially formed in 1988 to satisfy the growing need for communications, life-safety, and security systems solutions.  Sonacom has aligned itself with the industry-leading technology providers and is capable of providing everything from system design to final integration and service. The company recognizes the importance of protecting the customers' investment against obsolescence while providing for the most cost-effective migration to new technologies.

NetTV designs and manufactures digital products for home, business and education markets with distribution through authorized distributors and resellers. Contact : Ron Perkes (415) 499-1021, www.net-tv.net.