8/7/25, 1:16 PM Va Digital Wins Coveted TMC Communications Solutions 2015 Product of the Year Award | C Spire Wireless
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`Vi Digital Wins Coveted TMC Communications
`Solutions 2015 Product of the Year Award
`
`2015-10-28
`
`C Spire technology start up honored for launch of its industry-leading video-to-data
`(V2D) product
`
`Norwalk, Conn. (October 28, 2015) - VU Digital LLC, a Mississippi-based technology
`start up, has received the TMC 2015 communications solution product of the year
`award for the introduction earlier this year of its industry-first video-to-data (V2D) video
`analysis and search tool technology.
`
`The Ridgeland-based firm was among 118 companies recognized by TMC, a global
`integrated media conglomerate and leading source of news and information for the
`communications and technology industries worldwide. Other winners included
`ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Autobytel, Comcast, Dell, Hewlett Packard, Logitech,
`Polycom and XO Communications.
`
`Give Feedback
`
`One of TMC's most coveted honors, the award highlights exceptional voice, data and
`video communications products and services introduced in the last 12 months. VU
`Digital's V2D product debuted in May. “A true leader in the video-to-data sector, VU
`Digital is among the best-of-the-best technology solutions available on the market
`today,” said Rich Tehrani, CEO of TMC.
`
`TMC has been highlighting achievements by leading high-tech companies for over 20
`years and the awards are considered among the most respected and prestigious in the
`communications and technology industry worldwide. “All of our winners represent
`prominent players in the tech world who are leaders in their respective sectors,”
`Tehrani added.
`
`VU Digital's computer vision algorithms help companies in the video value chain,
`content creators, curators, publishers, marketers and distributors, by converting all
`elements within video into metadata that can be used for search engine optimization,
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`https://lwww.cspire.com/cms/news/wireless/24600006/Vi Digital Wins Coveted TMC Communications Solutions 2015 Product of the Year Award 1/3
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`IPR2025-00877
`Patent Owner Exhibit 2004
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`8/7/25, 1:16 PM Va Digital Wins Coveted TMC Communications Solutions 2015 Product of the Year Award | C Spire Wireless
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`ersonalization, ad targeting and even determining the “brand value” of a video,
`-%ckusmgeaength and prominence of a product, logo or personality.O\ ‘{a g -\; —
`
`“We appreciate the recognition from TMC, which serves as further validation that we
`offer the only single, comprehensive automated solution on the market today capable
`of organizing the unstructured data within video,” said B. Wade Smith, vice president
`of operations and development for VU Digital, an affiliate of C Spire. "V2D can be
`transformative for companies in a variety of sectors looking to unlock the power of
`video."
`
`VU's V2D product can be applied to any video, including traditional television
`programming, online video and even security and surveillance footage. With industry
`research indicating that 80 percent of the world’s Internet traffic will be video by 2017,
`Smith said content providers need to be better prepared to manage and maximize
`return on investment from unstructured data.
`
`The recognition drew praise from Innovate Mississippi, a statewide group that helps
`innovation-based startup companies by connecting entrepreneurs with investors.
`Innovate President and CEO Tony Jeff said the award is further proof that the state is
`starting to gain some well-deserved attention and a reputation as an emerging leader
`in technology applications for Internet video. “It's not every day that a Mississippi
`company is mentioned in the same breath alongside some of the world’s technology
`giants, but thanks to C Spire and VU Digital, it's becoming more common.”
`
`Jeff says VU Digital's V2D technology is one of the best examples of development of a
`home-grown software solution using very complex vision science techniques to solve
`an industry problem. “We're pleased that a Mississippi-based technology startup has
`been honored, but we're not surprised,” he said. “When you develop a truly innovative
`solution to a real-world problem, it doesn't matter who you are or where you're based.”
`
`In addition to the TMC award, VU Digital was selected earlier this year to be part of the
`National Association of Broadcasters’ year-long SPROKIT accelerator program for
`innovative startups in media and entertainment.
`
`Give Feedback
`
`About Vu Digital
`
`VU Digital was formed through a commitment to delivering new and innovative
`solutions for digital content. VU's Video-to-Data (V2D) product instantly converts video
`and audio into the machine-readable medium that search engines, databases, natural
`language processing (NLP), and distributors know and love best: words. The core
`technology includes splitting a video into two components: audio and video frames.
`Both components are then processed using automated speed recognition (ASR), text
`extraction from images and facial and image recognition. The output is metadata that
`includes time-stamped references to individual frames. This industry-first approach
`enables video classification/clustering, search engine indexing and content
`personalization, including targeted advertising. VU's algorithms and the use of an
`advanced architecture for distributing jobs for processing are patent pending and are
`one-of-a-kind in the marketplace. VU is headquartered in Ridgeland, Miss. and is an
`affiliate of C Spire, a Mississippi-based diversified telecommunications and technology
`services company.
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`https://lwww.cspire.com/cms/news/wireless/24600006/Vi Digital Wins Coveted TMC Communications Solutions 2015 Product of the Year Award 2/3
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`IPR2025-00877
`Patent Owner Exhibit 2004
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`8/7/25, 1:16 PM Va Digital Wins Coveted TMC Communications Solutions 2015 Product of the Year Award | C Spire Wireless
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`out TMC
`%C & dobal, integrated media company that supports clients' géals By b;&difi@ —
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`https://lwww.cspire.com/cms/news/wireless/24600006/Vi Digital Wins Coveted TMC Communications Solutions 2015 Product of the Year Award 3/3
`IPR2025-00877
`Patent Owner Exhibit 2004
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