Penn State Students Tap Sonic Foundry's Mediasite to Webcast Benefit for Children with Cancer

MADISON, WI —

Sonic Foundry Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), a leading rich media solutions company, today announced the Penn State Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon (THON) has selected its Mediasite[TM] rich media recorder to capture and stream this weekend's dance marathon. THON is the world's largest student-run philanthropy involving thousands of Penn State University students and culminating in a 48-hour, no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon that raises millions of dollars each year for children with cancer and their families.

The live Webcast is the result of a class assignment for telecommunication majors in Penn State's College of Communications in which students were asked to develop the best method for providing 48 hours of live rich media streaming of THON via the Internet. The project included researching technology, assessing the bandwidth and equipment needs, and evaluating implementation and personnel requirements, including the reliance of student volunteers to operate the multiple cameras needed to provide non-stop footage throughout the two-day event.

A professor in Penn State's School of Information Sciences and Technology who uses Mediasite to record lectures recommended the system for this event due to its ease-of-use - an important feature that takes on new importance for the sleep-deprived students who will be operating it. The College of Communications donated the cameras and equipment that the students will use to make this once academic exercise a reality.

"The live video streaming will be distributed via Internet2, the THON.org website and multicast directly to an auditorium in Hershey so families that are unable to travel can still be a part of the event," said Bill Massi, one of the Penn State students who developed the project. "It's not often that a classroom assignment can make a real-world impact of this magnitude. This will be an exciting couple of days as we take THON to the desktops of Penn State students, parents, alumni and supporters everywhere."