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As President and CEO of Broadcast International, Rod Tiede is responsible for fostering the vision, directing the overall management and providing progressive leadership for the company. Rod's continued forward-looking strategy has made BI a preferred international technology integrator. In the early years, he played an instrumental role in guiding the company’s worldwide reach with his tenacious management style and innovation.

Silicon Slopes: What’s your background and what does Broadcast International do?

Rod Tiede: After I received my bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Washington, I kicked off my technology career at the Safeway Corporate offices, where I gained valuable retail technology experience and was responsible for launching the Safeway Satellite Network. I began at Broadcast International in 1988, starting as director of sales, now I am president and CEO.

Broadcast International has been a leading provider of video-powered broadcast solutions, including IP, and digital satellite, Internet streaming and other types of wired/wireless network distribution. Since it began in 1984, the company has had consistent success in building and managing private satellite networks and providing video, audio and web broadcasting solutions to businesses worldwide.

Silicon Slopes: Can you tell us about your latest product, CodecSys?

Rod Tiede: Our patented CodecSys software is a breakthrough, artificial intelligence-based video compression technology that cuts video bandwidth requirements by as much as 80% over satellite, cable, IP and wireless networks. By slashing bandwidth needs, CodecSys enables a new generation of applications such as streaming video to cell phones, and offers unprecedented price/ performance benefits for existing applications such as HD video.

Silicon Slopes: How is the launch going so far?

Rod Tiede: For nearly a year, we have been engaging in trade shows across the country and in Europe. We have had positive response from the media, mainly industry experts and analysts, who recognize the value and need for our product. Currently, we have a number of beta customers and will have their feedback soon. The majority of the interest right now has been in the IPTV sector, particularly in Europe. We have established a timeline outlining the stages of our launch, introducing the different versions of CodecSys, over the next 12 months.

Silicon Slopes:  Where do you see CodecSys making a difference in the marketplace and for consumers?

Rod Tiede: Because CodecSys uses multiple expert codecs to compress video, it has the ability to deliver more content and higher quality content using much less bandwidth.  This is significant when you look at the current marketplace.  Right now, cable and satellite operators are extremely strained by existing bandwidth limitations.  There just simply isn’t enough bandwidth to provide the type of high quality High Definition (HD) content that more and more consumers are asking for.  Because CodecSys can compress HD content without losing quality and using much less bandwidth, providers will be able to deliver higher quality content across a variety of platforms, including cable, satellite, the Internet and even wireless devices, without “clogging up the pipes”.  The end result is a wider variety of HD content available to you and me the consumer.

Silicon Slopes: What is your company philosophy and how does it set you apart from others?

Rod Tiede: While few companies can match our years of experience, it's the quality and longevity of our client relationships that really set us apart. We are still providing services to the first customer we sold to, who has been with us for nearly twenty years. From top to bottom, we pride ourselves on the personal aspect of the business relationship and our ability to keep our clients and our employees satisfied.

We are committed to providing exceptional service with integrity and innovation. We believe that customer service is an attitude that we create within our internal environment and our employees then project that same level of care and integrity to our customers. We hire skilled individuals that we trust and see as vital parts of our growth, and to keep them with us, we know they need to feel valued and respected.