11/18/96 SEND WORKERS TO CLASS--AT THEIR DESKS

SEND WORKERS TO CLASS--AT THEIR DESKS

SCHEDULING BUSY EMPLOYEES INTO TRAINING CLASSES --say, for new marketing pushes or new computers or software--isn't easy. However, startup Eloquent in San Mateo, Calif., has a way to bring classes right to employees' desks via standard office networks. Eloquent's setup not only displays a digitized video of the lecturer but can also show slides as well as a scrolling transcript of the lesson. What's more, the viewer can search the transcript for keywords and jump forward or backward to any spot in the talk. The transcript, slides, and video all remain synchronized as the viewer skips around.
By limiting the size of the video image to just a couple of inches on a PC screen, use of network capacity is kept to a minimum. The system lets as many as 20 PCs view programming stored on a Pentium-based server at the same time. Eloquent charges $2,500 to produce each hour of content. That includes recording a talk on video, adding the slides and transcript, and storing the whole thing on CD-ROM. Customers also must pay $395 to equip each PC with the software needed to receive Eloquent programming.
EDITED BY PAUL M. ENG
By John W. Verity