GE comes calling

eTreppid Technologies LLC, a privately

held company based in Reno, will

provide exclusive rights to its new

video-compression technology to GE

Interlogix, a wholly owned subsidiary of

the General Electric Co.

GE Interlogix said it plans to use the

eTreppid technology to manufacture

and market a new casino surveillance

system that uses digital video. The companies

didn't disclose a dollar value to

the agreement.

Along with the video compression

system, eTreppid's automatic gamingaudit

software and object-recognition

and tracking software will be included in

the GE Interlogix surveillance system.

A GE official said eTreppid's videocompression

system offers these benefits

for the new surveillance system:

* It allows video surveillance images to

be stored much more efficiently.

* Because the images use less bandwidth,

they can be transmitted over networks

and the Internet much more efficiently.

* Compressed images require less capacity

from back-up systems.

"We believe eTreppid's technology

represents a significant advancement in

video compression," said Ken Boyda, chief

executive officer of GE Interlogix. "We

have been successful in the field of video

compression for many years now and

believe eTreppid's technology offers a

major leap forward."

Boyda said the standards are particularly

high for surveillance systems for the

casino industry the market in which

GE Interlogix first will use the eTreppid

technology.

"Casinos place some of the most stringent

demands on video storage and surveillance,"

he said.

Warren Trepp, the chairman and chief

executive of eTreppid, said the agreement

with GE Interlogix marks "an important

first step" in the introduction of his company's

technology.

Like commonly used compression systems

the ZIP drives used in many

offices, for instance the eTreppid system

is based on identifying redundant patterns

in data. Once those redundancies are

identified, they're eliminated and the file

can be compressed. The eTreppid systems,

the company says, do a better job than

competitive products both in identifying

redundant patterns and eliminating them

during compression.

eTreppid operates from offices in the

South Meadows area of Reno. Along with

the surveillance and video systems that

drew the interest of GE Interlogix,

eTreppid is involved in game software,

audio it says its system is better than

the MP3 currently in widespread use

and systems to keep data secure as it's

transported.

Trepp isn't shy about the company's

prospects.

"eTreppid's video compression technology

will revolutionize the current landscape

for video quality, transmission and

storage costs associated with the use of

video, audio and security in entertainment,

cable, telephony and networking markets,"

he said in a prepared statement when the

GE Interlogix deal was announced.

Dennis Montgomery, the company's

executive vice president and chief technology

officer, worked the past 20 years as a

consultant on audio/video compression,

laser displays, optical storage and medical

systems development.

He served as vice president of

advanced research for 3Net Systems, Inc.

3Net Systems went public in a $6 million

offering in August of 1992, and was sold

to a healthcare group in August of 1993.

GE Interlogix, which is based in

Austin, Texas, operates as part of GE

Industrial Systems. Interlogix, which

operates in the United States and internationally,

markets products ranging from

the lock boxes used by real estate agents at

vacant properties to alarm systems and

surveillance cameras.