Virage Inc., a software specialist with roots in video-search technology, is about to introduce its first full-fledged system for audio and video broadcasting over company networks or the Web.

Virage's VS Webcasting 2.0 platform, which will ship Sept. 6, is loaded with features and usability improvements that go well beyond a rough-hewn first-release version, says Dave Girouard, senior VP of marketing and strategy. It includes wizards that help producers manage Webcasts before, during, and after the events, as well as new tools for system administrators, including reports of which users logged on to a Webcast, how long they stayed, and what questions they asked. The system can serve up live Webcasts and rebroadcasts or replay events for individual viewers on demand.

The system starts at $140,000 for 250 concurrent users. For companies that Webcast frequently, that can translate into less than $1 per user per Webcast, Girouard says. Virage's Webcasting customers include Cisco Systems and USB Warburg.

The Webcasting package is one of four that Virage has built around its core media-management technology; the other platforms are aimed at E-learning, online publishing, and digital-media production. The new products together accounted for 25% of license revenue in the first quarter of the year fiscal quarter ended June 30, Girouard says, and they represent an even higher percentage of business in the pipeline.