The award-winning VBrick WM Appliance is not an "encoder", it is an appliance.  It is not a "PC with capture card disguised as an appliance" like virtually ever other so-called appliance.  If it were "just" and encoder, it wouldn't be so darn useful.

Let's get right to the point and tell you what this hot box can do:

• Input analog audio/video (composite, SVideo)
• Encode at any rate from 20K to 4M
• Support resolutions up to 640 x 480 (inc 480 x 480)
• Support 4x3 and 16x9, plus convert 4x3 to 16x9!
• Encode 3 simultaneous rates ("Multiple Bit Rate Encoding") such that a player will receive the rate best for that viewer, plus allow you to "pull" just one specified rate
• Delivers http push to up to 25 simultaneous publishing points
• Built-in streaming server delivers live video to up to 200 simultaneous clients/players
• Built-in multicast server delivers live video to an unlimited number of simultaneous clients/players
• Built-in Router, allowing you to specify network destinations (e.g. push to one network, pull from another)
• Built-in archive recorder allows you to record your live video
• Built-in FTP server/client sends your just-recorded video to up to 8 different destinations
• Built-in JPEG capture of the LIVE video. Capture a live snapshot every view seconds and send it via FTP or view it from the appliance
• Remote management via a) web interface, b)telnet, c) local serial port, d)SNMP, e) polling for a configuration file, f) web page control via ActiveX, g)handheld IR remote control
• Accept a digital video stream via push or pull, then
  • Reflect that stream via multicast
  • Reflect that stream to up to 200 clients/players
  • Push that stream to up to 25 simultaneous publishing points
  • Record that stream on the local disk, and after recording deliver it via FTP to up to 8 destinations