AV Technology - August 2008 - (Page 22)

business not be enough. (Worth noting: LifeSize Express comes with H.239 data sharing standard. This supports sharing media in high definition such as spreadsheets, presentations, and video.) Teliris is a company that emphasizes providing highly capable telepresence environments, rather than just point-to-point HD videoconferencing. As a result, its entry-level, single-screen Teliris Personal Telepresence product starts at $32,500. “Our system is the only one to offer 60 frames per second of video resolution, which provides a noticeable difference in the quality of the telepresence video,” says Mack Treece, Teliris’ president. “To enhance the telepresence experience, Teliris also offers interactive whiteboards and multi-touch tables, upon which local and remote users can literally ‘pass’ materials to each other to make modifications in real time.” Telanetix also believes that HD videoconferencing needs to be more than a single-screen solution. This is why its $35,000 entry-level Executive Edition product comes with two 42inch HD monitors, plus a “Digital Presence Kit” that includes the codecs, cameras, microphones, speakers, echo canceller, control panel, and all other equipment required. All of this comes built into a wheeled cart that can be moved from room to room. One way to create a more immersive experience on a budget is to mate an entry-level LifeSize system with an InFocus HD video projector. “Thanks to the quality of HD images, you can blow up HD video without losing the fine detail that this medium is so prized for,” says David Woolf, InFocus’ vice president of marketing. “What this also means is that you can use one video projector and screen to display two or more sources, rather than having to buy separate monitors. The result is a more compelling experience at an affordable price.” Recently, Chinese manufacturer Kedacom has also entered the HD videoconferencing market with an endpoint codec device that retails for around $9,999. The KDV7810 has both an HDMI and HD-SDI interface, and, like the LifeSize systems, supports the ITU-T recommendation H.239 standard for full dynamic dual stream and static stream functions, as well as dual-channel 720p HD full dynamic video streams. AN HD SOLUTION FOR EVERY BUDGET BUT SHOP CAREFULLY With price tags under $35,000, HD videoconferencing technology is within the reach of many businesses and government agencies. HD VIDEOCONFERENCING COMPARISON CHART MANUFACTURER MODEL TANDBERG Profile 3000 XP Profile 6000 XP Profile 8000 XP 1700 MXP TELIRIS Personal Telepresence POLYCOM HDX8000 HDX7000 HDX4000 $10,999 9,499 $9,999 Codec, HD camera, remote and mic pod Codec, HD camera, remote and mic pod Codec, remote, and integrated 20-inch HD display with stereomics, camera, keypad LIFESIZE Express with Focus $4,999 Codec(s), cameras, remote controls and microphones Express Team MP Room Conference Add InFocus IN3016 projecter Add InFocus IN5014 projecter TELANETIX Executive Edition KEDACOM KDV7810 KDV7910 $9,999 11,999 Codec only Codec only $35,000 Codec, monitor, camera, mic $5,999 $8,999 $12,999 $39,999 $1,799 $4,499 Codec(s), cameras, remote controls and mics Codec(s), cameras, remote controls and mics Codec(s), cameras, remote controls and mics Codec(s), cameras, remote controls and mics $32,500 Complete $21,900 $35,900 $48,900 $7,990 Complete Complete Complete Desktop HD system U.S. LIST PRICE INCLUDES Even so, it is critically important to define your own particular needs before signing on the dotted line. For instance, is an entry-level single monitor solution sufficient for your needs? Granted, you will get higher image resolution, but the single monitor, fixed-focus camera and built-in microphone will force you either to only use one to two people on camera at a time, or gather around the unit as if your group is huddling close to a campfire. In the same vein, will a lower-cost solution create the kind of magic delivered by multiscreen telepresence solutions, where participants truly feel like they are all working in the same physical space? If not, then the system may not be worth it, warns Teliris’ Treece. “The point of videoconferencing is to create a faceto-face experience across distance in order to reduce the need for people to spend money traveling to visit each other in person,” he explains. “If your HD videoconferencing solution does not create this experience, then your travel costs will not go down.” These are secondary considerations: The primary fact is that affordable HD videoconferencing is not an oxymoron. In truth, it is a reality that exists here and now, at prices that are truly inexpensive. James Careless is a freelance writer who specializes in communications-related stories. His writing credits include TV Technology, Television Broadcast, and Radio World magazines. www.avtechnologyonline.com 22 | AVTECHNOLOGY | august 2008 http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - August 2008

AV Technology - August 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: The Project’s Over...Now What? Government: Generational Diversity and the Rise of the Millennials Education: DIY ISP.EDU HD Videoconferencing On a Budget Using Automatic Mic Mixers The Way I See It: The Standards Dilemma in AV Something for Everybody AV Adds the Magic to Microsoft’s Hat Trick Simple Control for Smarter Classrooms Product Review: VeEX VePAL MX100 Product Spotlight: Amps; Touchpanels New Products Ad Index AV MO: Dealing with Ambient Light

AV Technology - August 2008

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