Telepresence Options - Solution Reviews

Solution Snapshot: Emerging Markets Communications' HD Connect and SpeedNet

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 13:41:55 -0500

We continue to add to our Solution Snapshots with the addition of today's Snapshot of Emerging Markets Communications' HD Connect and SpeedNet. Our detailed Solution Snapshots feature important information about Managed Service Providers, Exchange Providers, Video Network Infrastructure, Inter-Connection Solutions, and more. You can receive new Solution Snapshots as they are published by subscribing to our RSS Feed or via e-mail. While you're at it, be sure to subscribe to Telepresence Options Magazine, the #1 magazine in the world covering Telepresence and Visual Collaboration!

Emerging Markets Communications (EMC) provides mission-critical data and communications solutions to the world's most demanding customers in the world's hardest to reach places. In addition to our strategically located teleports and data centers, which provide seamless global network coverage, we offer a growing range of end user application services. These include our HD Connect on demand HD videoconferencing over satellite service and our new SpeedNet Zero Latency Browser, which provides high speed, secure web browsing and application hosting to remote offices.

HD Connect

EMC's HD Connect on demand HD videoconferencing over satellite technology offers significant breakthroughs for the telepresence, videoconferencing and visual collaboration industry.

The first high definition (HD) videoconferencing over satellite service available in an affordable, on demand, 'pay as you go' manner, HD Connect is available for deployment to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, China, and Central and South America.

HD Connect allows governments, multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in hard to reach areas of the world to use HD videoconferencing, telepresence and visual collaboration anywhere, anytime (on land, sea or in the air), at a fraction of the price of a typical dedicated satellite data circuit and with the high quality required for effective visual communications as well as the ease of use today's workers expect.

Affordability

For many organizations with a need to communicate with remote regions, costs are a key factor. To date, videoconferencing over satellite has been prohibitively expensive for many organizations because of the dedicated bandwidth necessary to conduct sessions. However, HD Connect over comes these issues and makes HD videoconferencing and telepresence over satellite available to organizations that could never afford the technology in the past.

HD Connect accomplishes this by maintaining a small, always-on signal to keep the videoconferencing system active and listening for service requests. It also deploys an innovative single carrier per channel (SCPC) model -- a non-shared, on/off model specifically designed for videoconferencing. And, HD Connect combines on demand capabilities with a usage-based, 'pay as you go' model, where users only pay for the bandwidth that is used and receive bundled hours of monthly usage (like a pre-paid cell phone).

High Quality

Anyone that has seen traditional videoconferencing over satellite knows that the experience to date has left a lot to be desired. This is primarily due to high and fluctuating conditions around three main factors: latency, jitter and packet loss. Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done about the latency challenges with regard to satellite communication. It takes a certain amount of time for a signal to travel from the earth, up to a satellite and back down again.

However, EMC has developed innovations that make the latency inherent in satellite communications relatively unnoticeable by ensuring it is predictable and steady. By combining steady and predictable latency with levels of packet loss and jitter that are near to zero, a latency range of 475-525 ms is almost imperceptible. Thanks to these innovations, HD Connect delivers unprecedented quality, with low jitter, low packet loss and predictable and steady latency for excellent, unparalleled videoconferencing experiences. In fact, people that have seen HD Connect have remarked that they cannot tell the difference between it and a videoconference conducted over a terrestrial link.

EMC Executive Briefing Room

Ease of Use

With the ease of communications available to us from modern technology, our level of patience with anything that presents extra work or complexity is short. To that end, it is crucial that any new communications technology be quick and convenient to use and that any complexity be hidden from the users.

HD Connect delivers an easy set-up, use and disconnect process. With a goal of being as easy to use as any land-based videoconferencing system, HD Connect is portal-based, where users simply log onto a portal, request service and see their circuit turned on in approximately 30 seconds. They then operate the videoconferencing system of their choice for as long as they like. Or, they connect a location with their global scheduling and management system and that system turns off and on as any managed system on their network. The fact that the circuit is actually a satellite connection is completely hidden from the user. All they know is that within a short time span, they are speaking face-to-face with teams and colleagues located in some of the most remote, hard-to-reach regions on the planet.

SpeedNet

SpeedNet, the world's first 'Zero Latency' browser for satellite and terrestrial links, delivers the fastest Internet experience available today. A virtual cloud-based browser built on a global infrastructure, SpeedNet runs on highly powered data centers where state of the art cloud computing infrastructures sit.

Based on multiple patent-pending technologies from EMC, SpeedNet brings a true broadband experience to governments, multinational corporations and NGOs located in emerging markets around the globe.

By guaranteeing upload and download speeds of 100Mbps while improving the security of applications, this new browser enables a whole new subset of enterprises and organizations to operate at data center speeds for both Internet browsing and application access, vastly improving their time-to-service/market while allowing even the smallest offices to feel like a true part of the larger organization.

How it Works

In a typical browsing environment, a user clicks on a web page and the browser sends out several requests for content to create a page on the desktop. These requests go back and forth across multiple hops, taking up the user's time, computing power and bandwidth. SpeedNet, on the other hand, is a thin client that gives the user a visual representation of the actual browser running all of the processing in EMC's state of the art data center. So, the user gets all the benefits of browsing at data center speeds without the need for large amounts of bandwidth or processing power on the remote end. Because of this, deploying SpeedNet may result in an overall decrease in the amount of bandwidth an organization requires.

Browsing Architectures

In addition to speeding Internet access, which has become intrinsic to conducting most business tasks today, SpeedNet speeds end user access to http- or https-based applications such as customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), business analytics programs and financial systems. With the new browser, workers in even the most remote locations are able to access their corporate applications faster, so they're able to work more rapidly and efficiently.

In one instance, a large NGO reduced its typical time for service per one client from a full eight minutes down to mere seconds, increasing the number of people they are able to serve each day.

Improved Security

In addition to providing Internet browsing and application access at data center speeds, SpeedNet also improves the security of corporate applications and information. Utilizing an enhanced, patent-pending ICA protocol, SpeedNet centralizes information in a secure environment, reducing the risk of threats such as malware and viruses to remote users.

Another benefit of the new browsers is that organizations can roll out new software and applications to all of their employees, worldwide, in seconds, rather than having to use the time- and resource-consuming process of going laptop by laptop.

For the same NGO mentioned above, the use SpeedNet delivered an incredible savings in time. Before the new browser, it took the organization over a year to move all of its global employees from one version of Lotus Notes to another. After deploying the browser, they were able to accomplish a similar software update in seconds with the click of a mouse. In addition to saving vast amounts of time and resources, this capability improved productivity by eliminating the challenges that can happen when different facilities are operating on different versions of software.

Partners

Masergy: EMC interconnects with Masergy, a global provider of secure, virtualized network services. Masergy's IP/MPLS network, the most mature global IP/MPLS network in the industry, was purpose-built to support real-time applications like Telepresence and HD videoconferencing. HD Connect provides Masergy clients with locations in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia with a compelling alternative solution for video applications in these fast-growing regions.

AT&T's Telepresence Business Exchange: EMC offers connectivity into AT&T's Business Exchange, a growing telepresence community of interest network that connects 2,400 endpoints in over 120 companies. Connectivity through the exchange provides access to a global scheduling directory and ensures that multi-screen, multi-codec Cisco TelePresence Systems can connect at the highest potential quality with voice activated switching, spacial acoustics and optimized eye-lines.

Solution Snapshot: Iformata's VNOC Symphony Enterprise SP (the VNOC in a Box)

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 08:47:47 -0500

Overview
IIformata brings service providers as well as enterprises an automated state-of-the art, powerful video management solution in a single hardware and software system - VNOC
Symphony Enterprise SP.

Benefits

Cost Effective and Scalable- VNOC Symphony Enterprise SP enables organizations to expand the number of video/telepresence endpoints, video infrastructure, and vastly increase the number of simultaneous conferences occurring
with little or no increase in headcount. VNOC
Symphony Enterprise SP provides you with a
multi-tenant, proven and robust solution radically
reducing costs and time expended at all levels of
operations, thus saving you millions in time and

money.

Fast Track Your Service - With VNOC Symphony Enterprise SP you can set up conferencing and telepresence management services quickly.

Best-in-class System - The intelligence in VNOC Symphony Enterprise SP encapsulates the systems and methods used in
world-class VNOCs and leverages over 450 patent
claims and trademarks. The end result is reliability
and confidence in a platform that is beyond
traditional mouse/click services.

Build Operate Transfer - Taking your managed services in-house? Iformata
provides build, operate and transfer solutions. To learn more contact, contactus@iformata.com.

Key Features

Cost savings of $1-3M over standard VNOC set-up

Reduction of 3-5 headcount in all levels of operations

Small hardware footprint of 24x40 inches yet extremely powerful capabilities

Supports Polycom, Tandberg, Cisco, Teliris, Life-Size and Sony endpoints, both TP and non-TP. We also support Polycom, Tandberg, Cisco and Radvision video infrastructure

Over 450 patent claims and trademarks

Creators of the telepresence horizontal array.

Screen Shot of Iformata's Symphony Telepresence and Videoconferencing Solution which powers the "VNOC in a Box". More screenshots below.

Established video conferencing and telepresence service providers as well as enterprises with video infrastructure are always looking for ways to improve performance and efficiencies.
Traditionally these service providers and enterprises would turn to a Video Network Operations Center (VNOC) provider or set up their own managed services
operations.

Iformata's VNOC Symphony Enterprise SP (Service Provider) packages the functionality of its cloud based VNOC Symphony platform, which consists of customer facing tools, VNOC facing tools and back-office systems, with all of the capabilities of a VNOC into a single
system. The result is a VNOC in a Box - a VNOC Symphony solution.

Service providers and enterprises can now utilize the VNOC Symphony Enterprise SP solution to automate the management of telepresence and video endpoints from vendors such as Polycom, Tandberg, Cisco, LifeSize and Sony. With VNOC Symphony Enterprise SP you can
utilize your existing video infrastructure devices from vendors such as Polycom, Tandberg and Cisco; the result is a seamless, scalable and cost effective solution.

The Iformata VNOC Symphony SP packages all the capabilities of a VNOC into a single system. The result is a VNOC in a Box with the following capabilities:

Complete Scheduling & Reporting Package

Endpoint Call Launching, Telepresence Framing and System Monitoring

Automated Infrastructure Control and Powerful Event Correlation

Tiered Usage and Billing System

Service Desk Tools with Auto Ticket Generation and Auto Update

Complete e-Bonding Package

Supports Lotus Notes, Outlook Exchange, Apple iPhone & iPod Touch, Google Android, Apple iPad, an intuitive web interface, and an animated Microsoft Silverlight interface

Drag-n-drop Graphical Interface for Rapid Dynamic Workflow Generation

Geo-spatial Endpoint Mapping and Conference Plotting

Real-time Network Management Tools for Endpoint Integrity Monitoring

IIformata Communications is the world's leading innovator of ubiquitous VNOC tools and end-to-end automation through its VNOC Symphony platform. Iformata is also the provider of choice for global enterprise firms, equipment manufacturers, and top-tier carriers for cloud based managed service offerings. With a customer base touching every continent, Iformata's wide range of managed service options give customers an unparalleled range of service models to support their ever changing video management needs. With U.S. based offices in Ohio and Virginia and international offices in Mumbai and Bangalore, India along with Stavanger, Norway, Iformata is the industry's longestserving provider of managed services and video network operations. Through international peering relationships with major providers and other VNOC suppliers, Iformata's Telepresence Exchange is a leading video communications network connecting global Fortune 500 firms within a highly managed architecture.
For more information, please visit www.iformata.com or call +1.937.832.6957.
Iformata Symphony Screen Shots

Solution Snapshot: AT&T Telepresence Solution

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 09:21:10 -0500

Official Website: www.att.com

Overview:
AT&T Telepresence Solution offers a flexible, turn-key, scalable video conferencing experience, including a unique, business to business, meet-me bridging collaboration capability using the AT&T Business Exchange.

Key Features:

Web-based application for scheduling, directory assistance and reporting
High Definition Video (1080p) with actual size images and spatial audio
Global reach with service available from sites in up to 75 countries and territories
Dedicated center to monitor and maintain your entire solution
Meeting initiation with a single button
Interoperability through the AT&T Business Exchange with standard and high definition video conferencing equipment (H.320 and H.323)
Ability to connect to Virtual Meetings by Marriott with AT&T and Cisco TelePresence

AT&T Telepresence Solution layers the strengths of AT&T's global networking capabilities on advanced video conferencing technology, giving you an easy to use unique, scalable, highly secure, and reliable virtual collaboration environment. The business-to-business meet-me bridging capability of the AT&T Business Exchange lets you connect to any other AT&T Telepresence Solution enabled location, whether located at your company, or with your customers, your suppliers or your business partners.

Your business may save travel costs, reduce carbon emissions and be more productive thanks to AT&T Telepresence Solution. We offer a full range of options to meet a variety of business needs:

Management Options: Reduce your up-front cost and IT burden with a bundled solution. AT&T provides end-to-end management and design, provisioning as well as implementation of the service and equipment. You can choose to purchase your own equipment or add AT&T management to equipment you already own. Regardless of which management option you choose, you can get the benefits of the AT&T Business Exchange and the AT&T global, MPLS-enabled network.

Equipment Options: Choose from equipment ranging from immersive rooms for 6 or 18 people to a small conference room or executive office unit for 1-2 people. Plus you get the ability to connect to a variety of standards-based HD/SD Video Conferencing Equipment via the AT&T Business Exchange.

Access Options: Use industry leading AT&T transport and access options. AT&T Telepresence Solution relies on the AT&T global MPLS-enabled network, giving you global reach, reliability and flexibility using AT&T Virtual Private Network services.

You can also choose from a range of alternate access options at a variety of lower speeds, enabling your smaller, remote offices or home offices to connect and collaborate with your larger offices.

Pricing Options: You can choose from two monthly rate options for endpoint access and use of the AT&T Business Exchange:

Per Minute (recommended for less than 20 hours/month/endpoint)
Flat Rate/Unlimited (recommended for 20+ hours/month/endpoint)

Actual pricing depends on your management option, equipment options and access options. Let AT&T provide a customized value case analysis for your company to project various cost/benefit scenarios.

*The available pricing options may depend on location and management configuration. Actual pricing will vary depending on your preferred management option, equipment options and access options.

Solution Snapshot: DVE Huddle Room 70

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:04:09 -0500

Official Website
www.DVETelepresence.com

Overview
The DVE Huddle Room is an elegant immersive conferencing system for meeting rooms throughout the enterprise providing Real Telepresence.

Key Features

Immersive telepresence for groups of 4 people per side
2 life-size people with full upper body language seen on screen
Eye Level Optically embedded camera(s)
65" - 70" wide screen with HDTV and PC inputs
Elegant design -- installs in small meeting rooms
Smart Multipoint with table mounted displays
Impressive zero bezel virtual image

Real Telepresence
The DVE Huddle Room provides an eye level camera hidden behind the picture for real telepresence.

The total solution is designed to enable close proximity viewing of the large screen so that the people appear to be on the other side of the table (not on the other side of the room).

This enables the DVE Huddle Room to have a smaller overall footprint and thereby permits placement in small meeting rooms.

Elegant Design fits in small meeting rooms

Based on numerous patents and research in human communication, the room creates a highly realistic roundtable conversational experience with real-size people.

Each room comes with a boardroom quality table custom made for each client.

The DVE Huddle Room is the superior choice for serious minded executives and leaders who want a practical, effective, and affordable real telepresence solution.

DVE Customer Care is available for consultation at your convenience.

To schedule a visit to the DVE Telepresence showroom in Irvine, CA., call (949) 347- 9167 today.

Solution Snapshot: Huawei Telepresence

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:42:26 -0500

Official Website: http://www.huaweidevice.com/vc/

Overview

As a leading video communication solution supplier, Huawei is able to provide end to end Telepresence and Videoconferencing solution with cutting-edge technology at affordable price point.

Key Features:

HD video 1080p 50/60
Crystal audio with AAC-LD 48KHz spatial sound
Low bandwidth consumption
AES encryption
Standard based interoperability
Multipoint Telepresence
Android based touch screen control panel
PSTN telephone call
Mute button
Sleep and wake-up mode

Huawei started its video communication business in 1993. Over years Huawei has released five generations of video communication systems. In 2009 Huawei won "Greater China Market Leadership Award, Videoconferencing Endpoints Market" from Frost & Sullivan.

As a multinational telecom giant, Huawei is able to provide E2E solutions and services to the global market through its 100+ branch offices, 17 R&D centers and 36 training centers in EMEA, North America, Latin America, Asia, and CIS.

Huawei Telepresence is designed to meet demands for various scenarios:

TP1002 is a 1-screen system for 1 or 2 people

Different from traditional and complicated videoconferencing solutions, the Huawei TP1002 is integrated, immersive, and simple, conveying a new design concept for Huawei telepresence. Every detail, such as the table design, light source, wall color, and carpet material, is carefully considered and well combined with conference interaction so that participants can have fresh, unique, true, and face-to-face experiences.

TP3006 is a 3-screen system for 3 to 6 people

The Huawei TP3006 (hereinafter referred to as the TP3006) brings you with 1080p video experience. By using the TP3006, you can talk to people as if you were sitting face to face around a conference table. Through the specially designed sound field, you can identify from where the voice emanates, thus enjoying smooth communications. The TP3006 provides intelligent control functions and user-friendly designs so that you can communicate with total ease. The TP3006 can access the network through 4E1 and IP lines with superb network adaptability and telecom-level data backups, thus ensuring the security of your conference. By integrating multiple video systems, it presents true-to-life video effects.

TP3016 is a 3-screen system for 6 to 16 people with 2 rows of chairs.

Huawei Telepresence is standard based and fully interoperable with other standard based Telepresence and videoconferencing systems.

With telecom thinking in our blood, Huawei Telepresence is a carrier class solution. Huawei Telepresence server in one cabinet is able to support 170 3-screen Telepresence rooms, and the solution is IMS ready

For more information on Huawei: HUAWEI Telepresence at a glance

Solution Snapshot: Whygo Global Distribution Platform

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:53:34 -0500

The Whygo Multisite Booking System

Overview
Whygo, with operations in United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States and Australia, provides online and agent-assisted video conference booking and provisioning services for a network of over 2,500 public room video conferencing facilities & Telepresence facilities.

Whygo also has the only purpose built video scheduling system for private and public facilities. This allows enterprise users to schedule their own video conferencing & Telepresence facilities with live availability plus a network of over 2500+ public facilities. The best of both worlds combined.

Website
http://www.whygo.us
http://www.whygo.eu
http://www.whygo.asia

Access over 2500+ public video facilities.

Whygo boasts the largest public network of videoconferencing and Telepresence facilities worldwide. Over 1/3rd have live availability and instant confirmations and the rest are serviced 24 hrs by 4 global operation centers to ensure you get the fastest and most efficient response. Why wait for a response when you can book online and have your own private AND our public facilities scheduled in minutes.

Live availability of your video facilities.
Whygo can synchronize with most major calendar systems such as Outlook, iCal, Lotus Notes and all major mobile platforms in minutes.

Automate the lot!
When you confirm your conference, the WHYGO system can schedule bridges automatically. No development is needed. Just grant access and your new scheduling system will do the work. If you outsource your connections to a Managed Service Provider, just ask them to give you access.

Customers who make frequent bookings are supplied with a tailored and branded scheduling system that automates the booking process. Confirmations for automated locations are sent instantly. Infrequent customers have the choice of making a booking through the public website scheduling system or simply by email, phone or fax.

Solution Snapshot: Virtela Secure Video Extranet Service

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:59:22 -0500

Overview
Virtela Secure Video Extranet enables businesses to privately connect to video endpoints outside of their corporate perimeter to support telepresence and other videoconferencing applications with partners worldwide.

Key Features

Optimizes video calls between partners regardless of underlying carrier
Agnostic of telepresence or HD video endpoint in use
Set up and management of security policies between partners
Network access points worldwide for high performance regardless of location

Among carriers with telepresence-specific services, Virtela offers a high degree of differentiation through its approach to broadband redundancy and its unique access service methodology. The company's goal is to work with as many carriers and access technologies as customer demand requires. Supported services can be native Ethernet, legacy private line, frame relay, ATM, an MPLS Network-to-Network Interface (NNI), interconnection with a telepresence exchange service or IP VPN over the Internet. With the 24 x 7 supervision of the company's Global Operations Centers, carrier services are constantly monitored and the customers' connectivity and performance levels maintained at the highest levels.

Enabling a range of connectivity options is an advantage for the largest enterprise networks where the scale of operation is based on a business footprint that touches a huge geography, exceeding the coverage of any one access carrier. This same connectivity also provides access to the Virtela Enterprise Services Cloud (ESC) which is a unique delivery platform for providing virtualized network based services.

The Secure Video Extranet service is a specialty offering designed to enable inter-company telepresence and video conferencing service. Customers can leverage a mix of dedicated carrier-carrier NNI connections, connections to strategic inter-company telepresence exchanges or leverage IP VPN technologies for interconnectivity, enterprise network to enterprise network over the Internet.

Dedicated NNI services: Video-enable one or more enterprise video networks on a frequent basis for an extended period.

Exchange service interconnection: Typically require less notification to initiate, but once established can similarly enable extensive enterprise-enterprise telepresence communications.

IP VPN services: Designed to enable enterprise network to enterprise network interconnection over the Internet.

Solution Snapshot: Tata Communications Telepresence Services

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 15:54:31 -0500

Tata Communications Public Telepresence - Current & Planned Locations
Click to Expand

Overview
Tata Communications is the first carrier to offer a global network of public telepresence rooms for rent.

Website
http://www.TataCommunications.com/Telepresence

Features

Push-button simplicity

Web Portal & Reservation Agents

Connected to Corporate Cisco TelePresence Systems Globally

Partnerships with major travel management providers including: American Express Corporate Travel, Carlson Wagonlit, Sabre GetThere, Whygo Videoconferencing and others.

Public rooms will also be interoperable with traditional VC endpoints

Details
Tata Communications is the first carrier to offer public telepresence rooms for rent. Public Telepresence rooms are open to the general public and can be reserved by anyone for a pay-per use hourly rate, typically in the $500/hour range. They are accessible 7x24 and are proven as a cost-effective method for access to Cisco TelePresence high-definition immersive technology enabling higher quality collaboration across geographies.

When public rooms are combined with the Tata Communications Global Meeting Exchange service, enterprises that use Cisco TelePresence equipment can meet with customers, partners or colleagues using Tata public rooms. The exchange service enables greater utility for both the public room operations and for enterprises also invested in Cisco TelePresence technologies.

A Publicly Available Tata / Cisco TelePresence System in a Meeting

Tata Communications began public room service in India in July 2008 and currently have 30 public Telepresence rooms with their community of partners globally. - India : Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Gurgaon; North America : Boston, Chicago, New York City, Santa Clara and Toronto; Europe : London and Paris; Asia Pacific : Manila, Singapore and Sydney; and Johannesburg, South Africa. They plan to open another 25 rooms by the end of 2010 in major business centers as well as emerging markets.

With a network of 30 international locations currently available, Tata's aggressive global expansion plans are encouraged through their unique telepresence relationships with global travel management companies Carlson Wagonlit, AMEX Travel Services and Sabre GetThere, as well as other domestic travel management companies.

The User Experience
Customers can easily book a meeting at any of the public Telepresence rooms on the Tata Communications through the Tata Communications Web Portal. Alternatively, reservations can be done via telephone to the VNOC (USA 1 866 614 7046, UK 800 4569 7647, India 800 100 3430, Elsewhere +1 312 646 7620) or email to the VNOC. Tata also introduced e-commerce functionality on its Telepresence reservations portal.

Solution Snapshot: Vidyo Router

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:43:36 -0500

Overview
Vidyo makes natural video communication available to everyone--from the office, home or while traveling--over general purpose IP networks, including the Internet. Vidyo has made telepresence-quality video conferences easy and affordable on PCs, Macs and HD room systems.

Key Features

Enables every end point to perform up to its potential without impacting others in the conference
Provides industry leading network error resiliency leveraging H.264 SVC standard
Imperceptible delay (<20msec introduced to media streams)
No transcoding - no video or audio quality loss
Great quality over the Internet and wireless networks
Highly scalable - 100 concurrent HD multipoint VidyoLines per stackable VidyoRouter
Floating VidyoLine licenses - economical global deployment and redundancy
Easy to deploy and scale - hours, not days

The Vidyo Router
At the heart of the VidyoConferencing system is the VidyoRouter appliance, a new paradigm for multi-party conferencing, that eliminates the need for the Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) required in traditional video conferencing systems. The VidyoRouter is the keystone in this major architectural change for videoconferencing.

VidyoConferencing was designed for general purpose IP networks. Encoding and decoding occurs only at the endpoints -- leaving just video packet routing to be accomplished within the network itself. Vidyo's intelligent VidyoRouter ensures that this packet-switching is handled with optimal efficiency -- without either degrading the quality of the video or adding noticeable latency, yet it delivers rate matched and resolution matched streams to each endpoint while providing industry leading network error resiliency - key to leveraging the public Internet and wireless networks to make visual communication work wherever you do.

The VidyoRouter significantly improves network utilization efficiency by sending along only as many packets as an endpoint is capable of handling, depending on limitations in bandwidth, processing power and screen resolution. And because the amount of processing power and bandwidth available is dynamic, the VidyoRouter constantly tests and recalibrates what it should be sending to each endpoint, ensuring that each endpoint is provided with the highest quality video it's capable of receiving -- even as local conditions change from one moment to the next.

Each VidyoRouter supports up to 100 HD 1080p VidyoLines. A VidyoLine is a shared resource that enables any VidyoDesktop user to participate in a point to point or multipoint Vidyo conference.

Since VidyoRooms and legacy endpoints connected through the VidyoGateway do not consume VidyoLine licenses, purchasing and provisioning a VidyoConferencing system is easy and affordable - however many VidyoDesktop users you need to concurrently participate in calls is the number of VidyoLine licenses you need. It's that simple.

Since all VidyoLines can be managed by a single VidyoPortal, VidyoLines can reside together on one VidyoRouter or - to optimize user experience and performance - VidyoLines can "float" among multiple VidyoRouters that reside at different geographical locations, providing both redundancy and improving performance by utilizing VidyoRouters nearest the participants. Given that endpoints can produce a variety of different resolutions, quality and frame rate combinations, the VidyoRouter ensures a video experience of consistent quality that is free of blurry images and broken pictures.

Solution Snapshot: Haivision Furnace

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:09:10 -0500

Overview

The Haivision Furnace IP Video System distributes, records, and provides on-demand IP video content to users across corporate networks.

Key Features

Can take multiple streams of encoded content and give users access to the live content from any PC.

Record multiple IP video streams and give access to those streams on-demand to any user.

The Haivision Furnace can take multiple streams of encoded content and give users access to the live content from any PC. Additionally, the Furnace can record multiple IP video streams and give access to those streams on-demand to any user. Recording and streaming systems enhance distance learning and company meeting environments to overcome the barriers of time, distance and bandwidth.

Haivision's Furnace combined with their Makito performance encoders, Stingray set top boxes, and the freely available InStream player delivers a coordinated enterprise-wide end-to-end architecture. Furthermore, the Furnace incorporates simple operational processes to record and stream any number of assets in multicast/broadcast sessions for large audiences or in a unicast configuration for the anytime on-demand sessions.
The Haivision Makito encoders capture the video session(s) to be recorded and distributed at the source. It encodes HD H.264 streams with resolutions up to 1080p60 and a latency of under 70 milliseconds.The Furnace then coordinates video storage, security settings and playback administration services from a central position in the enterprise network.
The power of the Furnace is that the implementation is optimized for IP video. No unusual wiring requirement, only Ethernet. No special client software - only urls representing the location and properties of each asset.

Today, the Furnace has evolved and gone a step further in providing "intelligent" IP video that allows for editing, tagging, and bookmarking with HotMarks (real-time user generated meta data).

InStream player
The InStream player is a "zero-footprint" client server player technology that requires no installation on any computer and works across all common platforms, thus reducing burden from IT staff. By going to a simple web link, authenticated users can view video anywhere, anytime. InStream also offers a highly scalable approach as it easily accommodates a growing user base.