Telepresence Options - Main News Content Channel

Teliris Express Added to the Solution Snapshot Catalog

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:42:54 -0500

We have added another Telepresence System, the Teliris Express Telepresence System, to the Solution Snapshot Catalog. You can receive new Solution Snapshots as they are published by subscribing to our RSS Feed or via e-mail. All the Solution Snapshots will be published in the upcoming hard copy Telepresence Options Yearbook which you can receive for free by subscribing here.

Overview: Teliris Express Telepresence is a cost-effective telepresence solution designed for regional locations and smaller dual-purpose conference rooms. The portfolio includes three, two, or one screen solutions that fit into any existing conference room, with no build-out required, and accommodates up to 12 participants. Teliris Express Telepresence, an immersive three screen solution, retails for $135K - over 55% less than many competing systems!

The solution features broadcast quality, HD video at 30/60 frames per second, unique 65-inch HD displays, pod microphones, advanced audio processing, and is compatible with Teliris' collaboration options for ultimate flexibility. Teliris Express Telepresence supports self-start and assisted-start via Teliris' end-to-end managed service.

All Teliris Telepresence solutions are based on its newly released 6G platform, a lightweight standards-based, client server software architecture enabled by next-generation robust video protocols, an advanced telepresence logic engine and low cost general purpose hardware. The platform extends telepresence affordably to far-reaching locations anywhere in the world by radically reducing both bandwidth costs and network complexity. Through the use of general purpose networks, Teliris' 6G Telepresence eliminates the need for engineered CoS-heavy networks which have historically accounted for 40% of the cost of telepresence. The platform features advanced rate adaption and error concealment technologies that dynamically manage frame rate, resolution, image quality and bandwidth to ensure that the experience at each endpoint is independently adjusted as network conditions vary. Teliris 6G Telepresence, for the first time, extends the telepresence experience from the boardroom to the desktop - delivering unmatched eyelines, roundtable multipoint experience, flexibility, reliability and interoperability and removes the barriers that have traditionally restrained telepresence from widespread adoption.

UK Videoconferencing Integrator Videonations Creates Telepresence Environment Based on the LifeSize Conference System

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:25:23 -0500

UK Videoconferencing Integrator Videonations has been marketing its less expensive version of a Telepresence suite as Videopresence, 'The Versatile Telepresence Solution' since 1 May 2009.

Videopresence(TM) delivers 720p 60 fps or 1080p High Definition video communications over IP on the raw Internet using the LifeSize Telepresence engine and a connectivity solution from leading British telecom provider Fluidata.

As shown in the picture above, there are three thin bezel screens with little separation between them. There is spatial surround sound to ensure sound clearly comes from the person speaking. And most significant, connectivity for the three screens and a data channel requires only 6.5 Mbs of bandwidth.

The Videopresence(TM) suite is delivered with integrated table, chairs and immersive decor but it can be fitted into a any standard room from 4m2. That is why it is called versatile. The cost installed and set up to run is about GBP 100,000 at each location. That is why we say it is less expensive than other solutions.

Videonations has set up demonstration suites in London and Manchester for interested parties to receive a live demonstration. This can be booked online at www.videonations.com.

Numerous potential customers (a mix of national and multinational companies) have experienced these live demos; all were impressed with the Videopresence(TM) quality versus Telepresence suites from Cisco, Polycom and TANDBERG according to Ian Carter, Managing Director at Videonations.

He told us: "Videonations is the only partner of LifeSize in Europe to have Telepresence demonstration facilities in two distinct locations - Manchester and London. Plans for a New York suite are currently underway." Andreas Wienold, director of EMEA sales at LifeSize, confirmed this to your editor at the AV in the City and Telepresence show in May 2009.

Since Videopresence(TM) can use the public Internet, to implement the Videonations solution does not require the customer to have QOS enabled MPLS private networks - unlike other Telepresence suites available on the market.

Adrian Hancock, Technical Director at Videonations states "We developed this product to provide an immersive Telepresence experience using standards-based technologies in order to extend Telepresence to middle-managers and the like. Increased utilisation significantly reduces travel and associated carbon costs thus improving Return on Investment."

Piers Daniel, Managing Director of Fluidata states "Videopresence(TM) represents a telecom first for the industry, by creating an effective yet versatile video conferencing solution which runs via the Internet, rather than relying on expensive private networks as do Cisco's 'Telepresence' and HP's 'Halo'."

If the owner wants to have simple high definition videoconferencing, Videopresence™ transforms into a normal HD videoconferencing system at the touch of a button. This easy-to-use LifeSize HD videoconferencing solution delivers a 4-way multi-site meeting via an embedded touch screen or as a fully managed service operated by Videonations.

Established in 2001, Videonations Limited is an independent and innovative videoconferencing, Telepresence and VoIP value added reseller (VAR) with Manchester and London demonstration facilities. Its clients and customers range from small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to multinationals in both commercial and public sectors. Videonations offers a single point of contact for supply, service and support.

Fluidata is an Independent Telecommunications Carrier, exploiting multiple wholesale connections to provide a wide range of products and services to best suit the needs of each client. Fluidata operates its own network which interconnects with its carriers.

Fluidata operates a redundant multi-site core network out of London with multiple points of presence at the Redbus Datacentres, as well as Telehouse North and London Hosting Centre. These are interconnected on a redundant 10 Gb/s fibre ring. Fluidata is planning a new PoP outside central London for added redundancy.

We intend to watch this exciting newcomer very closely, as Videonations promises to implement multisite Telepresence without an MCU in the near future.

Interested parteies can register their interest at: Videopresence@videonations.com

AT&T, BT and Tata Demonstrate Industry's First Cisco TelePresence Call Across Multiple Carrier Networks

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:52:04 -0500

Significant Milestone Achieved in Developing Global Public Cisco TelePresence Network

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 1, 2009 - AT&T, BT, and Tata Communications, today took a significant step forward to deliver Cisco TelePresence (TM) services globally, by conducting the industry's first multipoint, intercompany Cisco TelePresence meeting across multiple carrier networks. AT&T, BT and Tata, together with Cisco, demonstrated the technical ability for a Cisco TelePresence user to call others on any carrier network with high levels of security and reliability.

Highlights / Key Facts:

* Inter-carrier intercompany services have the potential to allow Cisco TelePresence users to call one another across participating networks, reliably and with high levels of security.

* The demonstration at Cisco Live 2009 consists of inter-carrier Cisco TelePresence connections between the following sites on AT&T, BT, and Tata Communication's networks:

* AT&T Telepresence Solution sites in Bedminster and Morristown, N.J., and Chicago, Ill.

* A BT site in Colorado Springs, Colo.

* A Cisco site at Cisco Live in San Francisco

* Tata sites in Boston and London

* This demonstration is another key step in Cisco's strategy to bring Cisco TelePresence to everyone, everywhere. It comes on the heels of recent announcements including Cisco TelePresence Extended Reach for one-screen systems over T-1 speeds, HD video conferencing interoperability, and Cisco WebExTM video interoperability.

* More than 350 organizations have selected Cisco TelePresence for more than 2,300 rooms to improve collaboration and productivity and accelerate business decisions. Cisco TelePresence is one of the fastest-growing emerging technologies.

* Cisco has also installed more than 500 Cisco TelePresence rooms on its own internal network for greater productivity and effective collaboration.

Executive Quotes:

* Marthin De Beer, senior vice president, Emerging Technologies Group, Cisco

"Today's demonstration marks a significant milestone for Cisco's service provider partners and our customers. With inter-carrier intercompany Cisco TelePresence, we're extending the power of video communications and collaboration across network service providers to bring people a new visual experience that's as easy as making a phone call."

* Bill Archer, chief marketing officer, AT&T Business Solutions

"Inter-carrier connectivity is the next step in building out telepresence for improved collaboration for businesses throughout the world. With the AT&T Telepresence Solution we are providing companies today with the ability to interact with customers or other key businesses in a highly-secure environment. Looking to the future, AT&T is committed to working with other network service providers to bring this proof of concept to market as soon as possible."

* Jeff Prestel, general manager, Video Business Unit, BT Conferencing

"To drive the ultimate value from telepresence services, enterprises need to be able to collaborate with colleagues, partners and customers, regardless of their network provider. We are delighted to participate with Cisco to help empower our customers to experience the versatile, easy-to-use and reliable communications of the future and to enable customers to maximize the return on their TelePresence investment."

* Peter Quinlan, director, Managed Telepresence Services, Tata Communications

"This proof of concept with AT&T and BT showcases how Tata Communications will conveniently support B2B sessions among any connected private and public Cisco TelePresence rooms, on the Tata Communications global network and also inter-carrier. This pioneering global service pushes managed telepresence from being a private intra-company experience to an open inter-company experience able to bring together the full ecosystem of employees, partners, customers and prospects. This open intercarrier B2B capability enriches Tata Communications' comprehensive approach to managed Telepresence services."

Human Productivity Lab FLASHBACK - From Telepresence, Effective Visual Collaboration, and the Future of Global Business at the Speed of Light - Published August 2006

--The Future of Telepresence and Effective Visual Collaboration - Page 33

The Interconnection of Effective Visual Collaboration Networks

Making logical and physical connections while maintaining an acceptable quality of service across multiple high-bandwidth IP networks is a difficult undertaking . . . at least for now. Technical challenges aside, some solution vendors will resist the interconnection of telepresence and effective visual collaboration networks. Vendors will seek to leverage the value of connecting to the businesses, publicly available locations and content headends on their own network by closing it to all but paying customers. This will not last long. Their own customers will demand connection between networks, making interconnection the future of effective visual collaboration.

Magor Communications Launches HD Meeting Room at InfoComm

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:36:59 -0500

Wainhouse Research scooped us on Magor Communication's launch of their HD Meeting Room at InfoComm in the last edition of the Wainhouse Research Bulletin. I am disappointed that I didn't get to check it out while I was in Orlando for the show. Here is Wainhouse's summary of the company and offering:

"Magor, a Terry Mathews-backed Canadian company, introduced a line of "telecollaboration systems" at the show. What the company really ships is a "telepresence" software kit supporting 1080p H.264 video and running on commercial, off-the-shelf hardware. Channel partners put it all together for customers, a business model followed by at least two other players in this space. Magor has signed up industry veterans HB Communications as a North American reseller, and Saudi Delta Company for the Saudi market. We got a quick demo of the system at InfoComm. The design appears to be very focused on collaboration, and the interface is on the techie side, more like a traditional videoconferencing system than a 2009 "telepresence" system (in our opinion). Magor claims to require less bandwidth than competitors and that their solutions do not require expensive, dedicated network services. One interesting tidbit: the cameras are located near the bottom of the screens for improved eye contact."

The HD Office includes:

    * Two 1080p HD displays, one or two HD cameras and support components
    * A convenient corner-mount integrated cabinet and mounting frame

The HD Meeting Room includes:

    * Three 1080p HD displays, two or three HD cameras and support components
    * Optional corner or flat wall integrated cabinet and mounting frame

Communications and Control

    * Operates in a best effort packet-based IP communications environment
    * SIP protocol used for call set-up and media negotiation
    * Call initiation and session control using integrated Graphical User Interface or adjunct control telephone
    * Session lock/unlock to limit conference participation

Video services

    * Point-to-point or point-to-multipoint high definition video connections featuring
    * True high definition cameras supplying 1920x1080 pixel images at 30 frames per second (FPS)
    * Enhanced H.264 encoding ensures uniform network load with a nominal transmission bandwidth requirement of 2.5 Mb/s per endpoint
    * Continuous, automatic adjustment of video encoder operating parameters as network conditions vary
    * Video quality indicator

Audio services

    * Dedicated control telephone for (optional) quick call set-up and standard telephony-band audio
    * Enhanced audio capabilities supported by an Ethernet-attached Audio Table-top Unit (ATU)
    * Traditional speaker phone operation with acoustic echo cancellation (ATU)
    * Wideband (100 Hz - 7500 Hz) audio (ATU)
    * Six integral beam-forming microphones (ATU)
    * Audio output directed to an integral mono speaker in the ATU or wall-mounted stereo speakers
    * Spatial audio associates the speaker's voice with their position on the HD screen
    * Integral audio bridge allows dial-in particpants to join the meeting
    * Direct connection to the adjunct voice network via SIP trunk or digital SIP gateway

Collaboration services

    * Instant drag-and-drop sharing of computer desktops (any mix or number of PC's or Mac's) through system Graphical User Interface
    * Pre-configured resource list or browser-based quick connect ("Webshare")
    * Content displayed on the local video screen can remain private or can be selectively "published" to remote screens
    * Control over interaction mode allows remote participants to modify shared materials or only view content and drive the presentation

Teliris Releases 6th Generation Telepresence Platform, New CODEC, New Endpoints, New Infrastructure, New Customers

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:20:48 -0500

You don't hear a lot from Teliris on a day to day basis. They do not publish press releases on every deal they win, or every incremental improvements in their product and while the general business press is covering their much larger competitors because of their size relative to the economy as a whole (and/or their marketing & PR muscle) Teliris tends to stay off the media radar. They tend to save up their news and drop big bombs a couple of times a year with InfoComm being their favorite target.
2009 is no different. This year the company with half a decade head start on Cisco, HP, Polycom, and TANDBERG in the telepresence game has proven again what persistent, practical, focused research and development can do for you. Oh yeah... $51MM in venture capital over the past couple of years hasn't hurt either.

The $135,000 Three Screen Teliris Express Modular Group Telepresence System

An oft-repeated knock against Teliris use to be that they were a sophisticated systems integrator cobbling together the best components on the market and then tying them together with their own managed services and network. This might have been true 3 years ago but with today's announcements added to a consistent track record of innovative R&D since they received their first $40MM in venture capital from Columbia Capital and Fidelity Investments in February of 2007, CEO Marc Trachtenberg and EVP R&D Steve Gage have proven that they can develop their own technology, skillfully integrate the technology of others, and out-innovate the big boys.

The big announcement is that Teliris has developed their own codec platform. The platform is capable of 1080p, 60 frames per second and is so forgiving with respect to jitter (<40 ms) and packet-loss (<.2%) that it can work acceptably on lower cost, best-effort networks without quality-of-service vs. the higher cost true Quality-of-Service (QoS) networks demanded of other telepresence solutions. These are quality thresholds where other telepresence systems/video codecs will drop or terminate a call. The platform is built around the general purpose Intel I7 processor and licenses many of the standard-based audio & video codecs including Vidyo's version of H.264/SVC which gives the new platform its superb tolerance for jitter and packet-loss.

The Teliris Video CODEC platform transmits multiple video streams of varying quality. The Decoder will subscribe to the highest quality streams that its bandwidth and processing power will support. If network quality is degraded then the decoder will adjust by reducing the video layers it is receiving vs. dropping the call. When network conditions improve then the decoder will automatically begin processing more layers to decode the highest quality streams possible.

The New Teliris Multipoint Reflector - Video Network Infrastructure

The Teliris Multipoint Reflector is a rate-adaptive video switch built on the Vidyo Router platform which means it is a piece of video network infrastructure that handles many of the same functions as a traditional telepresence/videoconferencing Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) or similar piece of video network infrastructure. The difference is that the switch doesn't have to computationally process multiple video streams to deliver multipoint calls but acts more like a traffic cop controlling streams between multiple Teliris endpoints. The switch dynamically manages frame rates, resolution, and screen layout among multiple sites where bandwidth might dictate differing qualities and connections with the Teliris Telepresence Gateway which connects Teliris Telepresence systems to other vendor's standards-based telepresence and videoconferencing end-points. Because the switch does not have to perform computationally challenging work the Reflector doesn't require the same processing power (and attendant costs) as an MCU which leads to dramatically lower costs per port and the ability to do multi-point without the latency associated with intermediary hardware.

Most interestingly the switch can be set up to redirect traffic outside of the corporate firewall which means that firewall policy can be set to allow video traffic to and from the switch which then redirects traffic to/from end-points in other companies. I.E. You can conduct inter-company telepresence sessions without having to reconfigure firewall policy each and everytime you want to connect to a new business partner, customer, or vendor.

The system is controlled by Teliris' Dynamic Scenario Manager (DSM) which understand the geometry of both Teliris telepresence systems and the telepresence systems of other vendors. The Teliris DSM also manages scheduling/resources and allows Teliris to establish the right room geometry to connect together disparate systems from disparate vendors I.E. What is the optimal way to connect a 4 screen Teliris VirtuaLive System with a camera over each screen with a 2 screen Polycom RPX with a center mounted camera array?

Teliris Express - New Modular Telepresence Systems
Better Form Factors & Lower Prices

Teliris has re-engineered Teliris Express Telepresence, the company's line of modular telepresence offerings that is comparable in form factor to modular group and small group systems including Cisco TelePresence 1000, 1300, & 3000, & 3200 the LifeSize Conference 200, the Polycom TPX, and TANDBERG T1 & T3, and Telanetix Digital Presence. The new systems have 70% less equipment than their predecessors which has cut the install time down to five days for a three screen system. Teliris VirtuaLive Telepresence the company's flagship system which addresses acoustics, lighting, and environmental consistency has been upgraded as well. All the new systems have been engineered to be easily serviceable and upgradable. All the electronic components have been productized into removable expansion packs. Each system can hold between 2-6 expansion packs which means that Teliris can easily upgrade customers to new capabilities by updating features of an existing expansion pack via remote software updates, adding a pack, or can repair a system by easily swapping out a pack if there is a problem with a component.

Version 2.0 of the InterACT TouchTable and InterACT Easel

Teliris also rolled out the next version of their InterACT TouchTable and InterACT Easel. Some of the new features include: Introduction of blank documents to be used as paperboards and flipcharts, Annotation support for all documents, snapshot feature for all the documents, providing pictures of the captured areas that can be manipulated as any other document, Video stream support to use webcams and other capture devices, including views to other computers, Shade feature to quickly hide a document on the table, Redesigned document menu with the new features, Metadata management for the documents, including saves for the annotations and future business logic data, Multitouch file manager enabling the exploration of multi-folder structures, copy, renaming, drag and drop between different folders and multiple layouts (horizontal, vertical and grid) among others.

The New Teliris NanoPersonal Telepresence- Desktop Video Appliance

Artist Rendering of the upcoming Teliris NanoPersonal with a 22 inch screen

Teliris also announced a new desktop executive system that compliments its group and small group telepresence line up. The Teliris NanoPersonal features a 22 inch screen, broadcast quality HD video at 720p / 30 frames per second, and a $7,995 price point. The system is fully compatible with the other Teliris telepresence offerings and inter-operates with other standards-based telepresence and videoconferencing systems through the Teliris Telepresence Gateway. I saw a prototype operating with a pro-sumer Logitech camera at InfoComm connected to Teliris telepresence room systems and the quality was excellent.

Human Productivity Lab President Howard Lichtman's
Thoughts and Analysis

I must confess that 3 years ago when HP, Cisco, and Polycom entered the telepresence market I thought Teliris was going to get squashed like a bug. I thought the big boys would outspend them on R&D, sales and marketing, demonstration capabilities, and everything in-between leaving Teliris nursing the bruises attained when Fortune 1000 trucks run over your small privately held company. Three years and $51MM dollars in venture capital later they have not only survived but thrived convincing me that every dollar spent by a start up equals $2-3 dollars spent by larger bureaucratic organizations.

There are two major developments here:

1. Teliris has dropped the price point for HD three-screen continuous presence group telepresence systems down to $135,000 in a market where the majority of the competition is substantially higher.

Teliris Express3 vs. other three-screen continuous presence group systems

The three screen continuous presence group system is the lion's share of the *true* telepresence market for a number of reasons:

You can get an entire executive team and/or project team into the six seats.

You can do continuous presence telepresence multi-point (lifesize humans on each screen) with multiple locations I.E. two people from city A on screen #1, two people from city B on screen#2, etc.

Inter-operability among competitive telepresence systems with respect to room geometry, spatial audio, call control, etc. is coming to three screen group telepresence systems first.

So having an HD, 60fps platform at $135K is a substantial cost savings vs. the competiton BUT that is only 1/2 the story:

2. The new Teliris codec platform is the first commercial implementation of Vidyo's H.264 SVC codec SDK in the three screen group telepresence system market. The company has other telepresence providers using the technology (DVE, WBS Connect, and Vidyo won "Best of Show" at IT Expo in September) but this marks the first implementation of the technology in a multi-screen implementation. The significance is that the Teliris/Vidyo codec dramatically reduces the cost of bandwidth required to support three screen group telepresence systems. For companies that are deploying private network to support telepresence applications the cost of bandwidth can be as costly or even more costly over three years than the cost of the system. Because the new codec requires less bandwidth and can operate over lossy networks requiring no QoS, Teliris represents a cost savings of between 33% to 50% in bandwidth.

Cons / Wishlist

One of my stock lines is that telepresence is a science of trade-offs and while the new Teliris platform is cost-effective the picture quality, color, and motion-handling of their old three-chip HD cameras was much better than the new single chip cameras that have helped get the cost down. Teliris says you can still get the three-chip cameras as an option and I believe the price difference is worth it for the companies with the budget. Even though Teliris redesigned the Teliris Express Telepresence line they still kept the cameras visible (one of my telepresence pet peeves as humans tend to behave differently in front of a visible camera). Finally, my usual lament at the launch of each new three screen, flat panel telepresence system: When is someone going to get us out of the box and develop a cost-effective, seamless, panoramic, immersive experience similar to the 400 Series Polycom RPX or the Digital Video Enterprises Tele-Immersion Room. To CEO Marc Trachtenberg's credit he says he has it in the pipeline for 2010--codename: Hercules.

About the Author
Howard Lichtman is the President of the Human Productivity Lab, an independent consultancy focused on telepresence and effective visual collaboration for organizations looking to improve productivity and reduce costs. The Lab provides corporate clients with acquisition consulting, RFI/RFP creation, and ROI/TCO financial modeling on telepresence systems, telepresence managed services, and inter-networking telepresence. The Lab also provides investors with prescient insight into the rapidly growing telepresence industry. Mr. Lichtman is also the publisher of Telepresence Options, the #1 website on the internet covering telepresence technologies.

Interested in more information on Teliris or H.264 SVC? We are launching a new newsletter in July The Telepresence Investor focused on the investment opportunities in the telepresence industry and the impact that technologies advances like H.264 SVC will have on established players. Our first issue will include the results of our comprehensive testing of the new Teliris 6th Generation Platform as well as Howard Lichtman's analysis of the the most promising companies in the telepresence industry and the impact of H.264 on established telepresence vendors and network providers. Please contact Stu Gold at Stu@HumanProductivityLab.com for pricing and subscription information.

The Telepresence Options Telegraph - InfoComm Edition

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 01:26:35 -0500

We have just published the June issue of the Telepresence Options Telegraph, our newsletter that covers telepresence technologies and the telepresence industry. We have moved from an HTML newsletter to a downloadable PDF which we believe makes for a more exciting and visually impactful publication. It also has greatly simplified the production of the newsletter so you can expect to see the Telegraph published on a more regular basis. You can subscribe to the Telepresence Options Telegraph Here: http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/syndication/

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TELEGRAPH AS A PDF

The June issue features:

A preview of all the telepresence related happening at InfoComm 2009 next week in Orlando.
New Solution Snapshots

Teliris InterACT Collaboration Options
Cisco TelePresence System 3000
Cisco TelePresence System 1000

Telepresence in the News
Telepresence Industry Press Releases
The Advanced Enterprise Video Panel @ the Telx Customer Business Exchange on June 25th
Odds & Sods

BT Conferencing
Cisco & Draper Fisher Jurveston
Tata Communications
Virtela

Telepresence People
Telepresence Industry Professionals

You can subscribe to the Telepresence Options Telegraph Here: http://www.telepresenceoptions.com/syndication/

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE TELEGRAPH AS A PDF

Solution Snapshot: Cisco Telepresence System 1000

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:20:30 -0500

We continue to add to our Solution Snapshots Catalog of the leading telepresence systems, managed service providers, and inter-networking solutions. These detailed Solution Snapshots feature important information for those evaluating their Telepresence Options including: minimum bandwidth required, minimum space required, and inter-operability information. Solution Snapshots feature information not found any place else on the internet including top-down floorplans showing minimum space required for each telepresence system for architects, engineers and facility professionals trying to determine the best location to deploy telepresence environments. You can received new Solution Snapshots as they are published by subscribing to our RSS Feed or via e-mail. All the Solution Snapshots will be published in the upcoming hard copy Telepresence Options Yearbook which you can receive for free by subscribing here.

Overview: The Cisco TelePresence System 1000 (CTS 1000) is a modular small group telepresence system that can display two life-size primary participants. The system features ultra high definition 1080p video, a 65" high definition plasma screen display, CD-quality audio, and collaborative tools for sharing data. When connected with the company's flagship Cisco TelePresence System 3000 (CTS 3000) the CTS 1000 participants are displayed on one of CTS 3000's screens the same size as participants connected via another CTS 3000 with the same directional audio and collaborative capabilities.

Solution Snapshot: Cisco TelePresence System 3000

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:58:15 -0500

We continue to add to our Solution Snapshots Catalog of the leading telepresence systems, managed service providers, and inter-networking solutions. These detailed Solution Snapshots feature important information for those evaluating their Telepresence Options including: minimum bandwidth required, minimum space required, and inter-operability information. Solution Snapshots feature information not found any place else on the internet including top-down floorplans showing minimum space required for each telepresence system for architects, engineers and facility professionals trying to determine the best location to deploy telepresence environments. You can received new Solution Snapshots as they are published by subscribing to our RSS Feed or via e-mail. All the Solution Snapshots will be published in the upcoming hard copy Telepresence Options Yearbook which you can receive for free by subscribing here.

Overview: A modular telepresence group system, accommodating up to 6 participants per room creating a virtual table for 12 participants when connected to another Cisco TelePresence System 3000 (CTS 3000). The system features ultra high definition 1080p video delivered to three 65" plasma screens. Multi-channel CD-quality spatial audio comes from the direction of the remote participant that is speaking. This system will fit into an existing space with a minimum amount of make-ready and features an integrated table, lighting, microphone, and camera all optimized for the environment. Calls can be scheduled using groupware applications such as MS Outlook and Lotus Notes and then launched with the push of a button or launched ad-hoc by dialing another room's phone number from a handset in the room.

DVE Executive Telepresence System Added to the Solution Snapshot Catalog

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:26:10 -0500

We have added another Telepresence System, the Digital Video Enterprises Executive Telepresence System, to the Solution Snapshot Catalog. You can receive new Solution Snapshots as they are published by subscribing to our RSS Feed or via e-mail. All the Solution Snapshots will be published in the upcoming hard copy Telepresence Options Yearbook which you can receive for free by subscribing here.

Overview: DVE's Executive Telepresence System (ETS) is the culmination of more than a decade's effort in creating the world's best conferencing systems. Unlike web cameras and common videophones, the ETS delivers an amazingly realistic and natural experience. The ETS provides real-size images of people in high definition appearing to be sitting on the other side of your desk. The patented display, included with the ETS, ingeniously hides the HD camera behind the image so that perfect eye contact can be experienced among the participants. Legacy conferencing systems from other providers have a camera mounted on top of the display screen which creates the impression that people are looking down. The ETS also delivers the highest quality video and audio. Codecs, microphones and cameras from other vendors such as Life-Size, Polycom and Tandberg easily integrate into the ETS substantially improving their real world performance and increases user satisfaction.

Solution Snapshot: Teliris InterACT Collaboration Options

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:21:27 -0500

We are continuing our detailed Solution Snapshots on the leading telepresence systems, managed service providers, and inter-networking solutions. These detailed Solution Snapshots feature important information for those evaluating their Telepresence Options including: minimum bandwidth required, minimum space required, and inter-operability information. Solution Snapshots feature information not found any place else on the internet including top-down floorplans showing minimum space required for each telepresence system for architects, engineers and facility professionals trying to determine the best location to deploy telepresence environments. You can received new Solution Snapshots as they are published by subscribing to our RSS Feed or via e-mail. All the Solution Snapshots will be published in the upcoming hard copy Telepresence Options Yearbook which you can receive for free by subscribing here.

Overview: Teliris InterACT Collaborative Options are a suite of natural, intuitive easy to use collaborative tools that allow participants to act as if they were in the same meeting room , complimenting telepresence which makes participants feel as if they are in the same room, The Teliris InterACT Collaboration portfolio follows common architecture principles developed by Teliris that defines surface, location, content, and user persona. Physical-to-digital and digital-to-physical transferal capabilities integrate the two separate worlds of content. The content, in turn, is independent from the underlying display surface and - of course - location. Teliris InterACT Collaboration Options are available in a wide variety of formats and features to align with wide variety of customer use cases and all are multipoint-enabled to allow the experience to extend to any number of locations.

The tools include:

The Teliris InterACT TouchTable is the only commercially available multi-touch computing environments for telepresence and allow users, for the first time, to share content naturally over distance. The multi-touch virtual table understands participant gestures and supports a wide variety of content including video, text, photos and audio files, without using keyboard or mouse.