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LifeSize Ignites High Definition Fire – LifeSize Express (2 Pages)
If you think product pricing is a major issue for video conferencing buyers (which our research suggests is still true), then you have to believe that this announcement from LifeSize could be not just a major milestone in the company’s history, but also the most significant product announcement in the videoconferencing industry since the ViewStation announcement of long ago (1997).
Simply put: LifeSize Express is a full HD videoconferencing system with support for 30 fps, 1280x720p resolution, H.239, and complete with HD PTZ camera and MicPod microphone, for an astonishing and very affordable MSRP of $5,999. Yes indeed, high definition videoconferencing for under $6K list. Whatever one’s justification has been for not moving up to HD, it’s undoubtedly time to start looking for new excuses.
HD Videoconferencing – Three Leading Contenders Face Off (62 Pages)
High definition (often referred to as 720p) videoconferencing products started shipping in December 2005 when LifeSize began delivery of its first product, LifeSize Room. By the end of that year, market leaders Tandberg and Polycom had also announced HD capabilities, and Sony started actively demonstrating the PCS-G90, an HD-only video system targeting the broadcast industry.
With high definition (HD) videoconferencing systems, the improvement in video quality over standard definition (SD) videoconferencing can be quite dramatic since HD carries more than 9x the pixel count of standard CIF videoconferencing images. The HD videoconferencing systems in the market today offer a wide range of price and functionality. To separate fact from fiction, Wainhouse Research put three leading HD video systems (LifeSize Room, Polycom HDX 9002, and Tandberg 6000 MXP) through a series of subjective, side-by-side
comparisons and tests. Key areas of focus included:
l Differences (if discernible) in image quality and sound fidelity
l Interoperability between HD and SD systems from different vendors
l Capabilities, feature-set, and usability of each solution
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