SAN JOSE, CA-Cisco recently released its TelePresence Meeting solution, a videoconferencing product that is designed to combine the intelligence of the network with the simplicity of a telephone interface.
The Cisco TelePresence Meeting solution uses high definition 1080p video, wideband spatial audio, low latency, with an inclusive environmental design.
Setting up meetings involves a calendar invitation via Microsoft Outlook and Cisco Unified CallManager 5.1. Users can launch a Cisco TelePresence call on a Cisco IP phone or dial in like a regular phone call.
The TelePresence Meeting is Cisco's first venture into the videoconference market, but they will find themselves among several other companies. Teliris CEO Marc Trachtenberg commented on Cisco's new product, noting that Teliris released its first videoconferencing product four years ago. "While Cisco will have its place in the videoconferencing market, its system is clearly a first-generation product offering with significant compromises and limitations. The Cisco videoconferencing product is offered at the same buying price point as our fourth-generation telepresence solution, but fails to deliver the service and high quality."
Steve Huey, chief marketing officer of Polycom, also commented. "Any time new competition comes into the marketplace with magnitude like Cisco, you pay attention. But we think that Cisco seeing video as the next mainstream, business critical application for global companies is a good thing. The announcement will grow the marketplace and give it better exposure, and we will capitalize on that."
LifeSize Room, developed by LifeSize, is significantly less expensive than Cisco's TelePresence Meeting. LifeSize CEO Craig Malloy explained, "In my view this announcement is a wonderful thing for the video communication business because it validates what we're doing is important. And Cisco has an opportunity to transform the market the way they did with voice over IP, but their price point is going to help us sell a lot of systems. The market of people that will spend that much on a conference system is very small."
