Which system for the job?

[turbo]

Hi honourable vc folk. I am setting up a small vc facility. It will have to be able to hold up to 6 people, but mainly 1-2. It will also contain document camera, two monitors and laptops could be connected for presentations.

It should be able to connect to as many vc facilities around the world as possible (usually one at the time, but more would be a bonus), so versatility is very important.

Some of the clients will be lecturers and court proceedings, so reliability is also a priority.

It is financed privately so the budget is much more limited than the usual corporate vc users.

What would be the most appropriate choice of equipment in this case?

[ashok1357]

Hi look at the polycom ex/mp.This will be a good system and you can get it cheap,if u search for one

[turbo]

Thanks for the tip. I did notice that used Policoms MP can be found for as little as $1500 (EX a bit more).

I might have an opportunity to get used Tandberg 880 for twice the cost of Polycom MP. Some of the posts on this forum seem to suggest that Tandbergs are more reliable, versatile and better investment long term, so I wonder if its worth the difference in cost, especially becouse its not the recent MPX model, but a previous E model with older 3.4 software. Any thoughts?

[Gary Miyakawa]

Get sure and find out what version of software is on each system. That software can change the capabilities of the systems. I know the Polycom systems can be updated from the Polycom website at no charger (for the MP anyway).. I'm not sure what the software upgrades for the 880 would cost (if there is any cost)..

The MPs have been out for quite a while. The EX you mentioned does not have the built in bridging capability without buying a bridging key.

The FX/VS4K come with the Multipoint built in (and turned on) so you might want to look at those too...

Gary Miyakawa

[robertk]

I would go for the cheapest possible system if I bought a used one... IE the Polycom line.

On the other hand a Tandberg 880 with E3.4 software is quite new, E4.0 beeing the latest software (and probably the last one for that platform, but Tandberg might prove me wrong here :^) )

E3.* has all the nice features, XGA h264. all it miss is the H239 support IMHO.

Make sure you get all the parts with any system you buy used, having to buy a new remote control might be a costly experience :)

//Robert

[turbo]

Thank you. I hope one day I'll be able to give compitent VC advice.
I incline towards Tandberg 880, despite the higher cost. It seems a little bit more versatile, reliable and less wires (Polycom funs, please forgive me :)
Does anyone know how much it will cost to upgrade Tandberg 880 from E3.4 to E4.0? For a little start-up it can be a killer...

[Sean Lessman]

Thank you. I hope one day I'll be able to give compitent VC advice.
I incline towards Tandberg 880, despite the higher cost. It seems a little bit more versatile, reliable and less wires (Polycom funs, please forgive me :)
Does anyone know how much it will cost to upgrade Tandberg 880 from E3.4 to E4.0? For a little start-up it can be a killer...

The best answer is to make sure you have at least a basic service contract to protect you from being down. The software upgrades are part of the maintenance packages.

Sean

[Morgan81]

So far I haven't noticed a big difference between E3 and E4 (or E2 for that matter). Except for the corporate directory and a larger name capacity(16 characters to 50). Both of which are big deals for people in my shoes (250+ endpoints being supported by TMS) but for someone in a startup like you I wouldn't sweat it.
That being said I would consider the service contract essential, so it becomes a moot point anyway. So you can upgrade it anyway, I've thrown everything I could at E4 and I haven't seen any major bugs with it, so it should be a painless upgrade.

[turbo]

Hm, if service contract is so important for a single reliable codec, maybe it is not that reliable? :)

What about Tandberg Vision models 800, 2000, 2500 and 5000 (incl. portables)? Is it still worth considering? There are some bargens around, but maybe for a reason.

[MACC the AVCOtek]

Hm, if service contract is so important for a single reliable codec, maybe it is not that reliable? :)


TANDBERG is quite reliable. The service contract is not so much for servicing the unit should it fail (you still get that though!) but for the software updates.

And despite my recent unfortunate experience, I still will recommend the TANDBERG over the Polycom.

[Sean Lessman]

Hm, if service contract is so important for a single reliable codec, maybe it is not that reliable? :)

What about Tandberg Vision models 800, 2000, 2500 and 5000 (incl. portables)? Is it still worth considering? There are some bargens around, but maybe for a reason.

I think you will find the TANDBERG TAC spends more than 75% of their time working on issues outside of the product itself. The service contracts give you access to resources that can assist you even when the product is working fine. In addition you get access to software updates.

Keep in the mind the Vision platform does not support H.323 if that is important to you. They also do not support H.239 Dual streams, H.264 or H.235/H.233 encryption if they are important to you. Also no possibilities in embedded MCUs there. The last Vision product was shipped around Jan 2000.

Sean

[turbo]

The fact that you Sean are on vc forums backing up your products does tell something about the company.

However, I just called Tandberg UK to find out about service contract for a second-hand product and they didn't know what to say so they suggested contacting a local reseller. I called a local reseller and they said it is Tandberg that should deal with that. The fact that someone could be interested in a second-hand Tandberg surprised everyone concerned. One of the local dealers gave me an indication though that even a basic contract will cost me over $1000 a year. :cross-eye

[George]

The fact that you Sean are on vc forums backing up your products does tell something about the company.Yes Sean is definitely a valuable asset to this forum and Tandberg itself. I've tried to get other vendors to allow at least one person to come here and sort of "unofficially" represent their products. It really is a great way to speak to customers and get honest feedback since this community is sort of a neutral/un-biased zone. I think most vendors do have 1 or 2 people here but they just aren't at liberty to make it as "known" as our friend Sean. :bandit: We've also got Kevin from Codian and Gary the wise :beard: who is sort of our defacto Polycom guy (well I will ask him all of my Polycom questions anyway).

[robertk]

The fact that you Sean are on vc forums backing up your products does tell something about the company.

However, I just called Tandberg UK to find out about service contract for a second-hand product and they didn't know what to say so they suggested contacting a local reseller. I called a local reseller and they said it is Tandberg that should deal with that. The fact that someone could be interested in a second-hand Tandberg surprised everyone concerned. One of the local dealers gave me an indication though that even a basic contract will cost me over $1000 a year. :cross-eye

I would guess that is quite normal for a 880... the software only, is probably twice that price.

I don't think that you need that upgrade... E3.4 software is OK by todays standard. As someone mentioned, the E4 software upgrades doesn't give you that much more. As a first system in your office, that system will be excelent.

THEN, in a year or so, when you show your boss how much time and MONEY you saved on this used system, you can upgrade (and probably get a darn god trade in price for your 880) to a Tandberg 8000 MXP with a running service contract :^)

//Robert

[ITV-U]

I have dealt with both Tandberg and Polycom tech support. While still trying to climb up on a ladder to flip the Polycom over for the serial number, I could have been talking to an EXPERIENCED Tandberg tech that knows all of the systems well enough to tell me what is wrong instead of search a knowledge base for information. We now keep all of our Polycom serial numbers on a list in case we call tech support.

Twice I have sent in Polycoms for a bad power supply in a VS4000 and a bad circuit board in a VS only to get one back with the same or different issues. I had to wait 4 days for the first broken one to arrive.

I work on a must have now basis. If I am down for 1 day, more than 300 students can lose 1/15th of the semester.

I did have a fan go bad in one of the Tandberg 2500's that we have, and I had a new one by 9 am the next morning. For the support, software upgrades and the knowledge that I am working with people that have the same priority for us as I give to our students, it is worth it. I am in a department of 3 that maintain systems in 5 off-campus locations with a mix of Polycoms and Tandbergs. We just recently added more Tandbergs because of the level of support we get and the great documentation that is available from them on anything from IP port ranges to how H.264 works.