Recommendations?

[dradwan]

Hi all,

I've been assigned the task of researching a video conferencing system for my company (20 domestic offices of 5-50 people per site plus an office in India). I'm normally a network/server tech so I guess they figure this translates to this area as well. In any case, I'd like to hear some recommendations on products and vendors (I've researched a little and found a lot on Polycom and Tandberg as being the 2 main players). If these are the 2 vendors to start with, which level of their products would suffice? We'd probably start out at setting up around 4 or 5 of our sites initially and possibly add on to the rest down the road so I'd like a product that balances low costs with quality.

Thanks in advance.

[MACC the AVCOtek]

Look in to Sony as well.

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplaySubCategory?m=0&p=1&sp=5

Pretty good codecs with a lower price tag.

[Morgan81]

Either Polycom FX or Tandberg 880 would be a good fit for you.
If you want to go all out on a board room for example a Tandberg 6000 would be top of the line but it sounds like you just want basic video confernce capability (TV on a cart with codec on top). That is also the eaisiest to support as well (keep in mind that warranties are a MUST espeically with Tandbergs since you get software upgrades included with service).
My team supports approximatly 50-60 880s (I've lost count) and a handful of FXs. You might also be interested in monitoring software Tandberg Managment Suite(TMS) vs Polycom Global Managment System (GMS). TMS can support FXs in a limited way but GMS is stricktly Polycom.
We depend on TMS heavily and it has made our lives incredibly easier.
Also third party companies offer remote monitoring as well. My company, Wire One, offers this type of service as well as a bunch more.

Welcome to the board, I'm sure you'll find it very useful!

[Entropy3XD]

Welcome Dradwan,
The question you need to ask yourself at first is "what do my users wish to accomplish with VTC?". The answers to this question will allow you to find the best fit for your environment. For instance, if your users only wish to be able to see and hear each other during meetings and nothing more, then you can save money by going with systems with a simple camera and composite or s-video outputs. If your clients wish to display PC graphics, then I highly suggest getting codecs with a VGA input and output. You will also want to use at least one VGA monitor to display the higher quality graphics. DVI is also an option on some models.

Peripheral equipment is also to be considered. Do your users wish to use DVDs or VCRs? How about doc cams? Optional cameras may also be a requirement for larger rooms. Electronic whiteboards to integrate with a PC and the VTC equipment? Conference recording to VCR or digital media? Options need to be considered when purchasing a new codec and you should always. Keep an eye on what the future needs may be. You do not want to replace expensive equipment with more expensive equipment in order add functionality. You are better off paying the higher price for the better unit from the start if you really think you may add-on someday.

Equipment location? If you plan on centralizing equipment in a rack you may want to look at rack mountable codecs. If roll cart systems are in order then a set-top unit may work better for you.

Network? Make sure you get codecs that fit your network and bandwidth needs and also allow for future growth. H.264 support is a plu+s for sites with limited bandwidth.

Codec options? Many codecs come with different options, some of which may benefit your environment such as a built in MCU.

Connecting it all? Take a look at the big picture and how the users wish to have all of the sites interact. You may be looking into bridging multiple sites, in which you will need an MCU. Make sure that any MCU you look into supports all of the functionality of your video conferencing rooms. I have seen frustrated people after upgrading all of their codecs in order to add support for a new feature, only to find out that the MCU doesn’t support that feature. If you are running things on an IP network then you may want a gatekeeper. If you have a need to support IP and ISDN then you will need a gateway or MCU which supports both. MCUs, gateways, and gatekeepers can be a discussion to themselves, so if you need more information on these components and the proper way to bring it all together, you are in the right place.

First take a look at the big picture and get an idea of how the users wish to interact and how they will perform their functions throughout the VTC network. Then look at each site and video conferencing room individually. Although you will probably stick with one VTC vendor, you will probably find that different models may fit different rooms. You may use a more expensive codec with many inputs and outputs for your large conference rooms, while cheaper set-top units on roll carts might be a better fit elsewhere. Just make sure that the codec you pick has all of the functions needed for that particular room. Software codecs for use with web cams are becoming popular. Polycom, Radvision, and Vcon have options for H.323 software codecs.

In the end you should be happy with either Polycom or Tandberg. I have not worked directly with Sony, but have I have been in calls with their codecs and I was very impressed with the camera and image quality. Vcon, Vtel, and Aethra are also options. For MCUs, gateways, and gatekeepers you can look to Tandberg, Polycom, Radvision, Cisco, & Codian.

If you haven’t torn your hair out by now, tormenting yourself on why you would ever want to take on this project, welcome to the world of VTC. Just keep in mind your users needs and create a simple, yet scalable VTC network. Have fun and let us know how it goes.

[dradwan]

Well, it looks like a little VTC education is in my future before a purchasing decision can be made. I appreciate all the info and I'm sure you'll be hearing more from me in the next few months!

[Bamajam]

:banana: www.glowpoint.com