Need help picking camera/solution

[hank]

I have been tasked with finding a camera/video conferencing solution for the company that I work for. It is a company of about 400 people. We are currently using cisco unified video advantage coupled with the cisco vt II camera for video conferencing over IP using h.323. I am looking for a camera/center that is more advanced then the cisco vt II (as it is more of a usb webcam). The goal is to place these in conference rooms and hold point to point video conferencing possible multi point if it is cost effective. The budget is under $3000. Currently I have been looking at products like the polycom v500 and the sony pcs-1. Any suggestions on other solutions?

Also is it possible to use a network camera for video conferencing?
such as : http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Cameras-Camcorders/Network-Cameras/Network-Cameras/model.BB-HCM515A_11002_7000000000000005702

I would like to explore all possibilities.

[smcgee]

If you want to get into HD gear I think the LifeSize Express w/Focus may get into your price-range. It's good for small room and point-to-point calls with presentation out of the box. You would need to add an external MCU for anything multi-way but there are other LS products that can provide an embedded MCU for a higher cost.

I think if the Express/Focus proves to be too expensive you should check out some of the Standard Def systems which I'm sure will be a bit cheaper but I wouldn't really recommend them highly since SD is on it's way out.

The other option is to go with something like Vidyo which looks pretty cool from a desktop application perspective. I have no idea how good or bad their room systems are and they are a proprietary system at this point so you can't interoperate with older or other standards based gear.

Sean