There's an interesting story by Tim Greene today questioning whether we really need to spend the $250,000-plus for a 
high-end telepresence setup from Cisco and others, and whether we couldn't build our own from buying standard gear and spending more on the elements that help make videoconferencing jump from the hum-drum to the wow.
According to Greene's story, audio is the most important factor in videoconferencing and customers could pick up $2,000 worth of microphones in tabletops and speakers in ceilings to improve the sound. Similarly, businesses can improve video by installing bigger screens to boost the size of the images of participants. Once you have that, do you really need to have identical furniture, room decor and lighting in all your videoconferencing locations to give the illusion that all participants are in the same room? What's important to the participants - noticing that there all the potted plants are coordinated around the different videoconferencing locations, or that participants can hear and see each other clearly?
It would be interesting to see if there has been a study on the psychological aspect of telepresence and whether all the add-ons are necessary to ensure meetings are effective - after all, even the smartest telepresence system can't turn a lousy meeting leader into an effective one.
See also: Siemens targets Cisco TelePresence with lower-cost alternative on a common platform
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Use E/pop Instead
http://www.wiredred.com/video-conferencing/
Much cheaper....desktop video conferencing and application/desktop sharing.
Also, with high-end PCs and some hardware video encoders you could build your own "telepresence" with this software.
Mike
Cisco Telepresence vs. enhanced audio video conferencing
I have had the privilege of using Cisco's telepresence as well as Video conferencing that has been augmented with add on audio components including many microphones, speakers in the ceiling and projection displays that are much larger than the screens provided with the telepresence solution. I have also had the privilege of using a Cisco telepresence room!
There is a huge difference in the two different approaches. 1.) Setting up the telepresence session has been made very simple, in fact as easy as dialing a phone number. 2.) Hooking up a PC to share a presentation is simple. You hook the PC up to the system and turn the PC on, the system senses this and displays to all parties! 3.) The room setup and audio are incredible in telepresence, up to and including the fact that if a user gets up and moves from one side of the room to the other, the audio tracks that person across the room.
The total experience of telepresence is as if you are in the same room. The "magic" moment is when you forget the technology is there and just conduct a meeting. I have never had this type of moment in a video conferencing session, even with enhanced audio.
Well that is my .02 worth!
Mike.
I thought it was the Content that mattered?
I fail to see all the excitement over the TelePresence system. If I'm conducting a meeting, I want people to leave with the information I was talking about in their head, not the "coolness" of my WebConferencing system.
Hosted solutions let you have a meeting from anywhere with a computer, webcam and broadband Internet connection.
Our system at Great America Networks Conferencing allows you to have a VideoConference with anyone anywhere that has these simple requirements. No downloads or installations. Nothing hard about it and it works anywhere. That is the true power of VideoConferencing.
You can see the software interface and sign up for a free 1 on 1 trial or a full featured demonstration free as well.
Compare to other popular products here: http://www.ganconference.com/web.html
View the software here: http://www.ganconference.com/quickvisuals.html
Sign up for a free trial here on the right side of the page: http://web.ganconference.com/
Have a free guided tour of the software here: http://www.ganconference.com/demo.html or contact me directly for a personal guided tour of the service.
Anthony Russo
Conferencing Consultant
Great America Networks Conferencing
www.ganconference.com
Phone: 312-432-5377
Fax: 312-492-2577
Skype: anth.russo
It's not the coolness, but the transparency
At first, the Telepresence system is cool. But, as the other poster said, after you get into the meeting, to tend to forget about the coolness-- you get business done. After the newness wares off on the Telepresence system, you start to see it as a useful every-day tool that you wonder how you could have lived without before. People you need to collaborate with feel "right there" in the room with you. And, as the previous poster said, you don't have to be a tech whiz to get share a presentation or collaborate on a document with others in the conference. It just works.
While the equipment costs more than a "do it yourself" system, I think the cost savings in labor and productivity do justify that cost.
Telepresence
Cisco's 'magic' is in the ease of use. Good audio and high-definition screens get you to the same place, but usually, you need more tech support.........