Start-up focuses on sharper video

A videoconferencing start-up is looking to change the way users look at video: LifeSize Communications is set to announce two new endpoints capable of delivering high-definition video , 10 times the resolution of traditional video gear.

LifeSize's new Room and Exec endpoints are capable of delivering up to 1,280-by-720-pixel resolution video with 1 million pixels at 1M bit/sec, while the majority of systems available today only deliver 352-by-288-pixel resolution video (known as full CIF) with 100,000 pixels. At 384K to 512K bit/sec, the typical bit rate for inter-company communications, LifeSize says it delivers resolutions of 720 by 480 pixels - the same as home DVD players.

"The resolution of video calls hasn't changed in 20 years, since the mid-'80s when video went commercial," says Craig Malloy, CEO and founder of LifeSize, and a former senior vice president of Polycom. "Today, you get full CIF video, which is less than half the resolution of broadcast television and one-third that of DVDs. If TV looked like that, you wouldn't watch it."

LifeSize's Room endpoint comes with a custom-built, high-definition pan-tilt-zoom camera, a built-in multiple control unit (MCU) capable of connecting eight participants simultaneously, and LifeSize Phone, a conferencing phone that acts as a speaker and microphone inputs. The phone comes with a 16-microphone array and can be used on its own with VoIP or public-switched telephone networks. It is capable of 22-kHz audio and uses the MPEG-4 AAC codec, the same that Apple iTunes and iPod use. The company also will offer LifeSize Exec, an all-in-one system that includes camera; microphones; speakers; and 17-inch, 16:9 aspect display. It too includes an embedded eight-way MCU.

Both Room and Exec use the H.264 video standard and support both IP (H.323) and ISDN (H.320) calling. Only calls between LifeSize endpoints can take advantage of the higher resolutions. Calls made to competing endpoints from Tandberg, Polycom, VCON and others will drop back to full CIF video.

"High-definition television is a subtle thing," says Andrew Davis, principal analyst at Wainhouse Research. "It makes the video experience much closer to being there. You can see the logo on the shirt and the wrinkle on the guy's face."

The company will roll out a LifeSize Networker, a gateway for bridging users on IP and ISDN networks, and LifeSize Control, a video management suite for scheduling, Outlook integration and software upgrades. Control also will help support non-LifeSize endpoints, Malloy says.

One major feature that LifeSize admittedly doesn't have is a firewall/network address translation traversal product, although one is on the road map. Firewall traversal is a big hurdle remaining in video adoption (see "Vendors target IP video hurdles "), and competitors Polycom and Tandberg are offering remedies.

LifeSize has garnered $38 million in venture funding and is headed by industry veterans Malloy and Michael Kenoyer, CTO and vice president of engineering. Malloy and Kenoyer co-founded ViaVideo, which Polycom scooped up in 1996 to start its video business. Kenoyer is also a co-founder of V-TEL.