The Multimedia Exchange archive
Videoconferencing
LifeSize, Codian partner
In a not-so-surprising move, LifeSize and Codian have partnered to deliver high-definition videoconferencing to a multi-party video call. Codian's MCUs...
June 08, 2005
What is Sony IVE?
Sony this week took a bigger plunge into the videoconferencing market place with IVE (pronounced like the plant that grows...
June 02, 2005
Skype video plug-in
According to a Register article, there's a new plug-in for Skype that allows users with a Webcam to conduct video...
June 01, 2005
Polycom and Alcatel team
One of those things that slip through the cracks: Polycom and Alcatel announced what they're calling a multi-year partnership to...
May 27, 2005
Wainhouse videoconferencing survey
The fine folks at Wainhouse Research are conducting a survey of videoconferencing users. It's 17 questions and you can win...
May 10, 2005
Tandberg intros four new products
Tandberg has fully assimilated its products line under the MXP family name with the release of three new endpoints: Tandberg...
April 18, 2005
Sony adds CallManager integration
Sony, the rarely heard from videoconferencing vendor, announced today that it will integrate its PCS-1 group system and PCS-TL50 desktop...
March 01, 2005
Wire One offering managed services - again
Wire One used to offer the Glowpoint dedicated IP videoconferencing network until it spun it in to a separate entity....
Traversing firewalls/NAT
It's been a good week for the videoconferencing industry four announcements (Tandberg, Polycom, VisualNexus and Jasomi/Radvision) for systems that deal...
February 11, 2005
Polycom's new entry-level endpoint, SIP conference phone
Polycom today released a new entry-level videoconferencing endpoint and a SIP-based conference phone. The $4,999 VSX 6000 (view image) is...
January 24, 2005
The vultures circle
Didn't take long for the competition to start circling around FVC customers after the company announced it is filing for...
Avistar integrates with IBM's Workplace Client
Videoconferencing vendor Avistar announced today at Lotusphere it is now a member of IBM PartnerWorld Program and will be intergrating...
It's official
As expected after yesterday's news, FVC filed for bankruptcy protection. My guess is that the company will sell off its...
January 20, 2005
Not good news for FVC
It's not looking good for First Virtual Communications, maker of Click to Meet. The company has furloughed all of its...
January 19, 2005
SightSpeed Video Mail contest
Got a videogenic pet and a Webcam? The combo could win you a year's subscription to the SightSpeed video service....
December 08, 2004
VCon introduces vPoint HD Executive
Another item left over in the fridge from last week: VCon is rolling out a new version of its software-only...
December 06, 2004
Cisco adds video to MeetingPlace
Catching up on some news from last week, Cisco has added videoconferencing capabilities to the latest version of MeetingPlace (formerly...
Polycom, Edgewater team on firewall/NAT appliance
Videoconferencing users know what a pain it is to connect with users outside the firewall or those using NAT. Polycom...
November 24, 2004
Logitech VideoCall for Broadband
Logitech, one of the lead makers of Webcams, is getting into the person-to-person video services with its new VideoCall offering....
SightSpeed 3.0 rocks
Those following this space for the past year know that one of my favorite video products is SightSpeed Video Messenger....
VidiTel still kickin'
Back late 2001, I worked with Christine Perey on a comparative review of desktop videoconferencing systems (software-based systems that used...
November 17, 2004
FVC ships Click to Meet 4.1
FVC today began shipping Click to Meet 4.1 with a new user interface option for group conferences. Though primarily used...
November 16, 2004
Polycom on the desktop
The big news of the week comes from Polycom, which has finally rolled out its not-so-secret software-only H.323 PVX endpoint...
October 12, 2004
GlowPoint adds telephony-like services
One of the down sides to videoconferencing is the "error" handling: When you call a system and it's busy, the...
Making the switch from ISDN
Can switching from ISDN to IP as the transport for videoconferencing save money? That seems to be the conclusion one...
Going all IP
Following up on last week's article looking at the state of IP-based videoconferencing, Mike Pihlman wrote in with some statistics...
September 28, 2004
Is IP video here?
A bit delayed on this one, but I've got a story in this week's (9/20) issue of Network World looking...
September 24, 2004
FVC delisted, signs deal with Big Blue
Good news and bad coming out of First Virtual Communications in recent days. On the bad news front, the company's...
August 25, 2004
Avistar adds IP to portfolio
Avistar, which makes a proprietary videoconferencing system designed more for intra-corporate use, is adding an IP desktop endpoint to its...
August 06, 2004
Polycom numbers up
We don't cover a lot of quarterly announcements in this space, but Polycom's numbers just came in and if they're...
July 22, 2004
Software endpoint from Polycom?
During lunch today here at the Wainhouse show, the guy sitting next to me asked about Polycom's software-only endpoint. Oooohhh,...
July 15, 2004
Another battle: Polycom and Tandberg
The McDonald's/Burger King-like battle between Polycom and Tandberg continues with dueling big releases just a few days apart (actually, one...
July 12, 2004
Video at 35,000 feet
Nice publicity stunt by Apple: Pulling off an Internet-based videochat with one participant sitting in a Lufthansa jet traveling 500mph...
July 06, 2004
Blade technology at Supercomm
Over in our Data Center Research Center (lot of centers there) blade server technology is a hot topic. A couple...
June 22, 2004
Tandberg beefs up MCU offering
Holy MCU, Batman! Tandberg definitely has its sights on Polycom with the news coming out of InfoComm this week. First...
June 10, 2004
Radvision and Sony team
Radvision and Sony have entered into an agreement that will have the latter reselling the Radvision's gateways, gatekeepers and MCUs...
News from InfoComm
Forgot to point to this yesterday, but I've got a story in this week's issue about news being made at...
June 08, 2004
Is H.323 dead?
While some may think the venerable H.323 conferencing standard is on its way out, User View columnist Chuck Yoke thinks...
June 07, 2004
SightSpeed 2.5 ships
SightSpeed has released another update for its flagship video chat product. SightSpeed Video Messenger 2.5 features improved video quality and...
June 01, 2004
VCON updates SecureConnect
Version 2.0 of VCON's SecureConnect firewall/NAT traversal was unveiled today. The new version features support for HD DualStream, which allows...
A look at H.323
SecurityFocus has published a paper that provides an overview of H.323 as it relates to voice over IP. The paper...
VCON adds H.264 to desktop
Desktop videoconferencing users will soon be able to take advantage of the H.264 video compression specification (same quality, half the...
May 26, 2004
Looking up
Things are looking up for the videoconferencing industry if Wainhouse Research's latest numbers are any indication. Unit shipments for group...
May 24, 2004
Tandberg acquires Ridgeway
Tandberg made a nice pickup today, acquiring Ridgeway Systems for $16 million plus other considerations. Ridgeway makes equipment to help...
May 19, 2004
Where videoconferencing shouldn't be used
In the shower. (Windows Media video file)...
May 17, 2004
Polycom in the news
Polycom generated some news this week. First the company released its new V500 set-top appliance targeted at the SMB market....
May 12, 2004
Interesting search results
I was using Google to get a list of Glowpoint competitors and came across these interesting search results (see "QUESTIONS...
May 04, 2004
ESPN, the NFL draft, Glowpoint and Polycom
ESPN will again use videoconferencing technology for its coverage of this weekend's NFL Draft. The network has teamed with Glowpoint...
April 23, 2004
Polycom adds to VSX line
Polycom's got a new, but expensive, desktop gizmo targeted at the executive-level desktop. The new VSX3000 (view image) includes a...
April 20, 2004
China shows big growth
Wainhouse Research says China is one of the fastest growing countries when it comes to revenue from IP videoconferencing, jumping...
Software-based H.323 conferencing
My recent article "Video collaboration still slow to take off" resulted in a company contacting me with a solution to...
April 08, 2004
Video and the remote worker
Tooting my own horn, I've got a story in this week's Net.Worker section of Network World that looks at the...
March 30, 2004
Catching up with Polycom
Polycom's made some news the past couple weeks in the audio and service provider space. Reaping the rewards of its...
VCON upgrades available
VCON this week released software updates for its Media Xchange ManagerTM (MXM), VCB 2000, and Conference Moderator products. MXM 4.1...
March 25, 2004
H.350 update
Over the past couple months, videoconferencing vendors have been slowly rolling out support for the H.350 LDAP schema for storing...
March 22, 2004
Piano lessons over video
While videoconferencing technology is not close enough to real-time to play a duet, it is being used for remote Piano...
March 15, 2004
Radvision updates gatekeeper
Radvision this week announced version 3.5 of its Enhanced Communications Server (ECS) gateway. Among the highlights of the new release...
March 12, 2004
H.350 workshop
The Video Development Initiative (ViDe) is putting on a one day workshop on the H.350 LDAP directory schema. H.350 allows...
NetMeeting out of this world
Microsoft may be putting NetMeeting out to pasture, but NASA is putting it in outer space to help International Space...
March 10, 2004
Airlines paranoid?
A United Airlines ad running in Time magazine proclaims "You can't participate in life via conference call." Think the airlines...
February 27, 2004
FVC, NetScaler partner
First Virtual Communications and NetScaler announced a partnership with week at the RSA Conference that will eventually allow FVC Click...
February 26, 2004
Radvision and 3G
At the 3GSM World Congress, Radvision announced it is expanding its reach in the 3G cellular market with its new...
February 24, 2004
Polycom WebOffice upgrade
This one slipped through the proverbial crack last week: Polycom introduced version 6.0 of its WebOffice personal conferencing portal. The...
Is a videophone in your future?
The New York Times' David Pogue tests out the Viseon VisiFone: But here's Strike Two, otherwise known as the First...
February 19, 2004
Video telephony from Cisco and Tandberg
Cisco released a major update to its CallManager (IP PBX) product that will allow end users to make a video...
February 18, 2004
AIM and video
The good news is the latest version of AOL Instant Messenger (version 5.5) has video capability. The bad news is...
New MCU to debut next week
Codian, a U.K.-based start-up, is unveiling its new MCU next week at the Video Conference Summit in New York. The...
February 17, 2004
VCON back in the game
VCON is getting back in the group videoconferencing game with a splash, introducing two new endpoints this week that are...
February 13, 2004
Sony debuts new endpoint
Sony, number three in the group video endpoint market behind Polycom and Tandberg, today announced the PCS-11, a videoconferencing endpoint...
January 29, 2004
VCON to add H.264
VCON announced todday it will be adding H.264 support in its vPoint software-only video endpoint sometime in the second quarter...
Polycom, Tandberg make enhancements
Yesterday brought news from fierce competitors Tandberg and Polycom regarding new updates, features and options for their respective line of...
January 27, 2004
Wainhouse white papers
My friends at Wainhouse Research have recently published two new white papers dealing with various aspects of a videoconference deployment....
January 22, 2004
SightSpeed 2.0
SightSpeed this week released version 2.0 of its Internet video chat application and it is slick. Chief among the highlights...
January 21, 2004
H.323 vulnerability
CERT issued an alert today warning of multiple vulnerabilities in various implementations of the H.323 protocol, the basis for IP...
January 14, 2004
GlowPoint offers "All you can see"
GlowPoint (formerly WireOne) is now offering unlimited videoconferencing calling plans starting at $499 per month. The flat fee applies to...
January 07, 2004
Cisco's foray into desktop videoconferencing
At this week's Cisco Worldwide Analyst Conference 2003, Cisco outlined its plans to offer a desktop videoconferencing system: With the...
December 12, 2003
Genesys adds videoconferencing
Genesys Conferencing today added self-service videoconferencing to its line of conferencing services. Based on the same technology that runs its...
December 08, 2003
Radvision expands product line
Radvision has added more configuration options to its Invision line of MCU/Gatekeepers. The product comes in two series: the 100...
November 26, 2003
End of an era
Goodbye, NetMeeting. Microsoft is retiring the pioneering conferencing application in favor of its MSN Messenger and Office Live Meeting products...
November 25, 2003
Polycom scoops up Voyant
Expecting an uneventful Friday, I was a little surprised when I popped open my e-mail this morning to learn Polycom...
November 21, 2003
Top secret!
Need to keep your videoconference from prying (network) eyes? Polycom this week announced a couple options for the security conscious....
November 13, 2003
Broadband video roundup
In this week's "Adventures in broadband video" article colleague Keith Shaw takes a look at three video products for the...
October 30, 2003
Radvision adds H.264, H.239 to MCU
Radvision this week released an update to its MCU software that offers support for the H.264 video compression codec and...
October 16, 2003
Avistar updates video operating system
Videoconferencing equipment vendor Avistar this week released an update to its Video Operating System (VOS). Version 7.5 now features LDAP...
Internet2 gets videoconferencing service
Internet2 participants now have a new managed videoconferencing service to which they can subscribe, much like how regular Internet users...
October 09, 2003
New entry-level appliance from Polycom
Polycom is adding a new "entry level" group videoconferencing appliance to its product line with this week's release of the...
October 07, 2003
Tandberg H.264-enables all products
Tandberg announced today that its entire product line (endpoints, MCUs and gateways) will all have H.264 support by the end...
October 01, 2003
New desktop conferencing option: Arel ICP
There's a new player in the desktop conferencing space that's hoping to combine the best of Web and video conferencing...
September 24, 2003
A look at Motion Media's videophone
Motion Media was nice enough to lend Network World a couple of its cool looking mm745 videophones (see photo) to...
September 17, 2003
New small room system from Avistar
Avistar's offering what it calls a new self-service room videoconferencing system designed for cubicles or small conference rooms that can...
September 16, 2003
VCON goes update crazy
VCON's back in the news this week with a slew of product releaes including a new Web-based scheduling agent. What...
September 15, 2003
Radvision targets the feds, military with new gateway
Radvision is hoping to capitalize on the federal and military sectors with its new viaIP gw-S40 gateway, which is designed...
H.264 more than a curiosity
EE Time UK reports that the H.264 video compression specification should get big play at the upcoming International Broadcasting Convention...
September 09, 2003
New H-dot standard ties in directories
The new H.350 standard ratified this week by the ITU is designed to marry videoconferencing and SIP voice-over-IP directories with...
September 04, 2003
VTEL ships Vista VX-P Media Station
VTEL's got a new rack-based videoconferencing unit that comes complete with an embedded Windows PC and can support up to...
Radvision adds Outlook support
Radvision has added support for Microsoft Outlook scheduling to its iView VCS (View Communications Scheduler) product. iView is a Windows...
September 02, 2003
FCC lifts AOL restrictions
Get ready for video-enabled AOL Instant Messenger. The FCC finally lifted restrictions dating back to AOL's merger with Time Warner...
August 19, 2003
SightSpeed pricing info
As I've mentioned before when singing the praises of SightSpeed, they are planning on implementing a subscription model. Well it's...
August 01, 2003
A look at Apple's iChat
The Houston Chronicle's "Dr. Mac" takes a look at Apple's iChat video product (as well as its iSight FireWire camera)...
July 31, 2003
Getting through pesky NATs
Those that have tried videoconferencing (or even audio) over the public Internet can attest to the pain of dealing with...
July 21, 2003
New Tandberg gateway, H.264 support
Polycom's made a bunch of news the past two weeks and without fail, Tandberg's got some news too. It's like...
July 15, 2003
Join the Alliance
Forgent today released a new software scheduling suite that integrates with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes and is used to...
Vibe Phone targets consumers
GlobalStreams is leveraging its expertise in broadcast video to bring a new video communication service to consumers with broadband. Vibe...
July 14, 2003
New MGC 25 options available
Last week Polycom announced enhanced versions of its WebOffice meeting software and the second-generation ViaVideo II. This week, Polycom introduced...
SightSpeed mimics IM for video
SightSpeed's beta desktop videoconferencing software looks, feels and works (see screen shot) a lot like your everyday instant messaging tools...
July 10, 2003
Polycom ship ViaVideo II, WebOffice 5.0
There's a new generation of the Polycom's desktop IP videoconferencing device available that features higher datarate support and better...
July 09, 2003
Finding a comb
Desktop videoconferencing over the public Internet is still not an every day occurrence, but it is getting closer. Today, I...
June 20, 2003
Virtual meeting legalities in India
Attending a board meeting via videoconferencing is now legal in India, thanks to a new Supreme Court ruling there....
June 17, 2003
Videoconferencing Spam
Among the flurry of offers for male organ enlargement and low mortgage rates, I got a Spam offering, "Upgrade your...
June 16, 2003
WireOne sheds equipment unit
Wire One it will sell off its equipment group to Gores Technology Group in deal that nets WireOne $22 million...
June 12, 2003
H.264 ratified
The ITU has finally ratified the H.264 video compression standard meaning there will soon be a flood of "we're doing...
Motion Media debuts video phone
Is the future finally here? Motion Media, a U.K. company just getting its U.S. operations off the ground, this week...
June 05, 2003
Show and tell with Tandberg
Tandberg's got a new option available for the Tandberg Management Suite (TMS) and Scheduler that allows customers to share presentations...
May 29, 2003
Polycom sponsors peace videoconference
Tomorrow morning (Thusday, May 22) at 11 a.m. EST, a group of students from two sites in the Boston area...
May 21, 2003
Polycom touts service provider adoption
Polycom is touting the fact six videoconferencing service provider customers are in the process of rolling out version 5.0 of...
May 15, 2003
Videoconferencing in the field with Tandberg
Tandberg is offering a new endpoint with a twist: Portability for use in mobile field units by the military, first...
May 12, 2003
Microsoft to add video functionality to MSN Messenger
MSN Messenger users will be able to use native voice and video chat functionality when the new version of Microsoft's...
Tandberg to offer WebEx integration
Tandberg is attempting to bring the world of Webconferencing and videoconferencing together with a new development deal with WebEx. As...
April 29, 2003
TeleSuite announces Enterprise 200 Series room system
TeleSuite, the makers of room-based videoconferencing systems that provide life-size images of participants, has announced a new system for smaller...
Polycom, WireOne and the NFL
Have you been watching the NFL draft coverage today? See the ESPN gang talk with coaches and general managers using...
April 26, 2003
Radvision launches new management and scheduling tools
Boy, Radvision has been a busy company over the past week or two. If the trend continue, we'll have to...
April 14, 2003
Tandberg plays with competition
We mentioned earlier this week that Tandberg is now supporting Polycom's People+Content technology in its MCU line. Well, Tandberg is...
April 10, 2003
Polycom reaches out to competition
Polycom is attempting to extend the reach of its People+Content technology, which allows on-screen computer data to be shared at...
April 08, 2003
Radvision expands Invision 100 line
The Radvision product development group is a busy bunch of late. Last week, the company announced it will soon have...
Radvision adds SIP support
Radvision this week demonstrated support for SIP in its viaIP MCU (Multipoint Conference Unit). During the Voice on the Net...
April 03, 2003
Analysts: Videoconferencing still not mainstream
In-Stat/MDR has released a report stating that videoconferencing is still not a mainstream business technology and that it's reach is...
T-Mobile adds video messaging
Wireless service provider T-Mobile has launched a video messaging service to subscribers with a Nokia 3650 handset. Users can record...
March 28, 2003
TeleSuite demo sweet
Last month I mentioned TeleSuite is rolling out a new Managed Video Array room system that features the new H.264...
March 27, 2003
Starbak Torrent VCG reviewed
This week's issue of Network World features a review by Christine Perey of the Starbak Torrent VCG 3.0, a server...
March 24, 2003
VCON releases array of enhancements
VCON's making some news this week with a new product and a bunch of enhancements to existing product lines. First...
March 13, 2003
Giving Face Tracking a try
Finally got a chance to test the new Face Tracking feature available with Logitech's QuickCam Zoom, QuickCam Pro 4000, or...
March 04, 2003
Polycom comes out swinging
Polycom is looking to do to its competition what Mike Tyson did to Clifford Etienne this past weekend: Knock them...
February 25, 2003
VNCI buys WilTel Webcast unit
Videoconferencing equipment and service provider VNCI is buying WilTel's Webcasting business for an undisclosed amount. VNCI, which makes video network...
New video messenger for the enterprise
NetGen's Clique Video Messenger product, unveiled at this week's Demo conference in sunny Arizona, is an interesting compliment to traditional...
February 19, 2003
TeleSuite upgrades Virtual Conference Room service
TeleSuite is embracing the soon-to-be-ratified H.264 video standard in its new Managed Video Array (MVA) offering. TeleSuite basically builds a...
Radvision builds gateway to wireless world
Forgot to mention this one yesterday, but Radvision announced a new gateway product that will allow video-enabled phones on a...
Video phones becoming a reality?
DigitalMass.com, part of the Boston Globe, takes a look at two relatively low cost ($299) video phones, the Vialta Beamer...
February 07, 2003
Starbak to produce Windows-based VCG
Starbak, which recently acquired Vividon, is porting its Torrent video conferencing gateway (VCG) product to the Windows Server 2003 platform....
February 04, 2003
School district punches through firewall
My colleague Tim Greene has an interesting look in this week's issue of Network World at the Imperial County Office...
February 03, 2003
Tandberg releases major updates
Tandberg, the number two provider of videoconferencing equipment, is making a big push to become Number One (now held by...
January 23, 2003
Forgent sells division
Forgent Networks today announced it is selling off its King of Prussia, Penn.-based videoconferencing hardware services group to Gores Technology...
January 07, 2003
New 3G video phones from Samsung
This one's pretty cool: Samsung is rolling out three new phones capable of doing two-way video calls over a 3G...
January 06, 2003
Radvision viaIP version 2.0
While we were off for the week of Christmas, Radvision released version 2.0 of its viaIP videoconferencing gateway. The product,...
January 02, 2003
Polycom enhances WebCommander usability
Polycom has given its WebCommander management application user interface a face lift with an aim at making it more intuitive...
