Buried by the news of Cisco’s new telepresence offering was Polycom’s announcement that is will being shipping its HDX 9000 high-definition video line later this quarter. The HDX is a rack-mount codec that comes in 3 models ranging in price from $13,999 to $19,999. It is capable of doing 720p video, which is 9-times standard CIF video and 20% more viewing space. It also means 9-times the processing power is needed to produce the video. The specialized HD camera developed by Polycom is an extra $5,000 or you can use existing HD video gear. Either way, the optics are setting you back a nice chunk of change.
Couple of system highlights: There’s a new universal remote that’s designed to be held in the hand or can lay flat on a table and still operated normally. Polycom also added its UltimateHD audio technology to the HDX, giving listeners a full 22 kHz (Siren22) of sound in a Polycom-to-Polycom HD call. The HDX box is also an integrator’s dream with a slew of A/V inputs. One interesting benefit to the HD system: Vivid reds in a video do not bleed like the do in older systems. What I find interesting is that Polycom has had red in its logo forever, making flawless demonstrations a near impossibility! Why is Polycom touting the benefits of high-definition after down playing the technology a year ago at the Polycom User Group (PUG) conference? Simply – they’re in the game now. Start-up LifeSize put pressure on stalwarts Polycom and Tandberg when it announced its HD system and strategy. Now the leaders are responding. Of course, this does not mean everyone is going to jump to HD video. For one, a ton of bandwidth is needed: The system can put out up to 4M/bits a second for a point-to-point call and 6M/bits a second for MCU calls, according to Polycom. At least 1Mbit a second is needed to make an HD call. Polycom and the rest of the HD players are targeting educational and medical fields first. And, high-powered executives with money to spend. It’s definitely a niche market.
