Polycom is Set to Boost Video Conferencing
Polycom is Set to Boost Video Conferencing by UCStrategies Staff
Video conferencing technology has been suffering significant setbacks lately due to collaboration issues, interoperability obstacles and cloud compatibility. It seems that Polycom has developed a solution that could, at last, move video conferencing and unified communications into the future.
Polycom’s latest development, RealPresence CloudAXIS, is equipped with video compression standard H.264 Scalable Video Coding to deal with these issues. The software allows users to make high quality video calls to clients on Facebook, Skype or FaceTime easily on any Android phone or iPad tablet. As well as video conferencing, CloudAXIS users can instant message up to 40 people simultaneously. Invitations can also be sent to people beyond the enterprise network. CloudAXIS will be released to business users in November 2012. Service providers will be able to get their hands on it by early 2013.
Although Blue Jeans Network and Microsoft have been trying to enhance business consumer video conferencing with browser-based video technology, Polycom has the edge because it offers an interoperability solution that can be deployed on-premises.
Polycom’s H.264 SVC codec makes significant changes to the way video conferencing is delivered. It is deployed in the RealPresence Platform, through which the video signals are encoded into two layers – a base and enhancement layer. The layers are forwarded appropriately to the end user’s device. This means a device such as a cell phone will only require the base layer, while an HD video conference console will receive both layers.
According to Ira Weinstein, Wainhouse Research senior analyst, "This method is very different from the traditional method of sending the video signals as a single encoded signal to a video bridge or MCU [multiparty control unit]. In this method, the MCU decodes the signal, mixes it with other signals, and then re-encodes a version of the signal to send to each participant. This 'traditional' method is processor intensive and thus expensive."
One of the main attractions of Polycom’s new software is the interoperability capacity, which will enable companies to maintain homogeneity throughout video conferencing and unified communications architecture. The new technology will enable Polycom’s clients to choose interoperability technology as an add-on.
Polycom is not the first company to use SVC technology. The codec is already in use by Vidyo and Avaya Radvision. Although Vidyo doesn’t dominate as much of the market as Polycom, Avaya is a close competitor. (CU) Link