Topic: Desktop videoconferencing and Crossing the chasm
AndyN Wainhouse Research
Posts: 345 From: Sarasota FL USA Since: Jul 2000
posted 12 September 2002 10:38 AM
In WRB V3 #31 Andrew Davis states the following views about Mitel's Enterprise Collaboration Platform and what it will take to make desktop videoconferencing successful ...
quote: The real attraction to me here is the possibility that Mitel’s paradigm might be the key to crossing the chasm. We all know that desktop videoconferencing has failed to catch on, despite numerous attempts by numerous vendors since 1995. There are many reasons for this, but it starts with the understanding that the paradigm at the desktop is NOT the same as the paradigm for the conference room. Room video-conferencing is usually scheduled, reserved, fully supported by technical staff, and when you enter a conference room, you have high expectations that the other party is in another conference room awaiting your call. None of this applies to the desktop environment.
I believe people want desktop video that behaves like desktop audio. So the PBX foundation makes a lot of sense. Video in fact may turn out to be a great business for the IP telephony community – time will tell. Since it’s all IP based, a voice first video device could be an IP videophone, or a PC, or even a set-top system – anything with an IP address really.
Other vendors are taking equally interesting approaches to the desktop. Polycom for example is marshalling its resources here around the Polycom Office. FVC is taking a different twist with Click to Meet, a server-based offering that is essentially a web conferencing product that has a rich suite of video enhancements and options. But it is significant that FVC has chosen (wisely we believe) to market FVC as a web conferencing solution, not as a desktop videoconferencing product.
What to you think about Andrew's views about what it will take to make desktop videoconferencing successful - user paradigms, vendor approaches, etc ?
posted 12 September 2002 03:25 PM
There are numerous issues. Firewalls, price performance, understanding the key differences between a call across an IP network, verses ISDN or dedicated BB VPN access. Vendors that can offer a solution that costs less then $750 per desktop, can penetrate firewalls, allow anytime anywhere conferencing, that is plug and play, is scalable from 40KB on up, and can offer multipoint for free should help the cause. If a product is completely IP based it should allow the user or group of users to decide what web collaberation tools to use that best fits their needs. Off cource all this and it needs to be standards based.
Posts: 83 From: London & Southern England Since: Feb 2002
posted 20 September 2002 08:36 AM
My personal feelings on how to make desktop VC successful:
1. Price. Telephone £5 Desktop VC £thousands! VoIP Phone £hundreds!
Which one of the above has succeeded? We can't expect VC or VoIP to become mainstream if the kit costs hudreds or thousands of times the alternative.
2. Infrastructure Okay everyone go out and install a gatekeeper would you please! In one fell swoop you can make VC damn near as easy to use as the telephone. Wanna talk to Dave? Just dial his extension number and there you are! Why schedule a MCU call? Just register it with the gatekeeper and let people dial into it!
Again, compare it to our biggest compeditor the telephone. The PBX (infrastructure) is the big buy, the phones are almost add-ons!
Infrastructure also solves many many other issues that come up, reliability, security, usability, reporting, support, management, etc, etc, etc.
So there you have it, cheap endpoints, big purchase on infrastructure. Copy what our main rival the telephone has been doing for years.
posted 20 September 2002 08:52 AM
Lance H.263 Gatekeepers from the likes of Cisco and RadVision do in fact provide an excellant alternative to address the most common issues and concerns with IP desktop or conference room for that matter. With the increased power at the desktop, software based codecs are becoming a very good alternative and are delivering outsatnding results. Adding a Ridgeway solution addresses another critical issue, how to scale firewalls. This finally allows intra-company conference calling that is becoming as easy as making a phone call between companies. With a few new vendors offering these complete solutions at under $1000 a desktop I think we will start to see much wider adoption in the coming quarters.
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posted 12 September 2002 10:38 AM
