Polycom redefines personal desktop conferencing
Announcement posted by Polycom 09 Jul 2003
Polycom first to deliver full-featured desktop conferencing portal through Polycom WebOffice, providing users with one interface for all conferencing needs.
Polycom's ViaVideo II delivers enhanced video quality and usability for personal video conferencing; integrated with WebOffice for one-click video conferencing
Polycom(r), Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM), the world's leader in video and voice conferencing, conference bridges, and integrated web collaboration solutions, today announced significant advancements in its personal conferencing solutions designed to redefine how individuals use conferencing technology at the desktop. First, Polycom has evolved its WebOffice(tm) web collaboration software into a full-featured personal conferencing portal that provides users with a single interface for all of their conferencing needs - presence, instant messaging and voice, video, data and web conferencing.
Second, Polycom introduced its next generation desktop video conferencing system ViaVideo(tm) II, a follow-up to its market-leading ViaVideo personal video conferencing appliance. ViaVideo II delivers significantly enhanced video quality to the desktop or laptop PC and click-to-add video conferencing integration through the Polycom WebOffice conferencing portal.
"Polycom WebOffice is a single environment for all of a user's conferencing needs," said David Alexander, industry manager with Frost & Sullivan, an industry analyst and consulting firm. "The depth of integration with ViaVideo and the scope of tools available in WebOffice provide users with an ideal solution for collaborative conferencing. The presence-based detection enables users to instantly add co-workers into a collaboration session using the technology best suited for the occasion or most convenient to the participants. WebOffice and ViaVideo are true productivity tools for enterprise customers looking to empower their users to work efficiently and effectively over distances."
WebOffice version 5.0 a personal conferencing portal
At its core, Polycom WebOffice is a web-based collaboration solution that enables users to share data and communicate in real time. With the release of its 5.0 software, Polycom has expanded WebOffice to be a full-featured conferencing portal, designed to provide users with a single interface and environment for all of their conferencing needs. Each user has their own "office", which provides them with an individual, unchanging URL for their web-based meetings. Upon entering their WebOffice, users are presented with WebOffice Manager, which displays their buddy list (with presence detection) and provides simple buttons for either instant messaging, or launching a voice, video or web conference or any combination of these elements. All of the controls users need to manage their data, audio and video conference are integrated into the WebOffice window, including the video display.
Starting a conference is as easy as clicking a button. To invite others to their meeting, the user simply selects participants from their buddy list or provides their personal URL to meeting participants, who can access the user's WebOffice through any web browser. Once in a collaboration session, the WebOffice owner can present documents, share applications, use whiteboarding capabilities or instantly launch an audio and/or video conference. The WebOffice owner can encrypt documents, limit the number of participants, and add or remove participants at any time.
WebOffice also detects whether a user is video-enabled with a Polycom ViaVideo or ViaVideo II video conferencing system. If so, when the WebOffice owner launches a video call, the system will seamlessly connect those participants who are video enabled and provide an instant dial-in number for other participants.
"With WebOffice and the expansion to a personal conferencing portal, Polycom is the first to deliver what users have been asking for: easy, on-demand access to conferencing and collaboration tools through a single, easy-to-use integrated interface," said Phil Keenan, senior vice president and general manager of network systems for Polycom. "Our personal conferencing portal puts all conferencing capabilities at a user's fingertips, along with access to their co-workers. No other web collaboration solution today brings this power to the desktop. Launching a conference is instantaneous and extremely simple, yet the collaboration capabilities are very powerful and the applications are limitless."
ViaVideo II the most advanced personal video communications system ViaVideo II is the next generation of Polycom's market-leading ViaVideo personal video communications system. The only fully integrated, desktop video appliance with embedded video processing technology, ViaVideo II provides true business-quality video conferencing from the PC. ViaVideo II introduces new camera technology that provides exceptional video quality, even in difficult lighting conditions often experienced at desktops and in remote office locations. ViaVideo II easily handles low light, bright light and heavy backlight situations and delivers true-to-life colors and sharp images for effective desktop video communications.
"ViaVideo II brings new levels of quality, ease of use and functionality to desktop video conferencing," said Ed Ellett, senior vice president and general manager of video communications for Polycom. "Through our enhancements to both the hardware and software, the system provides the highest audio and video quality and most extensive features of any desktop conferencing system available. Through the integration with WebOffice, customers are given ultimate flexibility for on-demand video conferencing with the quality and clarity unrivaled by any other solution on the market today."
In addition to the WebOffice integration, ViaVideo II delivers the highest quality audio, video and collaboration capabilities for business quality conferencing from the desktop:
* Natural communications through high quality audio and video ViaVideo II supports data rates up to 512 kbps at 30 fps, advanced quality of service protocols including Polycom Video Error Concealment (PVEC) and DiffServ, and crystal clear, full-duplex audio with echo cancellation.
* Ease of use with intuitive graphical user interface enhanced Windows-like user interface provides quick access to video conferencing controls, system information and context-sensitive help.
* Simple installation and connectivity with intelligent setup screens and multiple location profiles to save network configurations for up to three different locations.
* Extended remote management the Web-based GUI has been redesigned and expanded to maximize management capabilities for ViaVideo directly from any Web browser.
* WebOffice integration - Users of ViaVideo II have the choice of using the ViaVideo II windows-like user interface for all video communications from their PC or video conference and collaborate with their co-workers through WebOffice.
* On-demand multipoint conferencing: Using the Polycom MGC multipoint control unit, ViaVideo II users can also make multi-point conferences with web collaboration right from their WebOffice Manager.
* International language support ViaVideo II supports 11 different languages for global use.
About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. is the world's technology leader of high-quality, easy-to-use video, voice, data and web conferencing and collaboration solutions. The Polycom Office(tm) is our continued commitment to make distance communications as natural and interactive as being there by providing best-in-class conferencing solutions that are interoperable, integrated and intuitive to the user. The Polycom Office is based on industry standards and supported by an open architecture that promotes interoperability in multi-vendor environments and complements leading network infrastructure platforms. For additional information, call 1-800-355-355 or (02) 9978-8018, or visit the Polycom web site at www.polycom.com.au
# # #
Polycom and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks and Polycom Office, ViaVideo and WebOffice are trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. (c)2003, Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved.
Polycom's ViaVideo II delivers enhanced video quality and usability for personal video conferencing; integrated with WebOffice for one-click video conferencing
Polycom(r), Inc. (NASDAQ: PLCM), the world's leader in video and voice conferencing, conference bridges, and integrated web collaboration solutions, today announced significant advancements in its personal conferencing solutions designed to redefine how individuals use conferencing technology at the desktop. First, Polycom has evolved its WebOffice(tm) web collaboration software into a full-featured personal conferencing portal that provides users with a single interface for all of their conferencing needs - presence, instant messaging and voice, video, data and web conferencing.
Second, Polycom introduced its next generation desktop video conferencing system ViaVideo(tm) II, a follow-up to its market-leading ViaVideo personal video conferencing appliance. ViaVideo II delivers significantly enhanced video quality to the desktop or laptop PC and click-to-add video conferencing integration through the Polycom WebOffice conferencing portal.
"Polycom WebOffice is a single environment for all of a user's conferencing needs," said David Alexander, industry manager with Frost & Sullivan, an industry analyst and consulting firm. "The depth of integration with ViaVideo and the scope of tools available in WebOffice provide users with an ideal solution for collaborative conferencing. The presence-based detection enables users to instantly add co-workers into a collaboration session using the technology best suited for the occasion or most convenient to the participants. WebOffice and ViaVideo are true productivity tools for enterprise customers looking to empower their users to work efficiently and effectively over distances."
WebOffice version 5.0 a personal conferencing portal
At its core, Polycom WebOffice is a web-based collaboration solution that enables users to share data and communicate in real time. With the release of its 5.0 software, Polycom has expanded WebOffice to be a full-featured conferencing portal, designed to provide users with a single interface and environment for all of their conferencing needs. Each user has their own "office", which provides them with an individual, unchanging URL for their web-based meetings. Upon entering their WebOffice, users are presented with WebOffice Manager, which displays their buddy list (with presence detection) and provides simple buttons for either instant messaging, or launching a voice, video or web conference or any combination of these elements. All of the controls users need to manage their data, audio and video conference are integrated into the WebOffice window, including the video display.
Starting a conference is as easy as clicking a button. To invite others to their meeting, the user simply selects participants from their buddy list or provides their personal URL to meeting participants, who can access the user's WebOffice through any web browser. Once in a collaboration session, the WebOffice owner can present documents, share applications, use whiteboarding capabilities or instantly launch an audio and/or video conference. The WebOffice owner can encrypt documents, limit the number of participants, and add or remove participants at any time.
WebOffice also detects whether a user is video-enabled with a Polycom ViaVideo or ViaVideo II video conferencing system. If so, when the WebOffice owner launches a video call, the system will seamlessly connect those participants who are video enabled and provide an instant dial-in number for other participants.
"With WebOffice and the expansion to a personal conferencing portal, Polycom is the first to deliver what users have been asking for: easy, on-demand access to conferencing and collaboration tools through a single, easy-to-use integrated interface," said Phil Keenan, senior vice president and general manager of network systems for Polycom. "Our personal conferencing portal puts all conferencing capabilities at a user's fingertips, along with access to their co-workers. No other web collaboration solution today brings this power to the desktop. Launching a conference is instantaneous and extremely simple, yet the collaboration capabilities are very powerful and the applications are limitless."
ViaVideo II the most advanced personal video communications system ViaVideo II is the next generation of Polycom's market-leading ViaVideo personal video communications system. The only fully integrated, desktop video appliance with embedded video processing technology, ViaVideo II provides true business-quality video conferencing from the PC. ViaVideo II introduces new camera technology that provides exceptional video quality, even in difficult lighting conditions often experienced at desktops and in remote office locations. ViaVideo II easily handles low light, bright light and heavy backlight situations and delivers true-to-life colors and sharp images for effective desktop video communications.
"ViaVideo II brings new levels of quality, ease of use and functionality to desktop video conferencing," said Ed Ellett, senior vice president and general manager of video communications for Polycom. "Through our enhancements to both the hardware and software, the system provides the highest audio and video quality and most extensive features of any desktop conferencing system available. Through the integration with WebOffice, customers are given ultimate flexibility for on-demand video conferencing with the quality and clarity unrivaled by any other solution on the market today."
In addition to the WebOffice integration, ViaVideo II delivers the highest quality audio, video and collaboration capabilities for business quality conferencing from the desktop:
* Natural communications through high quality audio and video ViaVideo II supports data rates up to 512 kbps at 30 fps, advanced quality of service protocols including Polycom Video Error Concealment (PVEC) and DiffServ, and crystal clear, full-duplex audio with echo cancellation.
* Ease of use with intuitive graphical user interface enhanced Windows-like user interface provides quick access to video conferencing controls, system information and context-sensitive help.
* Simple installation and connectivity with intelligent setup screens and multiple location profiles to save network configurations for up to three different locations.
* Extended remote management the Web-based GUI has been redesigned and expanded to maximize management capabilities for ViaVideo directly from any Web browser.
* WebOffice integration - Users of ViaVideo II have the choice of using the ViaVideo II windows-like user interface for all video communications from their PC or video conference and collaborate with their co-workers through WebOffice.
* On-demand multipoint conferencing: Using the Polycom MGC multipoint control unit, ViaVideo II users can also make multi-point conferences with web collaboration right from their WebOffice Manager.
* International language support ViaVideo II supports 11 different languages for global use.
About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. is the world's technology leader of high-quality, easy-to-use video, voice, data and web conferencing and collaboration solutions. The Polycom Office(tm) is our continued commitment to make distance communications as natural and interactive as being there by providing best-in-class conferencing solutions that are interoperable, integrated and intuitive to the user. The Polycom Office is based on industry standards and supported by an open architecture that promotes interoperability in multi-vendor environments and complements leading network infrastructure platforms. For additional information, call 1-800-355-355 or (02) 9978-8018, or visit the Polycom web site at www.polycom.com.au
# # #
Polycom and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks and Polycom Office, ViaVideo and WebOffice are trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. (c)2003, Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved.