HD videoconferencing solutions provider LifeSize (News - Alert) recently unveiled latest HD videoconferencing solution, LifeSize Express 200, that the company says offers HD conferencing that is more practical and affordable than other available solutions.

 

The new offering supports dual display video and content and is available for under $6000 – making it possible for organizations of any size to take advantage of the benefits of high definition videoconferencing.

 

This means project teams can collaborate face-to-face from any location using full-screen HD video and satellite offices, home office workers, even teachers and students or doctors and patients, can all make use of the immersive collaboration offered by HD videoconferencing, without needing to spend time or money on traveling.

 

LifeSize Express 200 makes it possible to share presentations, documents, and video or still images in real-time at 1280x768 HD. The system also offers natural, face-to-face interactions at 720p at 30 frames per second and receives 720p at 60 frames per second.

 

 To find out more about the new offering, its benefits, and the markets it serves, I took some time to chat with LifeSize CEO, Craig Malloy. Below is our exchange.

First and foremost, LifeSize Express 200 is the industry’s first and only HD video communications system to support dual display video and content for less than $6,000 (US MSRP) – less than 50 percent the price of comparable systems from other vendors. 

 

The LifeSize Express 200 supports HD video at 720p30, as well as supports 720p60 decode for superior video quality and motion handling. Express 200 delivers HD at just 1Mbps and, with more than 50 total resolutions, customers get the best possible experience at any bandwidth.  All together, LifeSize Express 200 delivers 2x the price performance of other vendors’ solutions.

 

LifeSize is able to offer such a significant price/performance advantage because we develop the entire solution – we call it glass-to-glass – from the cameras and image processing technology to the audio processing technology that combine to deliver brilliant images and excellent audio quality. We’ve focused from the start to design a superior architecture, which is why we can continue to deliver to customers an unparalleled HD experience at an affordable price. 

 

 

Right away, customers implementing LifeSize Express 200 will find that the quality of the solution, combined with the affordability, enables them to implement HD video communications anywhere and everywhere within their organization. With widespread implementation comes greater ability to make HD video communications even more practical, because greater numbers of people can utilize the technology to cut out travel while increasing the opportunities to meet face-to-face with colleagues, partners, or customers. That means at the very same time the company is reducing its travel expenses, reducing time lost to travel and reducing carbon emissions, it’s also increasing collaboration and productivity. Particularly in this economic climate organizations are seeking cost effective solutions to save money and do more with less. And, again, because LifeSize Express 200 is priced so affordably, it’s a very short runway to cover before the systems have paid for themselves.

 

 

How will this solution transform communication and collaboration in markets like healthcare and education?

Again, it all comes down to the ubiquity of the video experience that Express 200 enables. The world’s moving faster every day and your colleagues, partners or customers – the people you need to talk to every day – are spread out all around the world. Telephone and email have their place, but they’re not enough, and the economics of business travel don’t make it a practical solution for the frequent face-to-face communication that’s so vital for success.

 

So, with LifeSize Express 200, what we’re fundamentally talking about is the ability to increase the opportunities for face-to-face communication right alongside the ability to view and work with the presentation, documents, video or images that are important to the conversation. In fact, why bother with a WebEx presentation when you can have a face-to-face video conference and still see the content you need to review, as well as have the opportunity to edit it in real-time if necessary? That’s what collaboration is all about. 

Markets such as healthcare and education are especially able to benefit from Express 200. The benefit for healthcare organizations, particularly those in rural communities and remote parts of the world, is that they can reach more patients. For instance, Adena Health System is currently using LifeSize Room systems to link neonatal patients in rural Ohio with pediatric specialists in Columbus, and Express 200 offers an even more affordable way to deploy essential video communications throughout the hospital.  With widespread ability for physicians to consult one another on a patient, will full access to medical records, medical images, and so on, the hospital can do even more to reduce the stress, risk and financial cost of hospital transfers. And, on the administrative side, more healthcare workers gain accessibility to remote opportunities for training and continuing education.

 

The same holds true for education. Educational groups can bring richer learning to the classroom, connecting the world in real time to the students. Consider the opportunities for a school to connect its students with students in other states or other countries, or even take virtual field trips to scientific laboratories. We’re talking about enabling more diverse educational programs that help students become critical thinkers ready to and live in a global, technological society.

What are some of the feature enhancements that will be included with the release of LifeSize software 4.1 next month?

LifeSize software release 4.1 will include enhancements that deliver enhanced video quality, interoperability and management across our products. On the video quality and user experience side of things, software release 4.1 supports for 720p60 decoding on LifeSize Express 200 and Team 200, providing premium video and motion handling at all supported resolutions. Release 4.1 also supports 4-way call with presentation capability on the LifeSize Room and LifeSize Team MP solutions, which gives the user more options for screen layout in a multipoint call, such as the orientation of the near and far-end video on the display screen.

 

With regard to interoperability and management, software release 4.1 delivers improvements for SIP-based calls, including dual video support, support for SDES key exchange in secure calls, and enhanced presence integration with Microsoft (News - Alert) OCS. Finally, increased administrator controls, such as the option to disable the local directory on all LifeSize systems, will allow system administrators to maintain greater control over directory settings and permissions.