BrightCom, a provider of integrated telepresence and video conferencing solutions, today announced it is expanding its product offering with the launch of Lumina Telepresence (News - Alert), a new line designed for business collaboration.

 

The Huntington, Calif.-based company is introducing the first product from the new line, the L37, a modular solution that offers a turnkey environment integrating immersive telepresence with Web conferencing functions for instant, life-like communication. The modular telepresence workstation, shown below, features a desk and backdrop.
 

BrightCom is unveiling Lumina Telepresence and the L37 at Technology Marketing Corporation’s Internet Telephony Conference and Expo (ITEXPO (News - Alert)) West 2009, which runs today through Sept. 3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Company officials will discuss the new line of high-end telepresence solutions Sept. 2 to 3 in booth #202. Booth visitors can experience the firm’s integration of collaborative telepresence, a solution that combines high resolution video and audio broadcasts with interactive data collaboration.

 

As a recent report from analyst group Frost and Sullivan shows, telepresence and video conferencing markets are poised for growth reaching $4.7 billion by 2014. The rate of businesses adopting these mediums of communication show that telepresence is quickly becoming a standard for today's work environment, officials said.

 

“BrightCom’s vision of human communication technology is focusing on the everyday office routine where different groups of people meet to brainstorm ideas, make rapid decisions , and accomplish goals,” Bob McCandless, CEO of BrightCom, told TMCnet. “Lumina Telepresence portrays this vision as the next step in everyday business collaboration by empowering global business to work on a more natural and personal level, cultivating relationships, while simultaneously accomplishing the tasks at hand.”
The Lumina Telepresence line is comprised of multiple offerings that offer integrated telepresence and Web conferencing environments. The L37 is a multi-point, multi-camera, modular telepresence workstation comprised of a work desk, backdrop and private immersive enclosure. The image,at left, shows a mockup of L37 with a private enclosure. The work desk contains a 19-inch component rack mount, power and network ports and a touch panel display for meeting control and administration. The backdrop includes three built-in 37-inch LCD monitors, three high definition cameras, spatial audio technology and speakers. The private enclosure includes acoustically-tuned walls, which enhances the immersive conference room experience.

 

The L37 gives users the feeling of real-life, in-person conversation. It is designed for two to six users with support for all BrightCom technology and industry standard endpoints using SIP. Endpoints include laptops, desktops, conference rooms, telepresence suites and in the future, mobile devices, BrightCom said. 

 

“The L37 is the first of its kind to offer a small telepresence workspace for natural teamwork session. Its immersive environment invites formal and informal conversations with instant and easily accessible interactive data sharing and markup,” McCandless said. “The Lumina Telepresence Console powers the L37 with robust scalability for interoperating with other BrightCom technologies and industry standard systems through SIP allowing these conversations to take place with anyone from around the world.”

 

BrightCom’s L37 uses the Lumina Telepresence Console, which supports HD video broadcasts up to 1080p, CD-quality audio and dynamically scalable bandwidth from 1MBps to 6MBps. Meeting participants can also connect to other BrightCom systems, or any industry standard system using SIP. The Lumina Telepresence Console can also act as a stand-alone device for in-house conference room meetings.

 

Other offerings in the Lumina Telepresence line are scheduled to be released in Q4 of 2009 and in mid 2010, BrightCom said.

 

BrightCom’s Lumina Telepresence compliments its video conferencing solutions including its HD and standard definition ClearView Video Conference Rooms and Mobile Cart Systems, which let businesses and organizations combine video and audio broadcasts with Web conferencing capabilities for large to small conference rooms, office buildings and personal offices.

 

In addition to exhibiting at ITEXPO, BrightCom officials will also participate in a session at the tradeshow.

 

McCandless will present a session called “Adding Video to the Mix” at 10:30 a.m. PT, Wednesday, Sept. 2. During the talk, McCandless will discuss factors driving the short-term and long-term adoption of video in enterprise operations, including the current state of the economy, public health and the growing need for improved communication for geographically dispersed businesses and organizations. In addition, he will explore the future of communication technology and how video conferencing, telepresence and other mediums of video communication will alter the way people interact from their office desktop to their living rooms.

 

ITEXPO is an event for companies in the IP communications industry to network and showcase their offerings. It offers an educational program that teaches resellers, enterprises, SMBs, and government agencies how to select IP-based voice, video, fax, and unified communications to purchase or resell. This is the 10th anniversary of the world’s largest and best-attended IP Communications trade show. The event is expected to draw more than 7,000 attendees this year.