Unified communications solutions are striving to reach new levels of audio, video and data transmission quality in an effort to boost the collaborative capabilities of the modern enterprise.

The applications for these advanced communications tools are wide-ranging – from manufacturing and design to tele-medicine, education and even disaster operations.

Polycom Inc., of Pleasenton, Calif., recently introduced the Ultimate HD collaboration architecture, a virtual meeting technology that the company claims rivals face-to-face interaction through the use of high-definition television, advanced audio and high-quality multimedia.

With as little as a 1 Mbps transfer rate, the system provides ATSC-standard HDTV at 1280 x 720 video at 60 frames per second. IP audio is delivered at 22 kHz under the company’s StereoSurround format.

“UltimateHD is a combination of voice, video, content and the infrastructure wrapped around it for a truly high-definition experience,” said Laura Shay, director of product marketing at Polycom’s (News - Alert) video division, during an interview with TMCnet. “It provides a level of decision-making in real-time because participants can see the detail and life-like motion they couldn’t see before.”

The system is built on a number of discrete components that Polycom has been developing over the past several years. The heart of the system is the MGC/MGC+ multipoint bridge capable of carrying up to 90 concurrent interactive HD sessions. Earlier this year, the company added the RSS 2000 recording and streaming server. At VON last month, the company introduced a new HD voice system featuring the SoundPoint IP 650 handset.

The most recent addition is the Polycom HDX video platform consisting of video processing systems, multipoint control units, video and data streaming and playback components and integrated voice endpoints.

Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., is one of the first organizations to deploy the HDX system as an educational tool for the school’s 33,000 students.

“Wayne State University is incorporating Polycom HD video into its collaboration environment in order to offer the most realistic experience possible over video," said David Fleig, the university’s project manager for computing & information technology in a press release. "At our remote locations our goal is to replicate the look and feel of the main campus and HD video will go a long way to helping achieving that.”

Polycom is partnering with Avaya (News - Alert), Microsoft (News - Alert), Alcatel (News - Alert) and IBM (News - Alert) in the hopes of porting the UltimateHD architecture onto their respective unified communications environments.

Shaw said initial deployments of the UltimateHD architecture will be handled largely through distributors and integrators.

“We’re looking largely at corporate-level board rooms, integrated tele-medicine rooms and other complex environments,” she said. “We expect the our integrator community to come in with high-end displays, touch panels, extensive lighting and other components to provide the best experience possible.”

Within the coming year, however, Polycom is looking to introduce more plug-and-play features at a lower price point: $10,000 to $12,000, as opposed to the $20,000 and up for the full system.

Also on tap is a high-definition executive desktop system based on the HDX 9000 video platform.

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Arthur Cole is a freelance journalist specializing in the high-tech communications and information field.