Video conferencing is the future. If you doubted it before, certainly application based services like Skype (News - Alert) and Facetime have changed your tune. The barrier to widespread adoption is ultimately the prohibitively expensive software and hardware that power this type of communications. Once only fitting in the budget for enterprise level companies, the use of video conferencing in the consumer space is now driving a need for video support in at the SMB level.
Companies like Surf Solutions want to take advantage of that need.
While Surf has specialized in video coding hardware since its inception, it has recently begun to parlay its knowledge in the space into chip support that can make nearly any network fully capable of utilizing video conferencing tools.
In January, the company released Orion-MCU, which they’re currently displaying it at booth 424 at ITEXPO (News - Alert). The product is available either as a standalone appliance that connects to any IP network providing plug and play conferencing solutions, or as a PCI (News - Alert)-e board, MCU-on-a-blade solution for equipment manufacturers, which can be integrated into any device in order to provide plug and play HD voice and video conferencing. It offers a complete solution for video and voice interoperability, bridging gaps by connecting a wide variety of devices including tablets, smart phones, desktops, hardware phones and room systems that support different codec types, profiles and signaling protocols.
As VP of marketing Niv Kagan explained, “What we did was look at where it makes the most sense to apply our specialty in video coding to. Most of the video conferencing stuff was targeting enterprise. We decided to attack video conferencing at a grassroots level. If you have an IP infrastructure and video devices why do you need a new videoconferencing solution? There should be a way to use both together, that’s what we’re providing.”
Considering how quickly the video conferencing space is expected to expand having a strategy that caters to those who with a less flexible budget seems like a wise investment.
Want to learn more about business video? Then be sure to attend the Business Video Expo, collocated with TMC’s ITEXPO East 2012, happening NOW in Miami, FL. The Business Video Expo highlights the latest strategies and technologies available to executives who are serious about leveraging emerging video communications capabilities to build competitive advantage. By bringing together the industry’s most innovative video technology vendors with end-users who are pioneering the use of video in the corporate environment, the Business Video Expo mirrors a burgeoning market -- no longer just a corporate novelty -- with a growing appetite for learning the best practices in implementing video to make business communications more engaging and effective. For more information on registering for the Business Video Expo click here.
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Chris DiMarco is a Managing Editor for TMCnet. He holds a master's degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University. Prior to joining TMC (News - Alert) Chris worked with e-commerce provider Suresource as a contact center representative and development analyst. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page. Follow him on Twitter (News - Alert) @cpdimarco.
Edited by Rich Steeves