You tell me JW. The point is that many companies are catching up to or passing whatever capabilities SOE's systems have/had. There is a lot of news coming out of the Telecon show on VTC's. Prior to the current debacle, my concern was always that SOE carve out a niche for themselves while they still had an edge. And that edge, if it ever existed, is disappearing fast:
Jerry
Tuesday October 29 2:43 PM EDT
VCON announces industry's highest performance H.320 desktop
videoconferencing system
ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 1996
Up to 26 FPS over BRI and full motion video over 3xBRI
Today at Telecon XVI, VCON announced that its new videoconferencing system, the ARMADA Cruiser 150 System,
provides the highest quality desktop videoconferencing available on the market.
It features up to 26 frames per second over BRI (128 Kbps), at full CIF resolution. This frame rate breakthrough from one
of the leading videoconferencing vendors represents a significant step in delivering cost-effective performance to businesses
which require the best possible video quality.
The ARMADA Cruiser 150 system also features a half-size PCI codec board for easy installation. The product's codec
board contains an onboard ISDN BRI interface, and its user software provides connectivity to a wide variety of LAN and
WAN environments, including 3xBRI, V.35/RS449, Switched-56, ATM and Ethernet, at data rates of up to 384 Kbps for
true full-motion video.
Dual switchable video/audio inputs are provided to support peripheral devices. This enables users to easily switch between
document cameras, VCRs, and laser disk players, depending on their applications.
Included in the Cruiser 150 package is a free bundle of DataBeam's FarSite T.120 collaborative software. Microsoft
NetMeeting support will be provided by year's end. A Software Developers' Kit (SDK) allows users to develop customized
videoconferencing software applications. The ARMADA Cruiser 150 System runs under Windows 95, with an upgrade to
Windows NT4.0 available in early Q2 1997.
Additionally, the ARMADA Cruiser 150 can function as an ISDN modem. The onboard BRI circuit supports a standard
WinISDN driver, which enables common Internet applications to be integrated. Users can download information at high
speeds off the World Wide Web, and then use the same product to launch a high-quality videoconference call.
Paul Lien, president of TwentyEleven Inc., a company which integrates videoconferencing products in the banking industry,
sees a strong fit between the Cruiser 150's capabilities and his organization's future direction. "A key factor for banks to
adopt videoconferencing technology is the ability to project something that looks like a real human being on the video screen,
with high resolution and high video frame rates at or near broadcast quality. The new VCON product represents a big step in
this direction."
The list price for the ARMADA Cruiser 150 is $1,895, sold through VCON distributors. The product will be available for
delivery Nov. 15.
VCON is one of the leading manufacturers and marketers of desktop videoconferencing hardware and software products in
the industry. VCON sells its ARMADA line throughout North America and worldwide. For additional information about
VCON and the ARMADA Cruiser 150 System, please contact Stephanie Cahen at 972-735-9001 x100.
CONTACT: VCON, Inc.
Mike Clifford
214/735-9001 ex. 103
mikecl@vcon.com
or
PR@VANTAGE
Ilene Wiener
201/461-1400
pr_vantage@mindspring.com |
