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All Telepresence - News Story Entries

NLR, Internet2 on TelePresence at Joint Techs

February 8, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
By National LambdaRail

NLR_Internet2_Telepresence.jpgA preview of the new unified Cisco TelePresence service for research and education (R&E), formally announced today by Internet2 and NLR, was provided at last week's ESCC/Internet2's Joint Techs Conference by Ben Fineman (Internet2) and Brent Sweeny (Indiana University, GRNOC and NLR Engineering).

Hotel Guests Checking Into Public Cisco TelePresence Rooms

January 29, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
Tata_Telepresence_locations1.jpg
By James A. Martin

Hotels are in the business of bringing people together, not just giving them a place to sleep. With that in mind, hoteliers around the world are increasingly adding public Cisco TelePresence virtual meeting rooms to their list of business-class amenities.

"The attentive nature of a hotel environment, along with the Cisco TelePresence collaboration technology, makes holding virtual meetings at hotels a great experience," says Neil Clover, chief technology officer for the Americas for Arup, a global design and engineering firm. Over the past year, Arup has hosted 10-15 meetings using Tata Communications' public Cisco TelePresence meeting rooms at hotels and other locations and has additional meetings planned.

Augmented reality: the next generation

January 28, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
augmented-reality-toys1.jpgBy Ciara Byrne

Mobile augmented reality (AR) was a favorite of the tech press in 2009, a year that saw the unveiling of mobile AR browsers from Wikitude, Layar and Metaio. Now that the dust has settled, let's take a look at the current state of the technology and where it will go from here.

Mobile AR browsers currently work by using a combination of the mobile phone's camera, compass and GPS data to identify the user's location and field of view, retrieve data based on the geographical coordinates, and overlay that data over the camera view. This first generation of mobile AR technology had a number of drawbacks which the AR companies are currently tackling.

Anybots Telepresence Robots Go into Mass Production

January 26, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
robots_z.jpgJanuary 25th, 2010 by Aaron Saenz

Can't make that business meeting in another city? Send your robot instead. We've been keeping track of Anybots telepresence robots since they sent one of their QA bots to visit a Singularity University planning meeting. These armless human-sized bots on wheels let you remotely view and interact with people as well as exchange files. You can even let a crowd view the video from a QA by streaming it live through Justin TV. It's the 21st century way to stay in contact or make a PR push without leaving the office. Up to now the QA hasn't been openly available for purchase. That looks like it's about to change. The company's twitter feed just sent out a teaser photo along with the announcement that "Anybots is starting mass production!" Judging by the picture, there's about to be a lot more QAs in the world.

Siemens, Polycom in Video Conferencing Alliance

January 22, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
hand-shake.jpgBy: Jeffrey Burt

The UC alliance between Siemens Enterprise Communications Group and Polycom comes in the middle of other maneuverings in the market, including Cisco's intended acquisition of video conferencing equipment maker Tandberg. At the same time, Mitel is kicking off a bus tour through the United States to show off its UC offerings, including its TeleCollaboration telepresence software.

Heil The New xVC Heir: HVC

January 20, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
christian.timmerer.jpgGuest post by Christian Timmerer

[I've been asked often, during the past two years, what's next on the video coding front. Some people are asking about H.265, the natural heir of the current king H.264; others are just wondering where we're going. To be honest, even for a video coding guy keeping up with the latest trends and turns in the video coding world is a complicated task.

But the "next generation" of video coding is a very interesting topic, not to mention very relevant for this blog. So I asked Christian Timmerer, who I have been following on-line via his excellent blog and twitter, to try and explain where we're going and what's next in the video coding world.]


VideoOverEnterprise.jpgThe xVC Era

BrightCom, Others Sponsor Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Handbook

January 20, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
HPL_Brockmann_Handbook_Cover-thumb-275x355.jpgBy Amy Tierney, TMCnet Web Editor

In an effort to better explain the technical, operational and cultural aspects involved in the world of telepresence and videoconferencing, independent research firm and consultancy, Human Productivity Lab and Brockmann & Company, a customer insight firm, has published the first industry handbook on inter-company telepresence and videoconferencing.
 
"The Inter-Company Telepresence and Video Conferencing Handbook" is designed to inform executives, chief information officers, managers and telepresence and videoconferencing professionals regarding the challenges, opportunities and solutions inter-company telepresence and videoconferencing offers partners, vendors and customers.
 

NES to Avaya, Tandberg (Soon) to Cisco as Industry Consolidation Accelerates

January 17, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
avaya_logo.jpgBy Carl Weinschenk

Two 2009 deals will change things in the unified communications sector. In the bigger picture, they also are steps in a well-established process of industry maturation.

Early in December, Avaya won an auction to buy the assets of Nortel Enterprise Solutions. That deal closed on Dec. 18. On Oct. 1, Cisco announced an agreement to acquire Norwegian telepresence and video conferencing company Tandberg. That deal was well on its way to completion - though not in fact a done deal - as of the last week of December. Cisco's public relations firm said that the deal is expected to close during the first half of 2010.

Why You Should Stop Selling Telepresence!

January 15, 2010 | Howard Lichtman
Here is an interesting article on selling telepresence from Jim Hays, CEO of The Aspire Group which provides sales force development for the Cisco Ecosystem of partners. The wisdom contained within could apply to any telepresence solutions. Thanks to Telepresence Sales Ronin Seth Borus for bringing it to my attention - HSL 

Why You Should Stop Selling Telepresence!
By Jim Hays, CEO - The Aspire Group

Jim_Hays_Aspire.jpg
Telepresence has become a very hot market with a deluge of tough competitors looking to de-throne Cisco from its top market share position. According to ABI Research, the telepresence market is expected to exceed $2.5 billion USD by 2013. These days, almost everybody is out there pushing telepresence.

Precisely because of the fact that everybody is out there pushing telepresence is why you should stop.

Have we lost our marbles? Why in the world would we encourage you to stop selling telepresence?

Telepresence: Who Is Vu Technologies?

January 14, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
zenith-vu-showcase.jpg

By The Var Guy

At first glance, Vu Technologies is a telepresence upstart that has very little experience in the IT channel. But take a closer look and you'll discover that Vu Technologies apparently is a sister company to Zenith Infotech -- a backup and disaster recovery specialist that serves thousands of VARs and MSPs worldwide. Here's the scoop.

The VAR Guy heard chatter about Vu Technologies at CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas. According to a statement that's gone viral on the web:

Sony Expands HD Videoconferencing Family

January 13, 2010 | Chris Payatagool

Source: PRO AV News Service
Publication date: January 13, 2010

By Pro AV Staff

PCS-XG55.jpg
Sony announced its newest HD videoconferencing technology, the PCS-XG55 system, designed to bring high-quality, affordable visual communications to a range of commercial applications, according to the company.

Cheat Sheet: Choosing the Right 3D Technology

January 13, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
Get ready. There's about to be a rush on video systems that display movies, images, and graphical information in three dimensions. Knowing the differences among 3D technologies is a key first step.

Source: ProAV MAGAZINE
Publication date: December 7, 2009

3d_cheatsheet.jpgBEFORE YOU BEGIN: How it Works

Because there's a slight separation between human eyes, each eye sees the same object slightly differently. The difference, known as parallax, is processed by the brain to create depth.

A View From The Road - Volume 4, Number 1

January 11, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
Observations on technology trends from the latest conferences and seminars.

david_danto_glasses.jpgBy David Danto, IMCCA's Director of Emerging Technology. Email David at David.Danto.IMCCA at Danto.com

January 10, 2010

In This Edition:

* CES 2010 - The 3D Show

* The Effects of Smaller / Bigger
* Home Video Conferencing (Or is that Telepresence?)

* Technology Milestones

* New And Notable - From the Show Floor                                   

Greetings from CES 2010 - or "The 3D Show" as most have been calling it, with my temporary new picture above a nod to the return of the days of us all wearing silly looking glasses in public ... but more on that later.

Intel CEO Demos Video Conferencing on a Smartphone

January 11, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
vidyo_160x64px.jpg

Intel CEO Paul Otellini previewed a forthcoming implementation of high-definition video conferencing running on a smartphone at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

During his keynote presentation focused on the future of computing, Otellini showed how advances in processor technologies would make it possible to run even the most demanding applications on smaller devices.

Toshiba unveils TV that converts 2-D to 3-D

January 8, 2010 | Chris Payatagool

Las Vegas, Nevada -- Toshiba on Wednesday unveiled a "smart" TV the company claims will convert 2-D signals into high-resolution 3-D programming.

The ZX900 Series Cell TV models, available with 55-inch and 65-inch screens, will go on sale in the United States later this year. Pricing was not announced.

Toshiba says the LED TV will have the capability to take any 2-D content, including sports broadcasts, movies and video games, and convert it into 3-D in real time.



Seven things you need to know about augmented reality

January 7, 2010 | Chris Payatagool

Smartphones are bringing the once-SF concept of augmented reality into the everyday world

Augmented-reality.jpgAugmented reality: the Nearest Tube iPhone app

Augmented reality is a lively creative mess. Now that smartphones have relieved us from unstylish fantasies of goggles, the technology is finally getting real. In 2010, the world is becoming subtitled, and your future will be augmented.

Augmented reality applications enable users to see additional layers of data when they view normal objects through smartphones or webcams.

Since programming an augmented reality application is easy, every computer student can develop augmented software for a smartphone. Very many of them are. These days, applications mushroom everywhere a bit of augmentable content is to be found.

Cisco bringing high-end videoconferencing to homes

January 7, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
cisco_telepresence_home.jpgNEW YORK/LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Network equipment maker Cisco Systems plans to begin selling later this year a long-awaited, affordable home version of its TelePresence videoconferencing system for corporations.

Cisco said it would team up with phone and Internet service provider Verizon Communications Inc to install the system in U.S. homes. Field trials begin this spring, it said.

Cisco has been expanding from routers and switches to more consumer-oriented products through acquisitions, including its 2006 deal for cable set-top box maker Scientific Atlanta and its more recent plan to buy Norway's Tandberg, the world's leader in videoconferencing equipment.

Panasonic Powers Up HD Visual Communications System

January 7, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
panasonic-kx-vc500-hd.jpgBy Brendan B. Read
Senior Contributing Editor

Panasonic could not have timed the launch of its new Panasonic KX-VC500 HD Visual Communications Solution videoconferencing system any better. Introduced today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it may offer financial and in the wake of added air travel security procedures resulting from the botched bombing of Flight 253, personal relief that firms from expensive and environment-damaging business travel.

Polycom teams with IBM in consumer videoconference

January 7, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
polycom_160x87px.jpgNEW YORK (Reuters) - Polycom Inc said it will work with IBM to introduce videoconferencing services aimed at consumers, competing with Skype and a yet-to-be announced product from Cisco Systems Inc.

The two companies plan to unveil a high-definition video conferencing product later this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Polycom said on Monday.

Skype to offer HD video calling on some new TVs

January 6, 2010 | Chris Payatagool
skype1.pngBy RACHEL METZ

LAS VEGAS - Skype's voice and video calling technology will be embedded in upcoming high-definition televisions with Internet capabilities.

Skype said Tuesday that its Internet phone service will be included in Panasonic's 2010 VIERA CAST-enabled HD TVs and LG's new LCD and plasma HD TVs with NetCast Entertainment Access. The televisions are expected to be available in the middle of the year.

TelePresence @ Home

February 4, 2009 | Chris Payatagool

FOXSexpert: Hooking Up to Internet Sex Toys

November 25, 2008 | John Serrao

Holobama: 'Holograms' greet Election 2008

November 6, 2008 | John Serrao

Home again

September 15, 2008 | Chris Payatagool

War Is Halo

July 28, 2008 | Chris Payatagool

WAN refresh

April 2, 2008 | Chris Payatagool

Just shoot me

February 24, 2008 | Chris Payatagool

Immersed in Work

February 14, 2008 | Chris Payatagool

Presence of mind

January 15, 2008 | Howard Lichtman

Liberate your avatar

December 20, 2007 | Chris Payatagool

Samsung: Next HDTV to Offer 8x Better Resolution

December 18, 2007 | John Serrao

Endless Self-Reinvention in Virtual Worlds

November 28, 2007 | John Serrao

It's Telepresence

November 14, 2007 | Chris Payatagool

Polycom Steps on the High Definition Gas

October 17, 2007 | John Serrao
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