VoiceCon 2009: Polycom boosts HD video, adds Microsoft device to UC lineup

Polycom has announced HD video enhancements to its telepresence solutions and a deal to sell Microsoft's RoundTable high-end video conferencing device.

New HD video telepresence formats for Polycom's RealPresence Experience (RPX) and Telepresence Experience (TPX) are 1080p and broadcast-quality 720p (60 frames per second). The 1080p and 720p video formats are becoming de facto standards within the telepresence community. Polycom also supports 720p at 30 frames per second and standard definition resolution (480p or DVD) quality; SD starts at just 256 Kbps of bandwidth.

Polycom will sell the Microsoft RoundTable device starting April 13, 2009. The product will be named the Polycom CX5000 Unified Conference Station and will be available through Polycom and its channel network. Polycom will provide full support once it starts selling the device; existing RoundTable owners will be supported by Microsoft.

The CX5000 is a plug-and-play device connecting to a PC through a USB connection and is designed for enterprises that use Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007 or Office Communications Server 2007 and want a simple way to add audio and visual communication to the aforementioned Microsoft software packages 2007. Users get a combination of content, a panoramic 360-degree view of the entire meeting room and a separate view of the active speaker. List pricing for the CX500 is $4,500.

Both parties come out ahead on this deal. Polycom gets a unique product it can move through its channels while Microsoft gets to shed a device that doesn't really fit into its core mission.