LifeSize Express and Team MP: dramatic prices for High-Definition Video Conferencing
Friday, October 26th, 2007LifeSize just announced the LifeSize Express and LifeSize Team MP High Definition Video Conferencing and they look Hot!
For a long time, LifeSize offered good high-definition video conferencing for about the same price as Polycom’s top-selling video conferencing (the standard definition VSX-7000 line). Polycom’s HDX line is definitely better if you have to have the top-quality audio and video for your impress-at-all-cost conference room, but at such a high price you would have to really cost-justify the purchase.
Now LifeSize has high-definition video conferencing for small, medium, and large businesses that is substantially lower in price than Polycom, even with the new Polycom HDX8000 line. It even costs less than Polycom’s old standard-definition VSX-7000! You can now buy high definition video conferencing while saving money.
What do you give up for the savings in price?
Well, Polycom’s equipment has more audio and video inputs. If you aren’t skilled at connecting equipment, this could be important. However, contact Video Communications and we can select what you need to connect everything you would want (such as DVD player, VCR, PC or Macintosh computers, iPods, cable TV). There are also differences in camera focus speed and color balance, according to Wainhouse reviews.
All Video Communications price quotes for LifeSize video conferencing equipment include the cables and adapters for connecting everything you need, and LifeSize models are substantially lower priced than Polycom or Tandberg.
How can LifeSize offer HD for so much less?
The LifeSize entire product line was designed newly, to match the high computing requirements for high definition video conferencing. The computing power improvements in the last few years, while costs have kept going down, mean that LifeSize can process faster video streams, with better compression and improved audio quality.
(Tandberg, on the other hand, is stuck trying to do high definition on a computing platform that can not handle the data, and has to drop to lower video quality in conferences that have even low levels of motion. Research “Static Macro Blocks” for more.)
Polycom is the market leader, and is focused on the highest quality video and audio. They have kept improving their product line, with little need to reduce prices. (While the new HDX8000 series lists for substantially less money than the earlier and more powerful HDX9000 series, each model offered still has a list price $7,000 more than the comparable LifeSize model. Both Polycom and LifeSize announced the new models in October 2007.)
Which would we recommend?
Video Communications will help you evaluate what equipment to get for the level of video conferences you plan to need. We suggest innovative ways of integrating video conferencing throughout your business, beyond using it for just management meetings like most companies do. For most scenarios we have evaluated, over the last 5 years, the greatly lower cost of the new LifeSize Express or LifeSize Team MP video conferencing equipment is compelling.
As an example, for a 5-site company, we recommended 1 LifeSize Room with 4-way Continuous Presence / 6-way Voice Activated Switching multipoint; 1 LifeSize Team MP w/Phone; and 3 LifeSize Express systems w/Phone, all with 42″ monitors. We included video selector boxes for connecting multiple Component and HDMI video sources, and easily selecting between them. They wanted our 90-Day Implementation, Training & Support Program. They also got document cameras, and software to connect via webcams when outside the office. The full system complete with all hardware cost less than $75,000!
If you have interest in using video conferencing equipment effectively in your organization, call us at 415-398-0980 and we will discuss what will work for you. Or, Contact VCI.
No Rating