Significantly, Cisco delivers high-quality audio and video, with little latency, without using too much bandwidth; this helps to keep costs down. This is accomplished through QoS (quality of service) functions that are part of the Cisco networking components.
If an outright purchase of a Cisco telepresence system isn't in the cards, you might consider renting a Cisco Public Suite, available in Santa Clara, Calif., Boston, London, and major cities throughout India.
Donning HP Halo
Halo has an interesting background. Pioneered at DreamWorks Animation, this solution was originally an in-house project for real-time collaboration between studios in California and Europe. HP then commercialized the system, which is offered in three packages: HP Halo Collaboration Studio, Collaboration Meeting Room, and Collaboration Center, all installed on your premises.
HP manages Halo for you, with the idea that participants simply walk into a room and start collaborating. All Halo rooms operate over the Halo Video Exchange Network (HVEN), a dedicated fiber optic network with AES256 encryption. The main difference among systems is the number of participants supported and corresponding construction costs.
Collaboration Studio ($349,000), HP's ultimate solution, is built inside a dedicated space. It includes sound-absorbing wall coverings, broadcast-quality video cameras, and executive table.
Halo Collaboration Meeting Room ($249,000), which easily sits six people, is usually installed within an existing conference room space. This lowers the cost, but you don't sacrifice industrial design. For instance, a specially designed curved front wall (that holds four plasma monitors) helps keep participants' eyes trained on the meeting at hand.
Halo Collaboration Center, available in two- and four-seat configurations ($135,000 for the four-seater), is HP's smallest telepresence solution. Like the other setups, it's permanent, but designed to fit into an executive's office or small conference room. Standard components include a 65-inch plasma monitor, a 42-inch collaboration screen for data sharing, and one camera. Options include a lighting package and overhead camera.
For all rooms, supporting equipment (including audio mixer, frame grabber, scan converter, and control server) is housed in a rack that's out of sight. This reduces noise and minimizes visual distractions.
HP engineered Halo with several other important features. The proprietary three-axis-control camera system automatically follows participants' head movement for better eye contact. Also, a secondary high-definition collaboration channel lets you share presentations and video from laptops with high fidelity.
Much like HP does with its personal computers, a custom graphical user interface (available in 15 languages) helps users connect to multiple locations with a few clicks.
Finally, through an alliance with Tandberg, Halo rooms can connect to standards-based (ITU H.323, H.320, or SIP) videoconference meetings using the HP Halo Gateway.
In addition to one-time room setup costs, Halo Telepresence Service is $18,000 a month (per Meeting Room or Studio) or $9,900 monthly for each Collaboration Center.