Polycom iPower 9800 Brochure page 2

CONFERENCINGBUYER • JUNE 2003
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
Without in any way
compromising the
conferencing and
collaborative capabilities,
Polycom has made it
supremely easy to initiate
and control a streaming
media version of a
conference.
Christine Perey is the president of
PEREY Research & Consulting, Inc.,
a market research and business devel-
opment consulting firm. You may
contact Christine via e-mail at
cperey@perey.com
ergies between these two technologies.
But streaming isn't the only new feature of the iPower 9800 I found I could use.
New Way to Control the Application
Although the intuitive on-screen user interface for the iPower is virtually the same
as in previous iPower generations (and in the TeamStation before that, which I also
liked), the new iPower wireless keyboard and remote control are extremely easy to use
when controlling the system features. I quickly got addicted to the quick keys built-in
above the traditional PC keyboard for call initiation, call termination (hang up) and
zoom. By keeping the color and button size exactly the same on the keyboard and
simplified remote control, Polycom continues to demonstrate an outstanding sense of
industrial design. The new keyboard comes standard with the 9800 and 9400 models
but can also be purchased separately for the 600 and 900 series system users running
5.0 software.
PowerCam Plus
This is the first time I have used the PowerCam Plus camera with Limelight auto-
matic camera pointing technology and I'm afraid I can't go back from here! I've been
liberated, given the opportunity to get up and walk around during a long or particularly
stimulating virtual meeting or presentation without giving the far end the cold shoul-
der. The camera model is the basic difference between the 9800 model which includes
PowerCam Plus, and the 9400 model which comes with the iPower 70 camera.
Built-in 4-port MCU
Another feature that one quickly gets accustomed to is embedded multipoint sup-
port on the terminal. The 9800 comes with a built-in 4-port multipoint bridge, which
can be upgraded to support up to 12 ports on IP, provided bandwidth is available. In
addition to standard embedded multipoint video, the internal MP supports
People+Content functionality, which allows any of the sites in the call (not only host site)
to present content and have full capabilities. People+Content is only available when other
systems in a call have support for People+Content through software version 5.0.
H.264*
The iPower 9000 series with 5.0 software are the first Polycom systems with the pro-
cessor "boost" to run H.264. Based on a precursor of the final specifications due out
later in 2003, H.264* offers higher resolution at sub-512k bandwidths. While a differen-
tiator when the iPower 9000 systems are put in a competitive low bandwidth video
quality test, I already find the H.263 codec implementation in iPowers to offer substan-
tially higher video quality than the video in ViewStations and during my evaluation
wasn't able to perceive a noticeable improvement from the new codec. You might be
wondering why there is an asterix. While Polycom released the iPower 9000 series in late
first quarter 2003 with this codec based on a spec that has yet to be officially ratified by
the ITU, the company is confident that any last minute changes will be minimal and as
soon as the approved specification is available a software upgrade will be released.
Other details
I didn't test the ImageShare II because I don't use a laptop but the tabletop inter-
face comes standard with the 9800 model. I understand that the 9000 series systems
come with a built in DVD drive which might be valuable in some situations. All
iPower models are offered with several network options including ISDN QuadBRI,
V.35, RS-449 or IP. I only tested and used the IP connectivity and found it extremely
easy to configure.
In general, I don't think you can go wrong by upgrading to 5.0 on any iPower; if I
had a board room or large conference room that needed a new videoconferencing sys-
tem, I would not hesitate to put the iPower 9800 at the head of the table.
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