By Tim Kridel Special to InfoComm International Videoconferences frequently include confidential information, so the last thing clients want is someone eavesdropping. Meanwhile, digital signage done right can attract lots of eyeballs, which actually makes it attractive to hackers looking to embarrass a company by putting inappropriate content on-screen. “Digital signage content is increasingly Web-based; the […]

So you’re telling me hardware is dead… Every time a new software video conferencing product hits the market, I hear the cries that hardware is dead in our industry. Cloud (Internet) services are all the rage, but the continual cry of hardware being dead from software vendors is stale and has run its course. Maybe […]

“Stop selling my products” — This would be my new tagline if I were to move back into sales. This may sound like a stupid statement for a sales person to say but bear with me for a little bit.  I can think of a million resellers that can sell my products exactly the way […]

We tend to forget that video conferences are supposed to be a technological way to have meetings. Gadgets, gadgets, more gadgets and expensive widgets are getting in the way of us just sitting down and having a meeting. The worst culprit of all is the PTZ camera. The PTZ, by its name alone reminds us […]

By Brad Grimes Director of Editorial Services, InfoComm International Have you seen the new TV advertisements for GoToMeeting, the online collaboration tool that most of us have probably used at one time or another? The company is highlighting videoconferencing integration and touting reduced travel as a top benefit. Been there? Done that? I probably don’t […]

By David Danto Director of Emerging Technology, IMCCA A funny thing happened to me last year. I woke up early at a hotel in the middle of a business trip because I had to give a presentation to a client. I ate some breakfast in my room, showered and dressed and then gave that presentation […]

Last week I published a blog on the Internet of Things and convergence, basically highlighting two companies — Cisco and Google as those leading the way in IoT and IT. However I felt the need to clarify that while I mentioned the cloud collaboration environment that Cisco has built through acquisitions as strategic to an overall […]

ClearOne is launching a new set of so-called “all-in-one COLLABORATE appliances,” as well as a cloud-based collaborations service at InfoComm here in Vegas. Called Spontania, the cloud-based solutions include virtual video switching (via the network), videoconferencing, a 9-party MCU, streaming, recording and content creation and presentation. All of it will be sold as a cloud-based […]

New solutions continue to enter the market at a rapid pace and if all were taken into consideration, it’s altogether possible that this series could go on for months. However, due to the fact that I’ve set it to end prior to InfoComm we are coming to the last few chapters. So far all companies […]

Well, June approaches again, and with it, among other things, comes the InfoComm show. And I don’t mean InfoComm Patagonia or InfoComm New Zealand or whatever they’re up to these days. I mean the original, accept-no-substitutes, convince-the-boss-I-NEED to-go, InfoComm show. Actually, that’s not to disparage InfoComm’s ever-widening pantheon of AV shows around the world. I […]

By Tim Kridel Special to InfoComm International WebRTC is one of the hottest topics in pro AV, with plenty of hand-wringing about whether it will commoditize video conferencing or grow the market by creating more endpoints that SIP and H.323 systems can connect to. Either way, it’s clear that there’s already enough customer interest that […]

IMCCA, the videoconferencing and telepresence association, has announced its training schedule for InfoComm 2014. Sessions include: State of the Industry Lunch and Learn: Wednesday June 18th, 12:15 PM – 2:00 PM Join industry experts and senior executives as they address the latest issues related to conferencing, collaboration, and unified communications. How are mobility and interoperability […]

Zoom hopes to transformation of room-based conferencing with the launch of ZoomPresence. ZoomPresence is the Zoom application that runs on a Mac Mini with touchscreen functionality, and claims to offer five things: Easy set up — Zoom can be set up within minutes by connecting your HD camera, touchscreen and monitor(s) to a Mac mini; […]

OK, I’ll admit it, I’m a social media junkie. Without social media, I’m not sure I’d have even been doing such a series in the first place — I’ve gotten a very good idea of what the companies involved in this bring to the table either through certain individuals or collectively. And this company is […]

OK, here we go with the first in a series on numerous participants in the new market of disruptive technologies. The groundwork has been laid in the prologue that was published late last week, you may want to first refer back to that if you haven’t read it yet to get set up for the […]

Clary Icon has released an all new OneScreen system dubbed the h1, with the “h” standing for hubware. Clary Icon’s OneScreen h1 is still an interactive, flat touch panel, l but now it’s integrated with collaboration BYOD features. The company says it’s platform agnostic and built on open architecture for complete compatibility and interoperability. The […]

Vidyo announced details of a partnership with Google – a software-based solution that enables H.323/SIP video conferencing and IP PBX systems to connect users into Google+ Hangout Sessions. The new product will extend usability by allowing connectivity with existing business voice and video solutions from Cisco, Polycom, Lifesize, Avaya and Vidyo. VidyoH2O for Google+ Hangouts […]

Before the doors closed on the 2014 edition of the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) last week in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, nearly every exhibitor already knew it was a record show. NEC reported to us on Day 2 of the show that they’d seen a 40 percent increase on leads on Day 1 over 2013’s totals. […]

Did you know that it’s possible to remotely locate videoconferencing cameras — including video, control, audio and VISCA Loop — up to 100 meters from the VTC codec? Well, thanks to Sound Control Technologies and its new RemoteCam3X, you can put a VTC camera anywhere you want one. Using standard low resistance UTP wire, the […]

Last week Ryan Pinke joined a new tradition in proclaiming the video conference Codec dead. In my own look ahead I posited a potential future free of boxes, in which software solutions largely replace dedicated appliances. Is Pinke right on this one? Have we reached, or are we nearing the end of hardware? I don’t […]

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) has become quite common in the IT world of large organizations. However, BYOD has not been adequately applied to video conference rooms. Vaddio is out to the change the face of video conferencing for the better by creating “adaptable” systems. Vaddio introduced its GroupSTATION and HuddleSTATION at Infocomm 2013. While […]

ClearOne has agreed to buy cloud collaboration company Spontania from Spain-based Dialcom Networks, S.L. in an all-cash deal for €3.65 million (approximately $5 million USD). Spontania is a software-based cloud collaboration solution that combines video conferencing and web conferencing into a single enterprise solution that can scale to 10,000+ users. This will expand ClearOne’s videoconferencing […]

New VC technology lets everyone into the party It always amazes me the calls I get from very large organizations and universities making the comment “We don’t want Cisco or Polycom endpoints.” At first I thought this was just a few fringe organizations, but it is becoming all too common request as of lately. While […]

By Monica Heck Special to InfoComm International Whether you call it simply unified communications (UC) or you also throw collaboration into the mix (UCC), it’s clear that this years-old-yet-bleeding-edge technology has finally gained its footing. Even if you struggle to define the collection of videoconferencing, chat, email and other solutions that fall under the UC […]

The SMART Room System, the integrated hardware and software solution that supports Microsoft Lync in the meeting room, is now shipping. SMART claims it already has hundreds on back order. SMART says the conferencing solution simplifies the collaboration experience for both virtual and face-to-face meeting participants and provides a seamless online experience through sharing of […]

Infonetics Research has released excerpts from its 2Q13 Enterprise Telepresence and Video Conferencing Equipment report, which tracks dedicated and PBX-based video conferencing and telepresence infrastructure and endpoints: There’s now evidence the videoconferencing market is bouncing back. “After a tumultuous 2012 that saw growth in the videoconferencing market screech to a halt, sales returned to year-over-year […]

Clary Icon, manufacturer of the OneScreen system that’s aimed at SMART Technologies’ users as well as those of the InFocus MondoPad, announced today that it is now offering OneScreen in a 40” screen size. OneScreen is basically an HD video, audio and web conferencing system with a multi-touch interactive screen. OneScreen is interoperable and built […]

Pexip today announced the general availability of Pexip Infinity, a scalable software platform that provides personal meeting rooms for any number of users on video, voice and mobile. Pexip Infinity is a purely software-based, virtualized solution that can be deployed and scaled as required. The complementary Pexip mobile application for iOS provides conference participants with […]

There’s been a lot of attention lately around using video conferencing during the interview process — mostly negative. Even Fox News is saying it’s bad. I don’t agree. And while, I personally haven’t commissioned a study like DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University did (Video Killed the Interview Star), I have seen real-world examples […]

By Darcy Harrell CEO, Total Marketing The palatable excitement from June’s InfoComm is slowly starting to wane. The thrill of new technology and product introductions, as well as the entrance of new market players, has been replaced as the doldrums of the everyday demo, quote, close rhythm takes over. In North Texas, it’s hot… and […]

        To see a list of all the awards we are giving as part of our 2013 rAVe Best of InfoComm awards, click here. To see all our of InfoComm 2013 coverage, click here. Best New Videoconferencing Product: Polycom RealPresence Room Solutions’ 500 Series The RealPresence line covers from desktop to room […]

        To see a list of all the awards we are giving as part of our 2013 rAVe Best of InfoComm awards, click here. To see all our of InfoComm 2013 coverage, click here. Best Videoconferencing Accessory (tie): Vaddio HuddleStation and GroupStation; Sound Control Technologies RemoteCam3 Vaddio HuddleStation and GroupStation: Vaddio’s HuddleSTATION […]