My OTHER video conferencing system is a Telepresence

It seems that everyone is talking about Telepresence these days. In case you have been staying on a different planet for the past year or so, let me give you a brief introduction: Based on an idea by Jeffrey Katzenberg, the famous film producer and CEO of DreamWorks, HP introduced a telepresence solution called Halo two years ago. Halo was a point-to-point, interactive visual communication solution that takes traditional video conferencing one notch higher, especially in terms of size (picture resolution, number of screens) and bandwidth.

The idea is “simple”: create a videoconferencing experience that is as close to a physical meeting as possible, meaning that the participants in the video conference would appear to be sitting in the same room as you. To create such an experience, telepresence systems use high quality video (high definition, “life size”) and audio (multi-channel, surround), put focus on simplicity and high reliability, and focus on a total experience, including furniture, lighting, wall paint, etc.

In the first half of 2006 Cisco’s CEO John Chambers unveiled his company’s telepresence solution, accompanied by a strong marketing campaign promising to provide a communication tool that will serve as a true alternative to corporate travel. In October 2006 Cisco formally announced the Telepresence Meeting System, investing heavily in advertising and bringing telepresence to the notion of everyone (at least in the US).

Since the announcement of these two leading telepresence products, other have hopped on the telepresence bandwagon. There’s even an exhibition: In Telepresence World 2007, for instance, that was held in San Diego in June, over 10 leading vendors, including Cisco, HP, Digital Video Enterprises and Teliris, showcased their Telepresence solutions.

Cisco Telepresence 3000 conferencing room

How is telepresence different than “traditional” video conferencing systems?

For starters, telepresence systems are all about “life size” images of the participants in the conference. Therefore, it uses large display screens, more than one camera, each with its own strictly defined placement in relation to the number of participants in the meeting. In a typical telepresence room, there will be 6 participants sitting in the meeting room and 6 more would be visible on three big screens (two in each screen), which display time in real-size and at a very high quality. Three high-definition cameras are responsible for transmitting the six participants in state-of-the-art quality.

While telepresence systems are very impressive, the ambitious goals they set for themselves force a number of restrictions/problems in regards to such a solution. Firstly, system costs are incredibly high. The initial outlay is anywhere between $40K and $400K. Setup costs include real-estate for all that equipment and network installation. Operating costs, including network maintenance, are very expensive. I would also like to point out that highly reliable, very high bandwidth networks are limited in availability).

Second, interoperability, between different telepresence systems and between telepresence and non-telepresence systems are very limited and in most cases non-existent. And although “traditional” video conferencing companies, such as RADVISION, already offer bridges between telepresence and the “traditional” video conferencing world, this currently limits the use and wide-spread of telepresence systems in enterprises.

And so, after more than 18 months, telepresence systems are here, albeit with a limited market impact. Cisco, for instance, recently reported signing up 52 firms, with an average of 5 telepresence rooms per customer (according to The Economist). As one would expect from a high-end, high-cost product, only a select few can afford it, but those who can pay the price seem rather eager to embrace it.

Nevertheless, telepresence is an extremely interesting technology for everyone. As in other technology-based products, the features you see in today’s high-end products are what you will enjoy in tomorrow’s low-end versions. Think about digital cameras, DVD players and even your car - today we enjoy capabilities and quality of experience that not so long ago were reserved only for the rich and famous.

With time, telepresence will become a commodity, and until then it shows that video conferencing can and will become the primary communication tool in the enterprise world as well the personal. And until we can all use telepresence in our offices, I guess we can hang a sign on our “traditional” video conferencing system, similar to what we used to see on cars, saying: “My OTHER video conferencing system is a Telepresence”.