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A few weeks ago my dear friend Tsahi wrote a rather provocative post saying there’s no innovation any more in video conferencing (“Nothing New Under The Sun“). I like Tsahi’s writing, but what I find truly amazing is that that same week the good people at Wainhouse Research, analysts Andrew Davis and Ira Weinstein, wrote an interesting piece for WR subscribers titled “It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Videoconferencing System“.

Tsahi wrote:

“…The hard truth is that for the last couple of years there is no real innovation in the video conferencing industry.

We’re marketing and selling the same solution we did years ago. It’s a bit faster, maybe a bit better, but that’s all…”

While the WR paper says:

“During 2008 and 2009, several of the leading videoconferencing equipment suppliers have introduced next-generation endpoint systems that provide users with many new and important benefits. While the 25 years of the videoconferencing industry can be characterized, if nothing else, by continuous improvement in audio and video performance, the latest generation of endpoints embed so many improvements that it is worthwhile to summarize these developments…”

Where Does The Truth Lay? Read On!

So where does the truth lay? As usual, in between these fine folks. And I’ve taken the liberty of pointing out and assessing some of these improvements and innovations, so you can come up with your own take on things at the end of this post.

Resolutions, Resolutions

First of those improvements/innovations, are the new resolutions, that all parties agree that totally changed the way video conferencing looks and feels. And it’s not just high definition itself – most video conferencing infrastructure today allows users to utilize various resolutions between 1080p (1920×1080) and qCIF (176×144), to fully optimize their experience for their needs.

It’s true that not all endpoints and MCUs support all resolutions, but if you find one that is vendor-agnostic, and can bridge the different endpoints seamlessly, then your experience is a whole lot better today than it used to be two years ago.

A1080p CP layout on RADVISION’s SCOPIA Elite, at InfoComm09.

More FPS

60 frames per second (fps) is the latest hype in video conferencing. One can argue that this is more of the same, but doubling the standard rate used for sampling the incoming video stream can help with both the quality of motion in the video and the latency (delay).

Many argue that 60fps should be the new 30fps, before we rush into bigger resolutions. Some even speculate that 720p@60fps would look better than 1080p@30fps (and I agree). Bottom line is that it will take time for endpoints and bridges to support it, but when they do it can dramatically improve the experience we enjoy today.

HD Voice

Next in line we have High Definition Audio. This has been on prime time ever since Jeff Pulver started the hype around HDComms. Yes, it’s a superior codec/technology. No, I don’t think it will make a difference.

I’ve been in tons of conferences, and never felt that the audio quality was hurting my experience. It’s quite cool to talk about CD-quality sound and voice channels that can support music and rich media, but if it was up to me, I would invest all that energy in other directions.

The Next Big Thing? Wait and See.

Other than these, we have a few nice features on everyone’s feature list (or to-do list): high definition, full motion content sharing; embedded video bridges; dual stack (H.323 and SIP) support. All very nice, but you can’t really talk about those as innovative.

What I am missing, with all due respect to the video conferencing industry and the long tradition of innovation, is something that will (again) bring a dramatic change to the experience we all know and love.

3DPresence Concept Design. Details next week.

I believe many are working on such innovations, and I expect to see such innovations in the near future. In fact, in my next post I will be sharing here a few interesting bits on what I believe will be the next big thing: 3D Video Conferencing.