Endpoint vendors beware! LCD manufacturers are breathing down your necks!

There is a growing trend that is placing video conferencing endpoint vendors on a collision course with LCD makers: In recent years, endpoint vendors have started to provide high-end video conferencing clients built into LCD monitors to executives. As technology becomes cheaper, they will start providing these monitors to all employees - not only to executives.

On the other end, the LCD vendors are facing fierce competition with ever-shrinking margins. This competition has forced these vendors to search after added value features they can bring out to increase their revenue. Video conferencing is a compelling feature for the enterprise market - this is why companies like Samsung and Asus have begun testing the waters with such products.

LCD Monitors for video conferencing are here!

Asus, for its part, has just unveiled a new 24″ LCD monitor. Essentially, it is a 24″ HD display with camera and microphone built into it - you can find the technical spec for it on Asus website. I’m excited about this announcement for one reason in particular: it shows the market for video conferencing packaged in LCD monitors is heating up.

In the past I have blogged about the Samsung SyncMaster 220TN - another video conferencing LCD monitor, but with an embedded thin client.

Samsung or Asus?

If we compare these two products, but leave out all the interesting details of resolution, megapixals, luminosity and the rest, and focus, instead on functionality, then this is what we get:

• Both displays have integrated cameras, speakers and microphones on them. The Asus MK241H can also be tilted up and down, which is nice.
• The Samsung SyncMaster 220TN also comes with an integrated Ethernet plug, which is dedicated to video conferencing.
• The Asus monitor can be used for video conferencing without any additional peripherals besides a PC with a video conferencing client. The Samsung monitor, on the other hand, IS the conferencing client - no need for anything else.

There are two different paths these companies have taken, at least for now.

• Samsung builds integrated video conferencing clients.
• Asus builds monitors that can be used with PCs that have software video conferencing clients.

The way to go is by integrating video conferencing clients into LCD monitors, especially when bringing it to the context of the competition with endpoint vendors: Requiring people to install software clients on PCs is a lot of hassle which enterprise IT organizations will not like.

Looking forward, I believe LCD vendors will probably dominate this market due to their lower prices and larger quantities, bringing video conferencing to the masses.