VideoCentric Challenge Industry Leaders AMX and Crestron with Launch of VC Commander, a Touch Control System for Video Conferencing and Other AV Devic

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What’s the difference between Video Conferencing and Telepresence?

Telepresence picks up where video conferencing left off. Telepresence IS real time, full-high-definition, immersible sound and vision. Telepresence IS most importantly: the feeling of being “there” when you’re “here”. Telepresence is lifelike, video conferencing is not. Telepresence is that hi-line Mercedes AMG, video conferencing is a Ford Escort - Period.

Why Telepresence now?

Video conferencing has been around a while now but has always lacked the feeling we spoke about above. Jumpy computer screens, broken audio and poor lighting add to the impersonal touches of video conferencing (ie slow motion camcorder on top of your computer monitor). Finally, technology, bandwidth, vision and sound have all converged on video conferencing to create the telepresence experience. It’s about time! Crystal clear surround sound and real-time full-high-definition visual effects enhance the feeling of being there – thus telepresence. That nervous twitch, roll of the eyes, sniffle, tap of the foot – things you see when you’re present and sitting across a conference room table – things you don’t see or feel from video conferencing, but do with telepresence.

Today, what “real” uses are there for Telepresence?

There is no short answer even possible here. We’ll name a few, more like we’ll put your imagination to work. Imagine a single specialist doctor in Canada treating patients in Haiti via telepresence. Robots in space doing the actual work while the telepresence operator dons his telepresence helmet and gloves at his workstation in Texas. Meeting your Russian company vice president while you’re in the executive telepresence room at the office in Denver. Just a few…

What are “real” savings of Telepresence?

Your imagination still working on the last answer? Don’t let up yet! What carbon footprint? Don’t need that airplane ticket to go check on your staff in Russia now do you? What lost life in the Iraqi war? Unmanned drones and soldiers via telepresence. Military and combat cost savings? Immeasurable. Less travel costs, airline frustration, fuel, lost time, carbon emissions, etc. Those are tangible, real savings to name just a very limited few.

You starting to see what telepresence can do that video conferencing can’t? We hope you see what we’re seeing! Telepresence – its time has arrived!

Check out the video thread in Section 8 of the Telepresence Forum where you can watch some Telepresence YouTube videos! If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million!

Ride on the "Next Plane of Existence" TM

London (PRWEB) February 6 2008 -- VideoCentric to challenge industry leaders AMX and Crestron with launch of VC Commander a touch control system for video conferencing and other AV devices.

VC Commander, designed, developed and distributed by VideoCentric, is a Touch Screen controller for all modern VideoConferencing systems and their associated peripherals. Like higher cost alternatives from AMX and Crestron, the VC Commander can be tailored to suit a specific environment, but has been developed as an off-the-shelf package to control a wide range of Plasmas and LCDs, Projectors, Amplifiers, Visualisers, Auxiliary PTZ Cameras, DVD/Video recorders as well as the most popular VC Codecs.

All the leading manufacturers systems are supported including Tandberg, Polycom, Lifesize, SONY, Emblaze-VCON, Canon, NEC, Samsung, HP, Panasonic, Pioneer, Hitachi, Toshiba, Elmo, Wolfvision, Sanyo, Sharp, Philips and others.

David Shimell, Sales Director for VideoCentric, said, "Some customers own many different video conferencing systems with a confusing set of different remote control handsets & on-screen menus. VC Commander offers consolidation of look and feel for all systems, making it easier for users to become familiar with their controls regardless of which manufacturer's hardware they use". He went on to add "Rather than having to search for different remote controls for different functions, eg recoding your conference, operating a second PTZ camera etc, all actions can be undertaken from the one touchscreen. Unlike well known alternatives from AMX and Crestron, the new VC-Commander is MS Windows based for ease of maintenance and adding new modules, and the hardware platform is one which can fit in with your own corporate buying policy, eg Compaq, Dell, HP etc, or you can select an off-the-shelf package from VideoCentric with a choice of touch screens to suit your environment".

VC Commander is available in wired or wireless forms and can control a variety of devices including VC codec, SKY box, DVD, VCR, Plasma, LCD display, Projector & Projector-screen. If customer policy is to always buy one brand of PC, then VC-Commander fits perfectly. It can be purchased as a PC-less integration pack and the control software can be loaded on to your nominated PC. Alternatively VCC is installed by VideoCentric or one of its approved integration partners as complete solution with a 7" or 12" touch panel tablet built into a wireless Samsung or HP notebook PC. In hard-wired form a wider range of touch-screens includes 12", 15", & 17" models, most self standing, and some with wall or table mount fittings.

VC Commander runs under Microsoft(R) XP or Vista operating systems (licence included) and is additionally supplied with MicroSoft(R) Excel, Word and Powerpoint Viewers. Provided data sharing has been enabled on the VideoConferencing system, the VC Commander Control screen can be hidden and data sharing can begin from the same wireless tablet. No need for hardware data sharing pods or further wires cluttering the boardroom table.

For classroom and training room use, customers may wish to drive their PC from a touch-screen surface regardless of whether or not they are in a video conference, so VideoCentric has coupled its VCC with the SMART Sympodium, a 17" LCD panel-based touch controller which works in conjunction with a PC to allow interactive annotation and control of PC-applications. Being supplied with SMART Notebook suite & image gallery, it is ideal for interacting with data on a large or out-of-reach projector screen, an environment in which standard SMARTBoards are unsuitable.

Ahead of its February 2008 launch, VC Commander has already undergone several successful installations not only in VideoConferencing environments, but also in AV and Training environments previously popular with Crestron and AMX. One of the first live VCC applications installed by VideoCentric at a customer site was Dental Training application whereby 11 PTZ cameras and various screens needed to be managed from the system in addition to other devices. This has been so successful that orders for other similar projects have already been taken based on word of mouth recommendation. In a separate AV Boardroom application, VCC has been installed with wall-mounted 12" touch controller to replace an aging AMX system.

About VideoCentric

VideoCentric is a supplier of world-class videoconferencing and streaming products from Emblaze-VCON, Tandberg, Lifesize, Sony, Polycom, Aethra, Codian, RADVision and Exterity complimented by a wide range of plasmas, LCDs, and projectors and SMART Interactive Whiteboards. Its engineers have a wealth of design and development expertise and have been closely associated with R&D for the last 27 years. Its installation and training team is fully accredited with all its major manufacturers and spans the whole of England, Scotland and Wales with offices in the Thames Valley and central Edinburgh and an operations depot in Lancashire. For more details about VideoCentric go to www.videocentric.co.uk

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