The VTEL SETTOP 250’s appliance-style model eliminates the problems
associated with PC-based video conferencing solutions for less than
the cost of a transatlantic first class flight
Recent statistics from BT suggest that the typical manager
driving to and from work and on business travel spends nearly 11
hours behind the wheel each week - two of them stuck in traffic
jams - to travel 232 miles.
It's estimated that today's technology is able to replace seven per
cent of business travel - by 2007, video conferencing is reckoned
to have replaced 20 per cent. VTEL SETTOP 250 is one of the few
professional video conferencing solutions that is also highly
portable. The supplied flight case contains the standalone unit, a
Sony digital camera and enough cables to connect it to every
flavour of ISDN and v.35 port. This is not pocket sized - weighing
over 5 kilos - but even with a laptop and remote control unit, it
fits comfortably into a large flight case.Unlike the majority of
bolt-on video conferencing solutions, operation is smooth and not
overly complex. The appliance model means that configuration
software is not prone to temperamental operating systems or
interference from other PC applications.The user manual is slim,
but well written, and provides a simple 10-step program to connect
the VS250 to another video conferencing unit. Because the unit
supports most of the older H.2xx and the newer H.320 protocols, it
will work with the majority of Professional class, point-to-point
video conferencing systems.In operation, the VTEL operation screens
are written in understandable English, not acronyms, and once
configured, both the operation of the motorised camera, secondary
inputs and volume are all controlled via an intuitive one hand
controller. For speedier operation, you can also use a
keypad.Although the more advanced multimedia and presentation
elements are not included in this scaled down product, the system
does have a second video input so additional content can be
supplied such as a video presentation, an additional audio source
or even a slide projector.Like all video conferencing, the quality
is dependent on how much bandwidth you have. The VST250 scales up
to 384k (three ISDN lines) at which point quality boarders on
average, which is still a 100 times better than the cheap and
unpleasant web-cams.Where this product really shines is in price
and portability. At a sub £4,000 price point, it is the kind of
purchase that a company can rationalise. When you consider that a
first class ticket on BA to Tokyo is probably more expensive, you
only need one "special" deal to justify your TCO on one of these
gems.
Will Garside