The news has broken (early) that on Monday, October 5th, LifeSize communications will announce a new low-cost videoconferencing solution that is (or will be) Skype compatible – called LifeSize Passport. The early descriptions of this sub $2,500 unit leads me to believe that it may negate the firewall issues that have prevented telephone-like access to visual communications – bringing videoconferencing (telepresence) one step closer to critical mass.
Affordability is one of the first criteria addressed by Passport. A version with LifeSize’s Focus HD camera will be available for $2,499. If you need a pan-tilt-zoom model, you can expect a price tag of around $3,499.
Early indicators suggest that the Passport will deliver 720p resolutions at 30 Frames-per-second. Most users with a cable modem or DSL will be able to realize these HD video and wideband audio benefits if their internet connections are better than 1 Meg up/down.
Hook ups lookd to be simple and straight forward, power, network, video and audio. The Passport should easily to any PC display or HDTV. Skype calling may well be enabled in the near future – though initially audio only, it makes sense at some point to enable video calls (something yet to be made available commercially).
If this is a tipping point for the videoconferencing industry – where does that leave the top-heavy Cisco/Tandberg offering? There are still thousands of conference rooms and meeting spaces that need room-based telepresence offerings, the pie just gets bigger and sweeter!
