Cisco brings TelePresence to home workers

Stuart Corner
Tuesday, 08 March 2011 08:40

Business IT - Networking

Executives in the US, and soon perhaps in Asia, with an adequate broadband connection will be able to take part in corporate telepresence videoconferences from the comfort of their home - thanks to a connection between Cisco's Å«mi home telepresence service and its TelePresence product for the enterprise market.

Cisco launched Å«mi (you me) in the US in October 2010. It is a bundled offering of CPE and service that is designed to enable high definition videoconferencing between family and friends from their homes. At launch users paid $US599 for an HD video camera, console and remote and $24.99 per month for unlimited usage including unlimited online storage of their videos. They had to provide their own HD TV and a broadband service capable of at least 1.5Mbps in both directions for 720p or 3.5Mbps for 1080p.

Cisco now claims to be offering "seamless connectivity between umi and Cisco TelePresence and expansion of consumer TelePresence Portfolio." It says the announcement "paves the way for innovative new video services such as distance learning, telehealth, virtual professional services and community services."

In addition to being available only in the US and only from Cisco, umi can now be offered by service providers. Cisco says that, in the US, Verizon will be launching Å«mi for its FiOS network this year, and that Å«mi is in field trials with service providers in Europe, Latin America and Asia. "There are field trials underway in Korea that connect Cisco TelePresence and Å«mi systems in the home to offer business and government services to consumers through their HDTVs," Cisco says.

Cisco has also expanded the umi product line up with a Cisco Å«mi Connect, a free HD calling client for PC and Macs, currently in trials; Cisco Å«mi 720, a new product that "delivers an immersive telepresence experience with lower broadband requirements, which will be available at $US399;" Cisco Å«mi 1080, the original telepresence offering for the home is now available at a reduced price of $US499 and the service fee for Cisco Å«mi 1080 and 720 has been greatly reduced, to $US99.00 a year, or $9.95 a month. There is no service fee for Å«mi Connect for PC and Mac.

Cisco distinguishes umi from other video chat products saying it was specifically designed for the living room and group-to-group conversations and delivers "a truly immersive and lifelike video experience that fits into every home, automatically adjusting to lighting conditions and background noise to provide the most natural communications experience possible." Both Å«mi 1080 and 720 products offer optical zoom and automatic pan and tilt "to deliver close up and room size experiences."