Tandberg and HP step up telepresence force

Conferencing vendor Tandberg has expanded its alliance with HP in a joint development of new-generation telepresence technology.

Under the agreement, HP will invest in improving its managed services to support the extension of telepresence to standards-based high-definition video conferencing endpoints and video network equipment on the HP Halo Video Exchange Network.

Meanwhile, Tandberg will develop additional telepresence endpoint configurations, such as immersive, instant and personal telepresence solutions, and management tools which enable end-to-end managed services across a network.

James Shore, Tandberg’s director of alliances for EMEA, said: “The alliance came up with the HP gateway so that you can initiate a call from any desktop or room system. We will jointly promote open industry standards and try to get all the major vendors involved,” he said.

But some criticise the logic of telepresence vendors. Tim Duffy, founder of PictureTel in Europe (later bought by Polycom) has criticised the way vendors have taken the conferencing industry backwards.

“With telepresence, we are back where we started: dedicated rooms that cost zillions of dollars,” he said.

It is the openness of modern conferencing systems that has created a growing market for videoconferencing, said Martin Cruickshank, managing director of Dunfermline-based conferencing service provider nuVideo, which evolved out of a telecoms reseller, SRS Telecom.

A recent management buyout saw Cruickshank and technical director Neil MacNeil increase their controlling interest, with founding managing director, Stewart Bruce, selling his shareholding.

“We started in telecoms, took on some video conferencing business, and then found that this was the most exciting growth market to be in,” explained Cruickshank.