Codian Mixes Standard- and High-Definition Conferencing

Video conferencing vendor Codian on Dec. 4 sought to raise the bar on the quality of conferences for mixed standard and high definition conferences.

Recognizing that participants are often on different types of equipment and use different network connection speeds, the London-based company developed a new Multipoint Control Unit conference bridge that can accommodate those differences.

Existing competitors force users to settle for the highest quality that the least-equipped participant is using, according to Will MacDonald, general manager for the Americas at Codian in San Jose, Calif.

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"We let everyone individually connect at whatever speed they can manage and well work with what they come in at. We compose what they want and send it at the best quality and speed they can handle," he said.

To read more about high definition video conferencing, click here.

The new Codian MCU 4500 series of multipoint bridges support full-motion, high definition, continuous presence conferencing with a mix of SD (standard definition) and HD endpoints.

The MCU 4500 series works with both ISDN and IP connections; does not restrict the number of conferences, supports multiple vendors HD end points and supports true HD video.

The MCU 4500 series of bridges next generation DSPs (Digital Signal Processors) enable the series to provide 10 times the MIPs of Codians existing MCUs.

It supports 702 pixels at 30 frames per second, although it can scale to support the same resolution at 60 fps or 1080 pixels at 30 fps.

Codian with the new MCUs is targeting applications that require HD telepresence such as telemedicine, distance learning and corporate training.

The MCU 4500 series includes an integrated streaming server, video firewall, scheduler and gatekeeper.

With the video firewall, "you can connect internal networks on one port and external on another port so people can join in from outside without having to open up your corporate firewall," MacDonald said.

The streaming server allows users to stream the conference to allow participants to see content without video conferencing equipment.

"You could have one person on real video conferencing equipment and everyone else can watch it on their PC as a stream," said MacDonald.

The MCU 4500 series is due in January and is priced at about $6,500 per port. Units come in 12- 20- and 40-port models.

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