Still cleaning out draft blog posts…
In March I had a long conversation with a representative from Vidyo (a software company) because I want to understand where videoconferencing is going, and what options may be coming down the pike to do curriculum videoconferencing on a scale in every classroom. Before you read my scribbles, review this:
- Watch the “vidyo” right on the home page of Vidyo. It’s only a minute long.
- Review the three trends in videoconferencing.
- Vidyo review by TelBit Consulting Technical Blog: January & April update
Trend
- There is a movement to push the processing to the endpoint instead of the MCU: i.e. the Vidyo endpoint (desktop software).
What is SVC?
- SVC is scaleable videoconferencing – but it doesn’t seem to connect to other svc vendors
- Vidyo licensed their technology to Google and Cisco, but those are then proprietary, so they don’t connect to each other. I don’t really understand that yet.
- Vidyo is using annex 6 part of the h.264 standards suite
How Do You Connect?
- Connecting to other sites is done with a guest link (sending a URL). It uses up a $5 software install for them to download and install it, or if they have it already it doesn’t cost anything… (you prebuy the software licenses).
- To call in with H323 you dial alias@IP of of the gateway.
- To call out to an H323 site it’s extension plus IP of the other site.
Cost Structure
I probably shouldn’t share the costs they gave me because they will change. But here’s what you’re looking at:
- A per seat per year cost
- A gateway server to connect to H323
- A software license for the number of ports you want / multipoint calls
- A portal server to manage the seats and licenses
I’m not sure about Vidyo for curriculum videoconferencing. There’s a lot of content providers out there via H323 that you would need the gateway server for; and if just a school bought that, you might as well get a nice H323 videoconferencing cart for the cost of the gateway server. But would it make sense to do this at a regional level? For a regional just getting started with VC? I don’t know.
Have any of you tried Vidyo and what do you think of it?
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