Video Conferencing Equipment

For any business to be successful it must also be able to compete. So being able to meet the demands of their clients quickly is important.  However, many of these businesses are also looking for ways that can help to reduce how much they spend each, yet also want to improve collaboration between them and others.  One of the most effective ways that this can be achieved is through the use of video conferencing equipment.

However, before they go out and spend money on any sort of equipment that enables them to do their video conferences with, there are certain things that must be taken into consideration beforehand.  The first thing they need to consider is what kind of system they want to use.  In order to determine this they need to provide answers to the following questions:

1.  How many people will actually participate in any of the video conferences at the office at any given time?

2.  Will there be a need for any kind of PC based information such as power point presentations to be shared whilst the video call is underway?

3. Will there be a need for more than one site to be called when the conference is taking place?

4. Will any of the calls be made with those outside of the organizations such as other businesses or clients?

5. How much bandwidth do you have available for running the video conferences?  If you are intending to run HD (High Definition) video conferences then you are going to need at least 1MBPS of bandwidth to do so.

6. What sorts of meetings are you intending to be holding using this teleconferencing equipment?  Will it just be the executive’s involved or will other departments such as sales or engineering involved as well? 

Only after these questions have been answered can you the look at the various types of video conferencing equipment available and determine which is best to meet your particular needs.  It is a good idea to actually spend some time comparing the various equipment available.  But at  all times remembering how much you have to spend on the product.

As you will soon discover when it comes to this type of equipment the prices vary quite dramatically.  Some pieces are available for as little as $30 whilst there are many more that will cost you well over $5,000.  Below we take a look at the kind of video conferencing equipment available for less than $200.

1.  Beamer TV Videophone – This one will only cost around $30 and is designed to work with a TV and telephone.  It allows you the ability to add video to any phone calls that you make instantly.  This is certainly the kind of system that small businesses or homes should consider using.

2. Polycom ViaVideo II – This is considered to be the world’s most advanced fully integrated video communication system for web video conferencing for one’s personal use.  At a cost of around $125 this would be perfect for any small business.  It works by connecting to your PC or laptop through use of a USB connection and the design of the interface is such that you will find intuitively that it is simple to use like other applications on your PC or laptop.