Video Conferencing Equipment Recommendations

Bryan Mitchell, not only is he a Tanberg person, he is also is one of the best AMX/them programmers in Canada. I believe that he also helped or had a say in the Tandberg protocol.

Frankie wrote:

We do both and have had good luck with both.

Both what?

- Chip

If you're using a modero that has an RGB input card, and there is already a computer nearby, you could consider using a PC-based application from Polycom or VCon, which only requires the use of a small web camera. Your control would be via G4CC to control the PC and the application.

If you're considering using a hardware-based video codec, consider one available from Polycom or Tandberg. These are much larger devices, but could be remotely mounted and controlled by a netlinx module. There are both set-top and rackmount codecs available that can use either S-Video or VGA for video output. You will need an NTSC camera, a microphone, and a line-level microphone pre-amplifier to connect to most (but not all) systems. Be very careful looking at inputs, outputs, and RS-232 port availability, as this varies between models.

Polycoms come with a proprietary microphone that connects with a proprietary cable to the system, with additional line-level inputs for microphones/mixers. Tandbergs use any professional microphone.

Both Polycom and Tandberg also offer 15-17" LCD integrated desktop videoconferencing units that double as computer monitors. There's no serial control available, though.