Custom Telepresence

There are several players in the Telepresence arena: Cisco, HP, Polycom, Tandberg to state a few.

All their implementations share certain key characteristics.  They all focus on "solving" the problem of extending the horizontal field-of-view (FoV) of today's cameras.  Most cameras used in the videoconferencing industry have a 70 degree horizontal FoV.  Telepresence solutions that combine 3 or 4 cameras and codecs do so to deliver 210 to 280 degrees of horizontal FoV.  Though the human eye has almost 180 degrees horizontal FoV, only 140 degrees of it is the effective FoV leaving the other 40 degrees for peripheral vision.  This design approach is absolutely valid, but is it really necessary?  Multiple cameras and multiple codes translates to significantly higher cost components with respect to both equipment and network.

A second common area addressed by today's Telepresence solutions is in the furniture area.  Manufacturers attempt to create a conference room environment that, when in a videoconference, emulates the far-end site as an extension of your conference room.  They do this by having the same type and colors of furniture, same wall colors, etc, all in the effort to give the feeling that you are looking across the table to people in the same room you are in.

Finally, there is the term "Immersive Telepresence".  This is meant to convey the message that you enter this room, have a videoconference with people at a different location, and the feeling you get is that the people are there with you, and you are not aware of all the technology involved in giving you this perception.  You are "immersed" in the technology.  However, when you look at the screens (whether projection or flat-panel displays), or you see microphones hanging from ceilings or on the tables, you absolutely know there is a ton of technology in place to enable your meeting-at-a-distance.  So this attempt falls short.

How does OmniPresence view Telepresence?  We believe true Telepresence has a primary focus on Human Factors design.  Specifically, true Telepresence delivers the feeling of "it's just like being there".  To achieve this feeling, you need broadcast quality high-definition video, preferably 720p and 60 frames per second (fps), though 1080p 30fps is also acceptable.  You need life-like wideband audio quality, crisp and clear and free from distortion.  Most importantly, you need EYE CONTACT.  Eye Contact is psychologically the key element essential to quality communication.  None of the solutions mentioned above deliver true eye contact, and therefore miss the mark.

With respect to furniture design, who really cares if the conference room at the far-end has the same color table or walls?  The basic psychological need is to be able to interact normally with the people at the far-end during your meeting-at-a-distance.  How successfully we relate to one another depends greatly upon eye-to-eye contact. Unfortunately, with most of today’s telepresence solutions, this key element is lost due to poorly placed cameras. Business relationships can flounder as a result.  True eye contact is essential to quality communication.

OmniPresence Custom Telepresence solutions use best-in-class technologies  that deliver amazing, life-like video and audio quality, along with a camera that is optically aligned with the eyes of the person on the screen delivering true EYE CONTACT.  Our designs also offer custom control touch panels which focus on making the meeting experience easy to use.  And since our designs utilize a single camera and codec, the cost of ownership for both the equipment and network are a fraction of all other Telepresence solutions.  Back this up with OmniPresence OmniView Remote Monitoring, guaranteed Quality-of-Service (QoS) networks, and best-in-class OmniCare onsite maintenance, and your mission-critical Telepresence room operates reliably and worry-free.

As we've been saying for years now, "don't go there, be there…".  And now with OmniPresence Custom Telepresence solutions, you really can meet with someone thousands of miles away and have your meeting be as effective and natural as being there.