The high-def boardroom

LifeSize's new conferencing camera promises to be cheaper, sleeker and smaller

LifeSize has taken the price point for high-definition communications lower than ever before, unveiling what it calls the world's smallest and most integrated HD camera/microphone system. The LifeSize Focus retails at $4999 and includes embedded HD audio and video.

As more video migrates to HD displays, LifeSize's goal is to help companies conduct cross-country meetings in which participants can experience the next closest thing to true human interaction, said Colin Buechler, senior vice president of marketing for LifeSize.

Most high-end videoconferencing equipment retails from around $100,000 to $300,000, making telepresence a luxury mainly limited to large corporations. LifeSize doesn't include furniture or screens with its offerings to keep costs down. That appeals to the small- and medium-sized (SMB) market, as well as telemedicine, telejustice or distance-learning companies operating in space-constrained environments.

“A lot of equipment around this telepresence trend is coming into the market at very high price points with a lot of custom components to it,” said Casey King, chief technology officer for LifeSize. “Some of those components add to the quality of the experience; others tend to mask the inadequacy of the infrastructure. You are in price points that only the top boardrooms of the top companies can afford.”

As the cheapest solution on the market, however, LifeSize is forced to rely on distribution partners for the rest of an enterprise's conferencing needs. Relationships with its more than 100 resellers allow customers to choose the size of their monitors, the finish of their conference tables and the paneling of their meeting rooms — or not. Building customers' videoconferencing ecosystems takes into account their budgets and their needs — quality of experience meets budget, King said.

“From the engineering side of it, we really see ourselves as providing the best-performing codecs at any price,” King said. “If you put our system into a well-lit room, I would put our audio quality and video quality against anyone in the industry.”