CHEAP VIDEO

Now you see it, now you don't: Polycom's Path-Navigator, a call-processing server, will transfer a video call to a conventional phone — provided the called party doesn't answer. Better yet, it will translate and store the message in the user's voice mail, bridging the gap between conventional corporate phones and video phones by performing least-cost routing and call forwarding.

“It helps us strip away complexity from the end user and makes it simple to create a multipoint call, whether it's ISDN or IP networks,” said Barry Walker, vice president of marketing for Polycom's video division.

Users can forward an unanswered video call to a conventional desktop phone where it can either be answered or routed into voice mail. PathNavigator also helps select the best route for a video call, determining at what point it should jump from the IP network onto the public network, Walker said.

The flexibility and cost savings of IP are encouraging companies to use more videoconferencing, Walker said. Current videoconferencing systems also are discounting the myth that video equates to bandwidth. “If you're running a 10/100BaseT Ethernet LAN, you can add your video in today, and 99% of the time you'll see zero change in the LAN traffic,” Walker said.

It may take a while, but businesses eventually will turn to video to supplement and replace air travel, he said, adding, “people will start to expect it and prefer it once they understand it's as easy as using their telephones.”
— Jim Barthold
www.polycom.com