• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy
• Books
• Gallery

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

This is how it works; A close-up of the device. (right)

Shamik Paul

Video conferencing can never get simpler and better than this, it seems. One can not only carry the device in one’s pocket, but can also use it from anywhere without having to hunt for a power socket. All one needs is a laptop and an Internet connection.

So, one can ignore the large, expensive video conferencing equipment and choose this small, USB-powered webcam to stay connected visually even from an airport lobby or a cafeteria.

But don’t mistake the device for an ordinary webcam. It’s a high definition camera for business users, says video conferencing equipment maker Tandberg that recently launched its PrecisionHD USB Camera. This is the first complete product that the company has developed at its R&D centre in Bangalore, which was set up in April last year.

There are no additional drivers or software installations needed to operate this camera, the company says. Users can simply plug it into a USB port and use their PC video software for access to other video participants. The product has been engineered for business use, the company adds.

“The PrecisionHD USB Camera is the first and only high-definition camera designed to provide the optimal experience for mobile and PC video communications in a business environment,” Fredrik Halvorsen, CEO, Tandberg , says in a statement.

The last couple of years have seen greater adoption of video conferencing by cash-strapped organisations wanting to cut travel costs. The global video conferencing market in 2008 was $1.7 billion. The compounded annual growth rate for the period 2006 to 2008 was 27 per cent, Tandberg says.

Pradeep Bardia, Director, R&D Centre, Tandberg, Bangalore, says the camera is available for about $400, which is considerably lower than Tandberg’s desktop video conferencing unit that costs about $1,500. The bigger equipment cost much more, Pradeep adds.

About 90 per cent of the work including conceptualisation, designing, prototyping, and development has been done by the Bangalore centre, according to Pradeep. The industrial design has been done by the Oslo centre. The product is targeted at small and medium businesses, companies with large number of employees on the field, as well as large enterprises, he adds.

The Bangalore R&D centre that employs about 30 technologists expects the number to increase to 45 next year. The company has doubled R&D investment in the Bangalore centre, and the aim is to develop complete products out of India, says Pradeep.

“We are looking at multiple product development. Close to 50 per cent on the second product is done. It is expected in another six months. We will begin work on the third product soon,” he adds.

He says the Bangalore centre is trying to build domain expertise in industrial design, uncompressed video over wireless and domain-specific software such as video compression and embedded software. The company works with the R&D eco-system in Bangalore, he adds.

shamik@thehindu.co.in

More Stories on : Technology | Trends | Hardware

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line