Polycom Updates Software, Adds High-End Line

With version 7.0 of its system software, Polycom for the first time is rolling out a common code base across its videoconferencing product lines, said Michele Damerau, senior video communications product manager at Polycom, Pleasanton, Calif.

The upgrade also adds stereo audio support for Siren 14, Polycom's 14-KHz wideband audio technology. And it supports Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), an emerging call control standard that simplifies communications between Polycom's systems and PDAs or tablet PCs.

To fill out the high end of its line, Polycom is introducing the VSX 8000 series, featuring a 1U-high rack-mounted video codec that comes IP-ready with optional ISDN and serial connectivity. The line comes in three configurations, starting at $12,999.

Polycom is also adding two configurations to its VSX 7000 series. Priced at $7,999, the VSX 7400 includes the base VSX 7000 system plus a display and People+Content, Polycom's technology for showing presentation materials during video calls. The VSX 7800 includes multipoint conferencing features for up to four users, People+Content and stereo speakers for $11,999.

Polycom is also rolling out packages that integrate its VSX 7400 and 8400 systems with its VTX 1000 conference phones, priced at $8,499 and $14,299, respectively.

Users can now control video systems through conference phones, a more familiar interface, said Jerry Connolly, technology engineer at SPL Integrated Solutions, a Columbia, Md.-based solution provider. "Customers don't want to learn how to run a videoconferencing system. They just want to make a call, and this is getting closer to that."