Sony Unveils New H.264 Video Conferencing Systems

Sony today unveiled two new multipoint video conferencing systems – the flagship full HD 1080p PCS-XG100 from the IPELA range. The new models are powerful, compact and available at very compelling cost levels, said a Sony release, adding that the systems were ideal for medium to large enterprises, education and government applications due to their high performance and flexibility.

According to Sony, the PCS-XG100 employs the latest H.264 high profile video compression technology that delivers the highest quality images at half the bit rates required. This reduces bandwidth congestion and ultimately lowers the overall cost of usage, which is useful for organizations that operate in regions with limited bandwidth, it said.

The PCS-XG100 is able to transmit H.239 dual streams at 1080p 30fps. This feature enables HD transmission of both camera and PC display images, letting users view shared data such as documents or presentations in high clarity. With an embedded MCU (optional), the PCS-XG100 can also support up till nine sites of Continuous Presence (CP) connections and up to 16 sites through cascade connections, making this product an ideal solution for enterprises looking for a cloud-based video conferencing solution that offers the highest return on investment.

The PCS-XG100 has built-in Quality of Service (Intelligent QoS) for realizing high-quality visual communications and high-quality MPEG-4 AAC stereo audio codec standard with stereo echo canceling technology. This addresses common audio issues such as voice echoing and sound quality drop when multiple persons are speaking simultaneously, and allows the speaker to be clearly heard despite being far from the microphone. The PCS-XG100 system supports up to a maximum of 6 omni-directional microphones (PCS-A1).

Sony said a new feature of the PCS-XG100 was the Triple Monitor Mode, where far, near and shared PC images could be simultaneously displayed on three separate monitors (2 x HDMI outputs, 1 x DVI-I output). This eliminates past problems of low quality self-images using RGB outputs.

The PCS-XG100 can perform HD recording and HD streaming, whereby HD video/presentation data (including annotations) and audio can be recorded to USB memory media and shared with participants after the session. HD video and audio can also be streamed out as multicast or unicast streaming via a web interface.

Other features include video annotation capabilities, dual network interface for LAN/WAN connection and a kiosk mode. The PCS-XG100 also comes with a RF Remote Commander Unit (PCS-RFZ1) featuring new wireless technology. The unit allows for convenient one-touch dialing which lets users easily connect with any registered contacts with the simple touch of a button on the unit.

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