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10 Industry view Business Technology November 2011 an independent report from lyonsdown, distributed with the daily telegraph Immerse yourself in video interaction Breakthrough in videoconferencing market enables affordable, high quality telepresence across a range of devices including smart phones and tablets Enterprise customers no longer have to choose between pristine telepresence quality and affordable solutions when looking to deploy video conferencing throughout their organisation. Finally, due to an innovative platform built by Vidyo, companies can purchase affordable enterprise-grade telepresence that is easily accessed by participants, whether they’re using desktop or laptop computers, tablets, smart phones, room systems or immersive telepresence systems. Vidyo has redefined video conferencing infrastructure and network costs, resulting in 10X better quality and density, 10X lower cost and power usage and, when running on virtual machines, saving up to 90 per cent of the cost of competitive solutions. One example of this technological breakthrough is VidyoPanorama, the industry’s first affordable telepresence solution that delivers immersive interactions on up to 20 screens of 1080p at 60fps resolution and is up to 10X less expensive than comparable telepresence systems. “The videoconferencing market has matured; customers today are sophisticated and no longer willing to settle for expensive, inflexible, hard to use, legacy-based hardware systems,” said Ofer Shapiro, Vidyo’s co-founder and CEO. “Vidyo’s Industry first: Vidyo Panorama telepresence system software-based platform delivers exceptional image clarity; natural, high definition fidelity that is affordable on any device, and accessible to anyone, via any network. Vidyo’s low-latency, highly scalable and error-resilient video communication solution also interoperates with legacy H.323 and SIP endpoints, to leverage existing video conferencing investments.” “Vidyo has a game-changing, ‘disruptive’ platform offering quality, affordability and flexibility to businesses of all sizes,” said Ian Vickerage, managing director of Imago Group PLC, Europe’s largest distributor of videoconferencing products, and distributor of Vidyo’s line of VidyoConferencing products in the UK. “Vidyo’s platform is software-based, so a Vidyo conference can be accessed on a full range of affordable, ‘off the shelf’ devices such as iPhones, iPads and Android smart phones and tablets, as well as laptops, desktops, and telepresence room systems.” Vidyo pioneered a new generation of video communications called “personal telepresence.” The patented VidyoRouter architecture introduces Adaptive Video Layering, which dynamically optimises the video stream for each individual’s endpoint, leveraging H.264 scalable video coding-based compression technology and Vidyo IP. Vidyo delivers unprecedented error resiliency, low-latency rate matching enabling natural, affordable, high-quality video to work over the Internet, WiFi, 3G and 4G networks. Vidyo’s communication and collaboration platform is simple to use, eliminates the costs of building and maintaining a network, and is today transforming large enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses, as well as telemedicine, manufacturing and education. Follow the company on Twitter @Vidyo or visit www.vidyo.com Delivering a difference How can businesses use non PC-based hypermedia technology to communicate effectively with their customers Getting your message across is important. With digital signage, electronic displays and hardware help organisations communicate their business needs and information to audiences in public spaces – whether it’s railway stations, shopping centres, hotel lobbies, educational lecture halls or even staff room areas. Digital technology has replaced print signs and billboards – and it’s easy to see why. Such signs are easy to configure, are live and offer instant updating of information, plus they can bring in revenue through advertising. And as well as earning money, digital signs can save businesses money on printing costs and wastage. With expert help, from suppliers such as SpinetiX, this can be a brave new world for businesses to enter. A good company will help its clients configure, install and manage a digital signage system, typically comprising screens, hardware and software (securely managed often over the internet using a simple log-in). Digital signage is often in public areas where space is tight, so it is important to have a flexible, future-proof digital asset management system that is compact and secure and able to be viewed the light levels of its intended space. With the latest technology comes digital signage hardware devices – more commonly known as hyper media players – which aren’t PC anymore and which are able to manage graphics, audio, video, text and newsfeeds for information displays. These systems are easy to use – with a properly designed system, you can be communicating with customers in less time than it takes to make a cup of tea. It really is that simple! Hypermedia players can be set up to have access to public or private databases and display selected content with predefined graphic layouts; display RSS news based on key words; connect to public or private audio/ video, streaming servers and display live events, news and entertainment contents; retrieve from network disks images and videos; enable all sorts of network interactive services; and schedule which content to display when and where. These easy-to-use devices have embedded software to allow the management of content, but it’s not all about simplicity or versatility. Hypermedia players can offer an excellent return on investment, too. Advertising is an easy way in which businesses can recover their costs and even bring revenue into Swiss digital signage manufacturer SpinetiX’s hypermedia player the business. One such retailer is the Leroy Merlin flagship store in Nova Milanese, Italy. This is the first Italian retail store to use interactive screens to guide and educate customers as well as create a unique shopping experience, using hypermedia players. With the right technology, digital technology can help bring the investment back into your business. Serge Konter is marketing manager at Swiss digital signage hardware manufacturer SpinetiX www.spinetix.com
an independent report from lyonsdown, distributed with the daily telegraph November 2011 Business Technology Audio visual communications 11 A feast for the senses Being wowed by attention-grabbing video and surround sound isn’t enough for today’s consumers who are being immersed in 3D and augmented reality in their personal lives By Tracey Caldwell When there is a complex concept to get across, or you’re marketing an experience rather than a straightforward product, it helps to add a further dimension to audio-visual communications. Consumers are coming to expect it, too. Spoilt by immersive gaming, 3D cinema and advanced touch-enabled applications on their iPads and smartphones, customers now crave a more touchy-feely experience when they engage with companies and their marketing campaigns. Although virtual reality hasn’t quite caught on in the way that might have been expected 15 years ago, there are signs that businesses are becoming more innovative and open to three – and four –dimensional marketing. Effective applications include those where the consumers’ view of the real world is augmented by a technological dimension, giving them more information by video and allowing them more direct interaction. In two Inamo restaurants in London, diners are able to watch their meals being made in the kitchens via webcam, having placed their order using tabletop touchscreens. They can then play tabletop games on their E-Table while waiting for their order. One of the two restaurants has private dining areas and the technology enables branding for private or corporate events, a distinctive way of providing a platform for businesses to use some of their own audiovisual assets. The E-Table ordering system incorporates a waterproof Bluetooth touch panel, a special tabletop, and a Canon XEED projector and computer, housed in a pod in the ceiling above. The challenge has been to balance Taste of innovation: customers can order their food via interactive E-Tables at Inamo, London the potential of the technology with the requirement to provide a restaurant experience. “There is a huge amount we could do but we have chosen not to overpower the guests with the amount of digital information coming at them as we wanted the overall experience of a restaurant as opposed to an advertising platform, a games forum or an internet platform,” says Mark Boyle, sales director at Compurants, parent company of Inamo. Diamond jewellery retailer Forevermark, part of the De Beers group, was looking for a way to engage customers more effectively. It acknowledged that the retail environment for diamond jewellery could be intimidating because of the necessary security around the high-value items and it wanted a way to let customers try on diamond jewellery in a relaxed and fun way. In October it began trialling a system from Holition to enable customers to try on the jewellery using a webcam. The customer uses paper versions of the jewellery, which may be supplied with catalogues or magazines. When the customer holds up a necklace, for example, while looking at his or her video image appearing on screen via webcam, the system reads the paper tab and inserts moving images of the jewellery wherever the tab is held. The customer can move his or her head this way and that and the jewellery will move and glisten in a realistic way, as if the customer were trying it on in a shop. “In the diamond jewellery sector we think this is a really innovative and new initiative,” says Stephen Lussier, CEO at Forevermark. “It gave us an opportunity to leap beyond what you see in a printed catalogue and create a relaxed environment, where customers could still experience trying things on.” Swiss watch manufacturer Tissot has brought the Holition technology even closer to the point of sale, encouraging potential customers to try on watches virtually while standing outside the store looking in at webcams. The technology, pioneered in the UK and implemented at Selfridges and Harrods, has had a direct impact. “When the application has been integrated with activity at the point of sale it has shown a clear, direct link to sale,” says François Thiébaud, Tissot’s president. “The integration in our media campaign resulted in an increased flow of traffic to our website where consumers could ‘try on’ the watch seen in the press adverts.” Virtual reality: try on a Tissot watch via a webcam Beam me up, Scotty Hologram technology is taking remote presence into a new dimension Imagine being able to teleport leading businesspeople to appear on stage at overseas conferences. Orange Business projected top executive Marie-Noëlle Jégo-Laveissière from Paris to a partner event in Amsterdam this summer, with the help of hologram specialist Musion. Jégo-Laveissière appeared on stage next to live employees to showcase a form of 3D videoconferencing. She is in good company – others who have appeared as 3D holograms include Prince Charles, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Al Gore, Sir Richard Branson, David Beckham, Madonna and the Black Eyed Peas. Orange also showcased the Musion technology at Hellodemain in Paris. Visitors had their image captured live and projected life-size on stage, apparently being teleported into the jungle. The 3D image was broadcast over a high-speed fibre optic network. The holograms are not in fact 3D but give the impression of being so. An image appears apparently in mid-air, projected on to a clear film. Scenery in front of and behind this image adds to the appearance of three dimensions. While the technology of transmitting holograms from one place to another still has its challenges, using 3D audio-visual at events is very achievable and can have a high impact. Winton Capital Management, sponsor of Opera Holland Park, the annual opera festival in west London, worked with London creative agency Knifedge to give the event a wow factor. It released a seven-metre helium illuminated balloon, on to which 3D images were projected. The next generation of hologram technology would be real 3D rendering but it is unlikely we will see such products before 2020. Dr Stéphane Pateux, head of voice and video coding research at Orange, says researchers are working on new technologies to decrease the bit rate bandwidth of the network needed to carry high definition signals. “We are looking at technology to improve the quality of media up to super high resolution and also 3D technology,” he says. Meanwhile, the distance learning and education sectors are among those showing earlyadopter interest in this form of 3D videoconferencing, as well as the music industry, which makes much of its profits from live performances. “People perceive this as a business tool and that is certainly where it is at the moment, whereas we see it appearing at concert halls and upscale nightclubs and public venues,” says Ian O’Connell, a director at Musion.
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