Happy New Year! After taking some time off for the holidays, it is time to start thinking about all the amazing things that will happen on mobile devices in 2012!
In our last post, we provided an overview of the considerations that Enterprises face when looking at rolling out video to mobile devices. This included the ability to both "create" and to "consume" video on the mobile devices.
In this post, we will focus on the "create" part of mobile video. To do so, we will focus on video conferencing providers' support for mobile video. A bit later, we will investigate what Cisco, Polycom, and LifeSize have in terms of video conferencing support on mobile devices. But first, let's consider how these new capabilities will be used and what the "experience" will be.
The concept of video conferencing on mobile devices is fantastic, even futuristic. The ability to participate in a video conference from anywhere is, quite simply, amazing. Unfortunately, there are some practical considerations that organizations need to know before they jump into mobile video conferencing with both feet.
1. As I mentioned in the previous post, know what you are trying to accomplish. Do not rush into mobile device support just because the capability is there. Make sure it adds value to your organization. Understand the applications that people are requesting, and make sure you deliver those well.
2. To truly get the benefits of mobile video conferencing, you will either need to expand your current video infrastructure or deploy new infrastructure if you do not already have it. Or you can use one of the new cloud based infrastructure services that the providers are starting to offer (this will be the subject of a future blog post). The biggest reason for this is for security--if users are going to be able to call from anywhere, you need to make sure the solution includes firewall traversal and encryption so that your calls are secured.
3. The third thing to consider is: How are your users actually going to use the technology? Is it mostly going to be one-to-one calls for short durations? Or are they going to be participating in larger conferences with longer durations?
Why does this matter? Again, it is the user experience. As most people know, the video conference providers have gone to great lengths to make sure the video conference and telepresence experience is optimal. In "immersive" experiences, they even go so far as to build the entire room so that it feels like you are in the same room when you call someone on an identical system. Even for non "immersive" systems, good lighting, good sound, a proper distance from the camera, and finally high definition quality are usually implemented by the provider in order to ensure the best experience.
Mobile video conferencing, on the other hand, is the complete opposite! Remember, these are devices that cost hundreds of dollars, as opposed to immersive telepresence rooms that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. And, the way that the mobile devices are used all point to lower quality experiences.
* The user can be anywhere--their office, the airport, or the coffee shop
* Lighting is typically awful. Specifically, the angle of the mobile device tends to get focused on overhead lighting. Or on a window behind the user.
* The sound is typically awful. There is a lot of noise in public spaces. And the microphones in mobile devices are not nearly as good as in professional video conference systems.
* The user is typically too close to the device.
At this point, you may be thinking--this is crazy, why are we even thinking about this? The reason is because mobility trumps quality!
Think back to the early days of mobile phones. The quality was terrible, calls dropped all the time (in some parts of the country, this is still the case!), and the price was exorbitant. But people continued to use the phones and build the industry into the giant it is today. Mobility is that important. So, you need to know that the experience is not going to be ideal, but that people are still going to want to use the technology. It is your job to figure out how they will use it most effectively--and your users certainly will help you out.
With all that being said, let's look at what the some of the major providers (Cisco, Polycom, and LifeSize) have in terms of video conferencing support on mobile devices. The following table summarizes the information contained in detail below:
Cisco
In typical Cisco style, Cisco has multiple methods of providing mobile video. First, there is the Cisco Jabber Video for Telepresence (Movi). That is quite a mouthful, but it will make more sense once you understand where it comes from. Cisco obviously made a huge splash in the video conferencing world when it purchased Tandberg in 2010. Tandberg's desktop and mobile solutions were referred to as Movi, and Cisco is continuing to use this brand (although since it is in parentheses, one can assume that eventually they will phase out the Movi name).
Cisco also purchased Jabber in 2008, and the Jabber brand has become its main Unified Communications client. At this point, there is no video support in the Jabber apps for mobile (iPhone, iPad, or Android), although it is clear that Cisco is moving in that direction. To see an example for the iPad, go here.
Secondly, Cisco does have its own tablet dubbed the Cius. The Cius does support video calling today--720p video that can connect with Cisco TelePresence systems and "any standards-based video endpoint." Cisco is even coming out with a 4G model that supposedly allows for 720p calling over the 4G LTE networks.
Finally, Cisco has mobile functionality for its WebEx client. While Cisco has mobile clients for the iPad, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry, only the iPad version currently supports video. And the video only works on Wi-Fi networks (not in 3G or 4G). The iPad version has nearly the same functionality as the desktop versions of WebEx, so it is very powerful. For video, "Active Speaker" technology puts the person who is currently speaking in the video window. The speaker window can be moved and resized (even full screen) easily. And there is a nice video carousel feature that lets you scroll through all participants that have video.
Polycom
Polycom announced its Polycom RealPresence Mobile support in the fall of 2011. RealPresence Mobile is currently available only on the following tablets – iPad2, Motorola XOOM, and Samsung Galaxy Tab. Polycom has not announced smartphone support "at this time," so they may support Smartphones in the future. The RealPresence mobile application provides users with "HD audio, video, and content sharing" (the order of that statement is important since the video on the iPad currently is not HD).
Polycom promotes the RealPresence mobile app as "free to download", and it is readily available from both the Apple and Android app stores. The "Basic mode" version allows you to call inside an enterprise, from app to app, or to any endpoint that has a public IP address. Calls can be made on any WiFi, 3G, or 4G network, although Polycom recommends WiFi if it is available.
The app is relatively easy to use and most reviews have indicated that the quality is good (click here to view a video of it in action. There are a few aspects where the usability could be improved (such as having to dial an IP address to start a call and having to dial ** on the keypad to change the layout view), but overall the application is very straightforward. It does allow use of both cameras on the iPad so that the user can show a view of the room, a whiteboard, or a document they have on their desk.
Polycom indicates that despite the changing network conditions (especially in 3G and 4G networks), the app will provide a great experience due to its Polycom Constant Clarity for high-quality audio and Polycom Loss Packet Recovery (LPR) for video.
The maximum value of the app is obtained when the organization has Polycom infrastructure deployed. This allows for enterprise directories, extension dialing, encryption, firewall traversal, and content sharing (content sharing can only be initiated by a room system). This is where Polycom will make their money from mobile support because each tablet will need a CMA (Converged Management Application) license.
Polycom indicates that one of its largest customers--Amgen has deployed the app to 1,800 employees (including field sales) in a trial, and plans to expand that with another 6,000 in 2012. This is an impressive example of how powerful and widespread mobile support can become--in a very short amount of time.
One drawback of the iPad app for Polycom is that is does not provide true High Definition quality. Currently, it is limited to 480 x 352 resolution, and the frame rate for sending video is limited to 15 frames per second (30 frames can be received). It is also limited to 512 Kbps. The Android devices do support 720p video on receive only. The quality limitations are not a big deal for those viewing on the iPad because the screen is small enough that HD is often overkill. However, for the room systems that are viewing video from the iPad, the quality may be less than ideal due to projecting a standard definition video on a large screen.
LifeSize LifeSize made an aggressive move into the mobile space in 2011 when it purchased Mirial, an Italian-based provider of video communications technologies for desktop and mobile. LifeSize is integrating the Mirial mobile products, called ClearSea, into the LifeSize portfolio.
LifeSize positions their mobile solutions as standards-based (H.323 or SIP) solutions that can connect to any existing infrastructure. Unlike other providers, in order to gain the full benefits of mobile video, LifeSize does not require an existing video infrastructure to be deployed. ClearSea is a client/server solution that includes desktop and mobile clients and also provides a server solution that provides much of the capability of traditional video infrastructure, including NAT/Firewall Traversal, multiparty calling, and data sharing. The ClearSea server is available as a hardware appliance or as virtual machine software. Licensing for the clients is based on a concurrent user model, so each client does not have to have a separate license.
The first thing to note about the LifeSize solution is that LifeSize supports many more devices than the other providers. Between iOS and Android, LifeSize now supports over 40 mobile devices. For example, LifeSize supports all of the iPhone models, both iPad models, as well as the iPod Touch 4th generation. Yes, they even support the iPad without a camera (in view only mode of course). In terms of Android, they support multiple phone versions and multiple tablets (the datasheet lists the supported models including several from HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and the Dell Streak tablets). This broad support is a key consideration for any environment that supports BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), which is becoming more popular, even in large enterprises.
The software is very straightforward and easy to use. The iPad version features IM and Presence capabilities and also includes features such as auto answer (even if the iPad is asleep), vertical or horizontal mode, moveable picture in picture (PIP), the ability to use the front and back cameras, and a tap based menu system. One differentiating feature is the ability to do far end camera control by simply dragging your finger across the screen ("gesture-based far end camera control"). Click here to see a demo.
In terms of resolution, for the iPad 2, LifeSize does support 720p video at 15 frames per second or qHD (quarter HD) video 960 x 540 at 30 frames per second. Several Android devices support qHD, including the HTC Sensation, Dell Streak 7, Motorola Atrix 4G, and the Motorola Zoom. At a minimum, all supported devices support at least 352 x 288 resolution at 15 frames per second. LifeSize indicates "the software automatically adapts to the actual device capabilities and available bandwidth."
Conclusion
Mobile device support for video conferencing is clearly in its infancy, with most providers delivering their first solutions late last year. Each provider has different approaches, and it will be interesting to see which features and functionality are deemed most important for customers. One thing is for sure--all of the vendors are going to continue to invest heavily in mobile capabilities because their customers are demanding it.
What are your thoughts? Have you deployed any mobile video conferencing in your organization? What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Which devices are you supporting?
In the next post, we will consider video streaming providers mobile support in more detail.
