Video Quality
ViewStation has a tremendous amount of power. Polycom uses that power in two ways for video. At high bandwidths (512 kbps up to 1.922Mbps), it delivers TV quality, 60 fields video, for an outstanding video image and complete motion capture! The secret is capturing both fields, which comprise a frame. (For NTSC, there are 30 frames per second). By capturing both fields, the resolution is greatly heightened and the motion is captured much more accurately. The resulting image is amazingly brilliant.

The second benefit of the increased horsepower is the increased utilization of ITU defined Annexes that are the compression tips and tricks used to optimize the limited bandwidth for delivering the best possible picture possible. At Polycom, we emphasize picture quality above all other aspects of video. We also realize the importance of smooth motion handling. Because we are not willing to comprise on either, we cannot sacrifice the overall quality of the picture to deliver 30 frames per second at lower bandwidths than 336 kbps.

The audio performance of a video communication is critical to the user's perception of a good videoconference. If the audio signal breaks up, or becomes out of sync with the speaker's lips, the videoconference is not contributing to clarity of communication.

Audio Quality
Polycom supports numerous algorithms ranging in capability from G.711, (low bandwidth (7 kHz) and high bit rate (48, 56, 64 kbps)), to G.722, (high bandwidth (7 kHz) and high bit rate (48, 56, 64). The ability to automatically adjust the quality of audio is important when supporting low bandwidth calls. When more bandwidth is available, the codec wants to use more bandwidth to get better audio.

Streaming
Streaming is the process of sending audio and video over a local area network (LAN) from one source to many viewers. You can use streaming to conduct live broadcasts of meetings or events.

For example, employees can view a live speech from your company's CEO. The ViewStation FX and VS4000 allow on-the-fly streaming capability! It's as easy to turn on as placing an audio call while in a videoconference.