TeamStation System 4.0

Intel introduced the Intel TeamStation System 4.0 this week, a conference room workstation that combines video conferencing, Internet access, corporate network access and PC applications in one system. The TeamStation system will allow people in a meeting to complete work without rushing back to their desktops for final adjustments.

"The lack of basic computing tools in most conference rooms forces people to meet, return to their desktop PCs, and meet again," says Scott Darling, general manager of the Intel Business Communication Products Operation. "The TeamStation system brings essential and familiar computing and communications tools into the conference room, so that people can meet and complete collaborative work in a single session."

Industry experts estimate that there are as many as 10 million conference rooms worldwide and that 37 percent of employee time is spent in meetings. Other studies show that there are nearly 10 million business meetings every day.

"Technology has revolutionized desktop productivity, but meeting productivity hasn't changed much since the 1950s," Darling says.

Based on the Intel Pentium II processor, the Intel TeamStation system is a turnkey high-performance system that runs on the Windows NT 4.0 operating system. TeamStation system includes a complete hardware and software suite for ISDN and LAN video and data conferencing, including: Intel EtherExpress Pro/100 LAN Adapter, Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) technology, full-duplex audio speaker phone, built-in scan converter, wireless keyboard and mouse, an auto-tracking, high-resolution camera with on-screen, near- and far-end camera control, and a large, high-resolution multimedia monitor (optional).

Cisco Systems, which will offer a multimedia product that works with Intel video conferencing products, notes that the TeamStation system has the capability to bring networked multimedia into the conference room. "Our customers are asking for high-quality, easy-to-use, standards-based conferencing products," says Cliff Meltzer, vice president and general manager of IOS Technology, Cisco Systems. "The TeamStation system can address these customer needs and help the enterprise take advantage of networked multimedia capabilities offered by Cisco IOS technology."

Video conference capabilities
Unlike legacy video conferencing products, Intel TeamStation system can be used by meeting participants to complete collaborative work both on and off a video conference call. In addition to conducting video and data conferencing calls, TeamStation system can be used to:

• Browse the Internet
  
• Give electronic presentations
  
• Link to the corporate network
  
• Access files from a desktop PC through the TeamStation system's integrated Document Server
• Place calls on the built-in speaker phone

With a bridging service, people can connect multiple locations for a video conference, data conference or both. "The versatility of the Intel TeamStation, coupled with the power of a bridging service provider, such as networkMCI Conferencing, can help make meetings run more efficiently, which ultimately increases a work group's productivity," says Tim Reedy, vice president of marketing and finance for networkMCI Conferencing.

TeamStation system is the first workstation to feature H.323- and H.320-compliant video conferencing in the same system, giving business people the ability to receive and transmit high-quality video across the LAN or ISDN. TeamStation system delivers up to 30 frames per second (fps) full common intermediate format (FCIF) video at 128 Kbps and 384 Kbps, and it operates at data rates up to 400 Kbps full duplex on the LAN. In addition, Intel H.261/263+ filtering algorithms further improve video smoothness and clarity.

TeamStation system also is the only provider of a group video conferencing technology that tightly integrates Microsoft T.120 Netmeeting data conferencing tools, allowing intelligent window management for simple and seamless video and data collaboration within a single call. This capability lets people collaborate on documents in real-time without sacrificing high-quality face-to-face communication.

Marty Falaro, vice president of business development for VideoServer, Inc., a leading provider of network services for multipoint and multimedia conferencing that works with Intel to provide complete conferencing solutions, says "The TeamStation system integrates all the benefits of a traditional high-quality group video conferencing system with other essential PC productivity applications that until now have been absent from most meeting environments."

Cost of Ownership, Manageability and Availability Based on a PC architecture, TeamStation system is simply another node on the corporate network. Instead of wiring a conference room to handle stand-alone units, corporate users can place TeamStation system onto the corporation's existing network and manage it with the same tools, applications and personnel that manage the corporate LAN or WAN, reducing total cost of ownership.

In addition, TeamStation system features TeamStation Manager software that provides centralized troubleshooting and maintenance of TeamStation systems across the enterprise. It also allows remote set up of calls.

For more information, contact Intel at 2200 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara, CA. 95052-8119. Tel: 408-765-8080. Fax: 408-765-9904.