Add another player to the increasingly crowded HD video conferencing field. Citrix is adding HD video conferencing to its GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar and GoToTraining web conferencing products, the company announced today at its Citrix Synergy event in Berlin.
The new functionality which will be included at no additional cost and will run on any hardware and software platform. It is dubbed HDFaces and enables participants to view up to six high-resolution video conferencing streams in a high-definition session for a total maximum resolution of 1920p x 960p and also allows participants to view video and the presenter’s shared desktop on the same screen.
“Citrix Online’s core strengths have always been easy-to-use and affordable products,” said Roopam Jain, principal analyst, Frost & Sullivan's North America Information & Communications Technologies Practice, in a statement. “ With the introduction of video conferencing, including high resolution, one-click video and simple controls, the company maintains its ease of deployment and use, which are increasingly important in a market moving beyond a niche status. Simplicity has been a key differentiator for Citrix and is sure to enhance its market momentum in web and video conferencing.”
Citrix previewed the beta version of the new function at Citrix Synergy and said that commercial availability will likely come in the first quarter of 2011. A demonstration of the HDFaces is available on demand from Citrix Online’s CTO Bernd Chrstiansen.
“When customers say they want video capabilities combined with web conferencing, they don’t mean tiny choppy images – but that’s what they currently get with the products on the market today,” said Christiansen, in a statement. “What they actually want is to see the details in others’ facial expressions just like in a face-to-face meeting or training session. That’s why it was so important to us to incorporate high-resolution video into our collaboration products. I’m confident that we’re the first to combine web and video conferencing the right way and – most importantly – to make it delightful for customers to use.”
HDFaces is based on technology from Citrix Online Germany GmbH, formerly VidSoft GmbH, a Dresden, Germany-based video conferencing provider that was recently acquired by Citrix.
Citrix said that HDFaces will include the following key features:
- Multistream HD technology, which Citrix says is the highest resolution video conferencing quality available on the market among web conferencing providers with up to six streams at a resolution of 640p x 480p each, for a total maximum resolution of 1920p x 960p.
- A video conferencing viewer that is integrated into the content screen so attendees can collaborate on shared content and see each other at the same time without the need to switch between the two.
- One-click web, audio and video conferencing.
- Video optimization that automatically adjusts to perfectly fit the hardware and network each participant is using when video, audio or screen sharing are in use.
- A resizable viewer and layouts, which can be adapted to numerous monitor and projection configurations.
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