The transition from Polycom Viewstation to Polycom VSX
Many technology professionals may ponder the advantages and disadvantages of upgrading their current Polycom ViewStation systems to the latest Polycom VSX product line. There are many issues to consider beforehand.
Polycom, the leader in the video conferencing marketplace released the Polycom ViewStation and Polycom VSX product lines for various videoconference applications. Many technology professionals may ponder the advantages and disadvantages of upgrading their current Polycom ViewStation systems to the latest Polycom VSX product line. There are many issues to consider beforehand.
First, cost will be a significant determining factor in regards to any large-scale product purchase. While it is important to make some financial comparisons, service should also be taken into account. It makes no sense to pay less initially, just to have the equipment stop working a few months later. One year is an ideal warranty length. Locate a reseller that offers such and who can also provide support through the entire process of the selling and setting up the new Polycom VSX products. It is likely that there is some trade-in value for your current Polycom ViewStation models.
The most significant change to the Polycom VSX compared to the Polycom Viewstation products is H.264 compression. H.264 allows a higher compression rate for video, thus saving your organization bandwidth usage and costs. Although there are some Polycom Viewstation models that are capable of supporting this feature.
The Polycom VSX products also support dual-monitor emulation, which is a change from the Polycom ViewStation. Dual-monitor emulation gives you the ability to view yourself and the far site on one screen. The dual-monitor configuration can also be used with computer content sharing. Though it is recommended to use a separate monitor with VGA support to see the computer content in full screen.
The Polycom VSX products also support 14Khz CD-quality-audio, and are far beyond the 7Khz audio offered with the Polycom ViewStation line.
The Polycom VSX is also compatible with the H.239 standard protocol. This means computer content can be received from Tandberg, Sony or other video conferencing devices that support the H.239 standard.
If you or your organization intends to share computer content frequently, then the Polycom VSX, which is compatible with the H.239 standard, is a good reason to upgrade. This standard is not backwards compatible, making it impossible to receive computer content on many older Polycom ViewStation products
