Hands On: Tandberg Codian MCU 4515
Audiovisual supervisor for Proskauer Rose LLP in New York. Proskauer Rose is an international law firm founded in 1875 with 11 offices around the world.
Michael Souders”>
Michael Souders
MY PICK:
Tandberg Codian MCU 4515 HD multimedia conferencing bridge
LIST PRICE: $127,000
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT: It was very easy to install and works well with the other components that make up our videoconferencing infrastructure. The picture quality produced when the Clear-Vision feature is enabled is very sharp. The ability to reposition the camera shots on the endpoints is another great feature.
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE: Some of its features need to be better integrated with Tandberg Management Suite and Video Communication Server solution.
MANUFACTURER’S SPECIFICATIONS
Up to 30 video and 30 voice participants
720p, 30 frames-per-second, H.264
Video support: H.261, H.263, H.263+, H.263++, H.264
Audio support: G.711, G.722, G.723.1, G.729, MPEG-4 AAC-LC, MPEG-4 AAC-LD, Polycom Siren14/G.722.1 Annex C
Bandwidth: Up to 5 Mbps with both H.263 and H.264, for each site in all conference modes
Interfaces: 2 x RJ-45 Ethernet, 10/100/1000 Mbps full/half duplex, manual or auto sensing, RJ-45 serial port, CompactFlash socket
Security: Seven levels of access rights, password-protected conferences, AES encryption, 128-bit key, H.235, video firewall option using second Ethernet port
WHERE I USED IT: Our new in-house videoconferencing infrastructure at our main office in New York City.
MY RESULTS: We had been using a third-party vendor to handle our videoconferences. The call volume has doubled so it made sense for us to investigate going with an internal solution. The Codian was my first choice because of its HD capabilities. It was easy to install and works nicely with my other Tandberg infrastructure. I only have a few HD endpoints at this time, but the Codian makes them all look close to HD quality. The audio is just as good. There are numerous options for displaying video from the endpoints. One of my team’s favorites is the ability to control an endpoint’s camera. Some people like to sit all the way on the other side of the room, far from camera view. We just log into the conference on the Codian and then adjust as necessary.
