General28.01.2013

Kathea announces the availability of Polycom HDX Series 3.1

Kathea, a distributor of video communications solutions has announced the availability of Polycom HDX Series 3.1, a software update for Polycom’s popular HDX video collaboration solution for executive desktops and rooms.

Providing a simple and intuitive collaboration experience in HD video and voice quality, the enhanced HDX Series 3.1 software improves collaboration and productivity for organisations of all sizes with new features including:

  • Enhanced virtual white boarding: Polycom RealPresence Whiteboard, the industry’s first embedded virtual whiteboard software in a video-conferencing unit with no external PC required, lets video meeting participants write on the same digital screen for easier document collaboration no matter where the meeting participants are located. Users can also connect the HDX Series 3.1 with standard touch screens, giving the flexibility for a two-panel set-up. The standard touch screen support also lets users annotate on the virtual whiteboard with fingertips, so no extra accessories are required.
  • More choices for sharing content during a video conference: Share presentations, a desktop view or other content with video meeting participants by connecting to a PC, Mac or even by plugging a USB drive directly into the HDX system (no computer required). Support for mouse control makes it easy for users to navigate and select items on the screen.
  • Easily control meetings from a tablet: Polycom SmartPairing technology, an industry-first, wirelessly connects Apple iPads to HDX Series systems running 3.1 and simplifies the user experience by letting users control video meeting functions such as volume and start/stop with their tablets, as well as transfer a live video call from tablet to big screen with the swipe of a finger.
  • Enhanced, secure firewall traversal: Support for Polycom RealPresence Access Director solution and interoperability with Acme Packet Net-Net session border controllers makes it easier for users inside or outside the firewall to join a video meeting securely.

“Broadband costs are decreasing in South Africa making Video Conferencing a viable option for businesses. People are looking for increased collaboration and with Series 3.1, content can now be viewed simultaneously and shared with all parties by simply connecting your PC to the HDX, giving everyone the functionality to interact with content. Polycom has now simplified the use and eased the adoption of Video Collaboration with the Series 3.1 allowing people to not only share content but also interact with the content. Polycom has also leveraged the use of tablet technology for Video Collaboration making mobile conferencing possible,” says Divesh Nathoo, pre-sales manager at Kathea.

“Video-enabling employees with solutions that are highly secure and easy for end users to operate and navigate, as well as simple and cost-effective for organisations to manage and deliver, has time and time again proven to be an IT investment that quickly pays for itself by reducing travel costs and helping companies gain thousands of hours a month in productivity,” says Sudhakar Ramakrishna, President of Products and Services, Polycom. “That is why hundreds of thousands of organisations around the world trust and rely on solutions like the Polycom HDX series for helping their employees improve collaboration and be more productive across distances and time zones.”

A Superior User Experience for Lower TCO
HDX Series 3.1 continues to offer high quality HD video with Polycom Constant Clarity technology including Polycom Lost Packet Recovery and Polycom StereoSurround for crisp, natural voice clarity even when multiple parties are speaking. These technologies provide the industry’s best and highest quality experience and when combined with the simplified user interface through tablets and Polycom SmartPairing technology, the HDX experience is unmatched.

Cost savings from overall low bandwidth utilisation, as much as 50 per cent lower than competitors’ solutions, and extended peripheral management through Polycom RealPresence Resource Manager, make the HDX Series 3.1 an attractive cost-effective executive room and desktop video solution that is simpler for IT to manage and support.

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