Polycom vs. Skype

Posted on 01. Oct, 2011 by KrebStar [archives]

If you’re searching for a video conferencing solution for your business, the question has probably crossed your mind: Why don’t I just use Skype?  Skype is free, while professional video conferencing solutions such as Polycom can cost tens of thousands of dollars.  What am I paying for?  Well, let me explain:

Multi-point calling

For a long time Skype only offered one-to-one calls, making professional video conferencing the only option for multi-point video calls. Recently Skype added multi-point to their ‘Premium’ tier plan ($4.49/month), but the question of quality and reliability still remains.  While Skype is well-known as an easy-to-use solution, it does not have a reputation for reliability.  They have had outages that left users hanging in the past, and quality (especially on multi-point calls) can suffer depending on the internet speeds of all of the parties.

Call Quality

The great thing about Polycom video conferencing units is that both the software and the hardware are controlled by Polycom, which allows total control over quality.  Even with an HD web cam, Skype image quality does not compare.  First of all, most webcams are stationary, while Polycom EagleEye cameras automatically locate and focus on active speakers by panning, tilting, and zooming.  Second, the image never goes blurry, because Polycom cameras limit their zooming and aperture settings to always prioritize sharpness.  Third, Polycom cameras are engineered to capture multiple people cleanly and evenly, whereas many webcams aren’t smart enough to know who to focus on in a room full of people.

And what about audio quality?  Polycom audio pickup includes noise suppression, voice detection, echo cancellation and more.  Unless the computer microphone used for a Skype call is designed specifically for video conferencing, there will be a lot more “What?”s than on a professional grade system.

Interoperability

Skype users can only make video calls to other Skype users.  Professional video conferencing systems don’t have this limitation.  On office with a Polycom video conferencing unit can connect with an office that has a Cisco or other brand video conferencing unit.

Security

When privacy is important, Skype cannot be trusted to protect your calls from getting leaked.  Polycom, on the other hand, offers cutting edge encryption methods to prevent listeners-in.

All in all, small businesses can get away with using Skype, but once business video conferencing calls become crucially important, its time to upgrade. And if you are interested in upgrading, get in touch with the office technology experts.

Posted on 01. Oct, 2011 by KrebStar[archives]