Polycom Turns Video Display Screens into Virtual Whiteboards

Polycom Turns Video Display Screens into Virtual Whiteboards with First Integrated Whiteboard Solution for Video Collaboration

Polycom whiteboard software makes sharing content via video as easy as picking up a pen

New Zealand, October 31, 2011 - Polycom, Inc., the global leader in standards-based unified communications (UC), today unveiled an innovative whiteboard solution, the Polycom® UC Board™, which improves communication and collaboration in video conferences by allowing meeting participants to leverage their existing video display screens and mobile devices as interactive whiteboards for video collaboration.

Whiteboards are an important communication tool, but when traditional whiteboards are used in a video conference, it’s a common problem that remote participants have trouble seeing the whiteboard content, which undermines teamwork and participation. The first integrated video collaboration whiteboard technology of its kind, the Polycom UC Board is a simple, elegant and cost-effective solution combining a plug-and-play receiver and stylus for ease-of-use, and a compact design for portability. The solution transforms LCD monitors and display surfaces into a video whiteboard space so every participant can stay fully engaged. The Polycom UC Board software natively integrates with the latest Polycom® RealPresence™ Room HDX® solutions to share content naturally, efficiently, and easily. Users participating in a video meeting can also share content such as a presentation, and use the Polycom UC Board to write, annotate or highlight key points, right on top of the presentation for everyone to see in real-time.

“The Polycom UC Board is the first integrated video collaboration solution to make sharing whiteboard content as easy as picking up a pen,” said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, executive vice president and general manager of UC solutions and chief development officer, Polycom. “That’s great news for organisations of all kinds looking to bring remote employees and customers in a sales presentation, brainstorm, planning meeting, or training class with clear access to all the visual content being presented and discussed.”

“The Polycom UC Board makes real time content annotation quick and easy. The user interface is so intuitive that you can just hand the stylus to a first time user and let them take over,” said Christianne Orto, associate dean and director, Recording and Distance Learning, Manhattan School of Music. “Instructors can annotate scores and presentations as naturally and easily as with a traditional whiteboard, and their students see the results immediately. It instantaneously breaks down a significant barrier to remote instruction.”

Whiteboard Software Solution Has Multiple Use Cases Across Industries

The Polycom UC Board solution can improve communication and collaboration for a wide range of users across various professions and industries. Examples include:
• an architect sketching the next concept for green construction;
• a doctor explaining a diagnosis or procedure to a patient;
• a student solving a problem with remote classmates; or
• an advertising executive brainstorming creative storyboards and design layouts.

Organisations can also record and stream whiteboard content using Polycom® RealPresence™ Platform solutions for applications such as training and education.

The Compact Design of Polycom UC Board is Quick to Deploy and Easy to Use

• Intuitive, familiar components: The Polycom UC Board solution combines a compact infrared sensor that attaches to a whiteboard or LCD screen, and a wireless stylus that meeting hosts can use to sketch, write, and annotate just as they would use any pen or marker.
• Easy to install: Polycom UC Board is easy to install and significantly more cost-effective than solutions that require costly specialised fixed equipment. Users can set up and use Polycom UC Board in minutes, via a direct USB connection to a Polycom HDX system in the room, without opening more applications or using extra hardware.
• Easy to use: Unlike competing whiteboard solutions, the Polycom UC Board works the moment the stylus touches the writing surface, requiring absolutely no technical skill or training to operate. Through Polycom’s commitment to advancing UC via open standards, the new solution allows users to share their work seamlessly with any standards-based system, including tablets (see related Polycom® RealPresence™ Mobile press release), without the need for a gateway or conversion software.

As part of the solution, Polycom is leveraging eBeam® technology from Luidia®, Inc, the global provider of interactive solutions. eBeam turns many common flat surfaces into collaborative workspaces where the capture, saving, and sharing of digital content is made easy. Today, hundreds of thousands of eBeam systems are in use across multiple industries worldwide.

About Polycom
Polycom is the global leader in standards-based unified communications (UC) solutions for telepresence, video, and voice powered by the Polycom RealPresence Platform. The RealPresence Platform interoperates with the broadest range of business, mobile, and social applications and devices. More than 400,000 organisations trust Polycom solutions to collaborate and meet face-to-face from any location for more productive and effective engagement with colleagues, partners, customers, and prospects. Polycom, together with its broad partner ecosystem, provides customers with the best TCO, scalability, and security – on-premises, hosted, or cloud delivered. Visit www.polycom.asia or connect with Polycom on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn

ENDS

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