The Videoconference: Friend to the Travel-Weary

Perfect for medium to small conference rooms, the system offers content sharing depending upon the price range and the display doubles as a PC monitor.

$8,000 to $11,000

Craig Malloy, CEO and founder of LifeSize Communications, says his clients still have to travel, but 95% of their business gets done via video. Its entry-level system ($8,000) provides high-definition video over an IT network with no monthly charge except for broadband (around $125). High-definition zoom capacity and the ability to share PC information gets you even closer to the real thing. The system is capable of connecting multiple sites, but each location must also have the LifeSize system.

His customer base ranges from small two- or three-site law firms to Fortune 100 companies.

Its flagship product, the life-size room, is a multipoint control unit system with the same high-definition video quality, but more authenticity. "It feels as if they're in the same room as the other person," he says. "We are replicating true human interaction."

$15,000 to $20,000

Polycom's HDX high-definition video conferencing system provides audio, video and content sharing for large meeting spaces. The HD camera costs an additional $5,000. This is the optimal system for sharing content. Because of the detailed image quality, "this is great for the business selling an intricate widget of some sort," says Knauf.

Small animation houses and larger movie studios have found this technology particularly helpful.

$300,000+

Polycom's RPX Telepresence RealPresence Experience immerses participants in a video collaboration environment: An entire room is built to give the illusion that two different locations are sharing the same space.

Clients of this software consist mostly of the Fortune 500s. "[This option] can really take away the aspect of travel," Knauf says of the rooms, which allow companies to have board meetings with global partners among myriad of other uses, almost eliminating the need to travel.

With video conferencing solutions getting cheaper and options expanding, even a mom and pop business can utilize pretty sophisticated technology and save on its precious travel budget.