HD Now an Affordable Option for SMBs!

In the rapidly innovative world of communication technology there is one thing that is certain: tomorrow’s price will be less than today’s.  Whether it is the recent 30% drop in the price of HDTV sets or the decline in the price of bandwidth, today’s technology will be more affordable in the days to come than it is today. 

What a business could not afford yesterday they will be able to afford today.  And in today’s highly competitive marketplace, it is imperative that the business stay on the cusp of innovative communications technology or risk losing their market share in their respective industries. 

The good news for businesses is that the innovative communication technology of HD is now an affordable and real solution.  The small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) that dominate most of the local marketplace have struggled to keep up with their larger better-funded national and global competitors.  However, the technology of HD telepresence is not just for the global conglomerates that comprise the Fortune 100; HD telepresence is now affordable to SMBs willing to embrace the communication tools of tomorrow.

In Stephen Lawson’s October 15^th article in PCWorld, “New Conferencing Options Light Up,” describes the entrance into the telepresence market, largely dominated by Cisco, of the LifeSize telepresence systems.  Rather than shelling out $300,000 for the Cisco TelePresence studio plus special furniture and lighting, small and medium-sized companies are looking at Lifesize’s $49,000 that does not require any specialized hardware to make it run well.  Talk about an innovative shift within the marketplace!

The big winner in all of this is of course the end users.  As the video conferencing companies continue to innovate, the prices will go down and be more accessible for the already strapped budgets of smaller companies.  This allows for smaller companies to obtain cutting edge communications technologies without the budget-busting affects.  

For Stephen Lawson’s full article, see online at: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/152333/new_conferencing_options_light_up.html

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What are we to make of the current economic crisis?  First, it was Bear Stearns.  Then it was Fannie and Freddy.  Now it is AIG and Lehman Brothers.  It seems like timeless American companies are being timed out.  Even our esteemed presidential candidates are silent in what it will take to provide stability to the economic market.

Interestingly, into this economic uncertainty come the rapidly falling crude oil prices.  Crude oil is now down almost $60 a barrel from just two months ago.  This should create an upturn in spending as consumers, whose budgets were pinched tightly two months ago, open up their pocket books and wallets as gas costs have fallen.  The economic forecast should be rosy, right?  The answer simply is no – the drop in oil price has only lead to a more topsy-turvy economic situation. 

Stevenson Jacobs, a writer for the business arm of the Associated Press suggests, “US consumers and businesses [are] bracing for a protracted economic downturn that should guarantee more of the money-saving energy conservation measures…”

In the same article, James Cordier, president of Liberty Trading Group of Tampa, FL, predicts, “the economic slowdown is completely unavoidable now and people will be driving less, trucking less, and buying less…”

Both men describe a bleak picture for the future of the American economy.  However, this does not mean that companies cannot make substantial gains in their bottom line.  So the question becomes, how can businesses maximize their profit during these uncertain economic times?  The answer is quite simple: cut down on budget-guzzling expediters while maintaining core business objectives. 

However, the tougher question is how this is to be accomplished in the quickest, most cost-effective manner?  Thankfully, there is a simple SOLUTION: Video conferencing.

Video conferencing allows you to drastically cut down on business travel which historically comprised a large percentage of operating budgets for businesses.  Not only that, video conferencing speeds up business decisions and allows for products and services to go quickly from innovation to implementation.  With video conferencing, playing phone or email tag is obsolete as you can speak face-to-face with your team.  Businesses all over the world have been experiencing a radical drop in the number of meetings needed to bring a product or service to market. 

Trimming budgets while increasing efficiency and productivity seems like a great way to increase the all-important bottom line – profit.

Please contact Face-to-Face Live to find out more ways in which we can make your business profitable even during these tough economic times.

You can view Stevenson Jacobs’ article online: biz.yahoo.com/ap/080916/oil_prices.html

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It looks like High Definition is not just for democrats (see August 12th blog on HD at the DNC), but is also for those who are Republican. The Republican National Convention used a 51’ x 30’ Hibino Chroma LED video wall by LG to display not only visual images and video feeds during speeches but also a live broadcasted video from President George Bush. President Bush actually seemed to be in the Xcel Energy Center.

Not only this, but LG supplied many flat screens monitors in the Hurricane Information Center within the convention so that participants could track Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf of Mexico. Obviously, in cases of crisis, up-to-date information is imperative in today’s world, and having the ability to view video in true color and sound only enhances the information.

As Maria Cino, president and CEO of the RNCC, commented on the impact of LG’s HD technology at the convention: “LG’s [HD] technology enhanced the overall experience of our convention.”

If HD screens can add value to the Republican Convention, just think how much added value HD technology can bring to the business sector.

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It seems like everyone is going High Definition (HD) these days.  The Democratic National Party recently announced that the Denver-based DISH Network Corporation would be handling the live satellite feeds into the convention hall from off-site locations in HD for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.  What benefits will HD satellite feeds provide to the DNC convention experience? The answer to this is, quite a lot.

Charlie Ergen, Chairman, CEO and President of DISH Network says, “We are pleased to bring the many voices of Americans into the convention live utilizing our industry-leading technology to provide end-to-end HD broadcasts.”  Brook Colangelo, the Director of Technology for the DNCC agrees, “When we set out to make this convention more inclusive and accessible than ever before…we wanted to bring the voices of American people into the process, and DISH Network will help us do just that.”

Will HD achieve the personal results that they desire?  The answer to that question will have to wait.  However, what is answerable is the more and more people are viewing HD as THE PREFERRED method of distance communications.

This is true not just in broadcasting, but in inter and intra-business communications.  The trick is in finding a HD business video conferencing solution that is affordable.  The good news is that affordable HD video conferencing solutions are already here with the LifeSize HD video conferencing solutions provided by Face to Face Live.   

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We interrupt this blog to share the following special announcement:

We issued a press release earlier today officially unveiling Face to Face Live, Inc.™, www.f2fl.com, and the services and support that makes us different from other videoconferencing service providers. If you’re interested in knowing more about our news, read A New Era in Videoconferencing Arrives.

We now return you to regularly scheduled programming. Tune in tomorrow for another new blog entry.

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