announced that its social video software application is currently shipping with the newest HP webcams – the HP Webcam HD models 3310 and upcoming 4310. The Polycom HD video software is the first group social video chat application that allows users to access their contact lists in popular consumer social platforms, including Facebook, Skype, and gTalk (Google video), and conduct HD video chats with their friends and family regardless of the applications the other participants are using or where they are.
Because the app combines contact lists from Facebook, Skype, and gTalk, users can see who is online and invite them to an HD video chat simply by dragging or selecting them. Participants receive the video chat invitation within their preferred messenger interface and they can simply click-and-join from within their browser – without downloading anything. The free version of the app supports HD video chat with up to three participants, as well as screen- and document-sharing so that friends and family can have face-to-face conversations while, for example, reviewing a map for their next vacation, looking at the seating plan for a wedding, or viewing a spreadsheet in a budget plan.
“Millennials have been raised on video and use video and social media as their primary tools to connect with friends and family,” said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, Polycom President of Products and Services. “Collaborating with HP’s webcams, we’re bridging apps and media to make it easy for people to come together face-to-face in high-definition, even if one friend is on Skype and another is on Facebook. This is a big step forward for social media, as Polycom-powered technology is bringing islands of video chat together into a single platform.”
“With HP’s high-definition webcams and Polycom’s HD video software, consumers can connect face-to-face with anyone, anywhere in the world, all at once on popular social platforms,” said Jun Kim, Vice President & General Manager, PC Displays and Accessories Business Unit, HP. “Polycom HD video software combined with HP cameras makes it easy for people to instantly come together in crystal clear quality, regardless of the platform the participants are using. These are high-performance products that make it easier for people to connect and share no matter where they are.”
The software application leverages technology from Polycom’s acquisition of ViVu in October 2011. ViVu’s innovative HD video chat software can be embedded into web applications such as enterprise, social, and vertical industry applications (e.g., healthcare communications, call centers for retail industry, or wealth management solutions). This technology gives Polycom a fast-track to embed HD video into web-based applications through an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) model to help bring video collaboration to a wide range of devices and applications.