I’ve been really enjoying the use of the VidTel Video calling service that works with both the Grandstream video phone and CounterPath’s EyeBeam and Bria software very easily. Actually it works with just about any H.264 client or device with the proper settings, but now that the long awaited Asus Skype Video phone is about to hit the market for real (i.e. Hype and Sell in Period has Ended) we can expect to see even greater uptake of personal video simply because no settings are required.
Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t be worse. I say that because we’re entering an era, at least in the USA, where the broadband operators are beginning to think seriously about managing the traffic on their networks, and it seems almost all of what’s being targeted are either P2P based technology or two way, real time symmetrical communications like voice and video.
So just when the dream of AT&T at the New York World’s Fair in 1964 is about to become a reality, the networks that have replaced it are doing their best to keep the legacy of video calling never working alive. That’s sad. My experience with VidTel, Skype and SightSpeed the last few years tells me the time is now. Maybe Cisco with their big Telepresence effort, and Polycom, HP, LifeSize and other will all band together to help keep the caps off and inspire the broader use of video so great ideas can come to life via video without the need to travel, while still remaining face to face.
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