Products
Cisco Video Advantage
Cisco Unified Video Advantage Video: The Visually Interactive, Cost-Effective IP Communications Solution
Cisco Unified Video Advantage brings video to Cisco Unified IP Phones (the 7900 Series and the Cisco IP Communicator softphone application). The video telephony solution consists of Cisco Unified Video Advantage software and a video telephony USB camera, Cisco’s VT Camera II.
How the Cisco Unified Video Advantage Works
Users dial calls from their Cisco Unified IP phones using the familiar phone interface, and calls are displayed with video on their computers without requiring any mouse-clicking or extra button-pushing.
System administrators can use a Cisco Unified IP Phone with Cisco Unified Video Advantage like they would with any other Cisco Unified IP Phone, simplifying installation and distribution significantly.
Types of Features and Functions
Video telephone calls are just like regular phone calls with Cisco Unified Video Advantage. The Cisco Unified Video Advantage has the features and functions of a full-featured IP videophone when registered to the Cisco Unified CallManager. Transfer, hold, conference, and call forward are all available with video and are initiated through the IP phone. Every employee uses a unified dial plan and a common directory over a single Cisco Unified Communications infrastructure for the phone. Cisco Unified Video Advantage reduces the need for in-person meetings, allowing companies to save money for travel and time that is needed when going to meetings.
No Video Experience Necessary
Because the bandwidth selection and video codec in Cisco Unified Video Advantage is completely controlled by Cisco Unified CallManager or Cisco Unified CallManager Express, the user needs no special knowledge or experience regarding video capabilities or settings. Users do not have to predetermine if the other end of the call is a video phone. Call completion rates increase whether the calls are audio only, or both audio and video.
Enabling interactive face-to-face communications at the desktop enhances productivity and the quality of communications, streamlines business decision-making, and improves teamwork. Cisco Unified Video Advantage is designed to deliver enhanced modes of communication while protecting existing telephony investments.
Dynamic Business Communications
Designed to grow with new system capabilities, Cisco’s Unified Video Advantage features the latest advancements in technology available with IP communications today. Businesses have the capability to use their IP networks to extend enterprise-class video and voice to everyone in their organization.
Cisco Unified Video Advantage is designed intuitively, with convenient access to an array of features:
- Phone association choice
Users choose to place Cisco Unified Video Advantage video calls with a Cisco Unified IP Phone or Cisco IP Communicator. - Camera on/off
Users who want to view incoming video only can turn off their camera. - Video check
Users are able to check their video before calls are placed or received. - Mute video on audio mute option
When users mute the audio on their phone, video will be automatically muted until the audio is resumed. - Easy access to video controls
Controls for showing the console, video window position and video window options are accessible from the video windows. - Video signal indicators
The quality of outgoing and incoming video signals is graphically displayed. - Connectivity and status indicators
Graphics indicate the availability state of the connections to the phone device and camera, including "no available video” and muted calls.
Video Features
- Supports USB webcams: Cisco VT Camera and Cisco VT Camera II (Cisco Unified Video Advantage 2.0 release and later)
- H.263 and H.264 video codecs: 50 kbps to 1.5 Mbps bit rates
- Video formats (up to 30 frames per second): 352 x 288, 320 x 240, 176 x 144, and 160 x 120
- Interoperable with most third-party H.323 video terminals from verified IP video telephone partners
Minimum Computer Requirements For H.263 Video Only
- Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2) or Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 4)
- Pentium P4 1.9-GHz or higher compatible processor (Streaming SIMD Extensions support required): 2.8 GHz or higher recommended
- 256 MB RAM minimum, 512 MB RAM or more recommended
- 100 MB free disk space
- Video capable graphics card at 800 x 600 x 16-bit screen resolution, 1024 x 768 x 16-bit or better recommended
- USB 1.1 or 2.0 (Windows 2000 supports full-speed only)
Minimum Computer Requirements For H.264 Video and Cisco IP Communicator
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (Service Pack 4) or Windows XP Professional (Service Pack 2)
- Pentium P4 2.4 GHz or higher compatible processor (Streaming SIMD Extensions support required): P4 2.8 GHz or higher recommended
- 256 MB RAM minimum: 512 MB RAM or more recommended
- 200 MB free disk space
- Video capable graphics card at 800 x 600 x 16-bit screen resolution: 1024 x 768 x 16-bit or better recommended
- USB 1.1 or 2.0 (Windows 2000 supports full-speed only)
Minimum System Requirements
- Cisco Unified CallManager Release 4.0(1) Service Release 2a: Cisco Unified CallManager Release 4.1(3) Service Release 1 required when using Cisco Unified Video Advantage with H.264 and Cisco IP Communicator
- Cisco Unified CallManager Express 4.0
- Computer with Cisco Unified Video Advantage connected to the access ports of video-enabled Cisco Unified IP phones:
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 7970 Series release 6.0(2)-SCCP load
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 7960 Series release 6.0(4)-SCCP load
- Cisco Unified IP Phone 7940 Series release 6.0(4)-SCCP load
- Cisco IP Communicator 2.0 required when using Cisco Unified Video Advantage associated with Cisco IP Communicator
Cisco VT Camera II (Included) Specifications
- Fixed focus
- USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 compliant interface with 6 foot cable
- 640 x 480 VGA sensor for improved video quality
- Ability to be positioned on a flat surface or mounted on a flat panel display
