HD-quality video conferencing from a USB

BANGALORE, INDIA: The next time you are traveling, or need to attend that unavoidable video conference meeting but need to be out on the field to clinch that important project, fret not. You can now be sitting at a coffee shop, your car, or wherever else, and be attending the video conference – all thanks to Tandberg’s new offering which works off a USB drive.

The Precision HD USB Camera is positioned as a business quality, HD video communication device which syncs up to PC video applications to enable high quality video conferencing. Powered by 2.7 megapixel CMOS sensor, with features like Auto Focus and Auto Light Adjustment, and laptop, desktop and stand-along mounting options, the camera does not require a driver or software to install it.

It powers up from your USB drive, and allows you to full screen HD video capability – and the entire design to development has happened out of Tandberg’s Bangalore R&D center, which started operations about 17 months back.

“Of the total number of Tandberg employees worldwide (1600), 500 are dedicated to R&D spread across Norway, London, New Zealand and the India R&D center based out of Bangalore” said Pradeep Bardia, director-R&D, Tandberg India.

Explaining the various aspects of development that has gone into the USB HD camera, he said, “There are four distinct areas of R&D that has gone into the development of this product – Optics, mechanics, hardware and Software – The optics involved high quality lens, a sensor that works in conjunction with a movement capture mechanism – real time at 30 frames per second. The product is software intensive though it is not shown outside.”

He said this is mainly in the area of image processes. The hardware development was aimed at creating an easy-to-use flexible device.”

The core of all these aspects, Pradeep said, was the Video Communications backbone, with the idea of providing a mobile conferencing system to a mobile broadband user. Video in turn has been researched for quality, analysis of data, processing of the data and sub-system developments. To disseminate, packetize and encrypt the video if required, there is a networking component of the product development.

“Bangalore has always been looked upon as a services destination where a lot of IPs are used to create tools which are used by global teams and find its way into final products. Tandberg works a little differently. The Bangalore center has taken ownership of the entire product and the team here, which is a mix of experts from semiconductor and services competencies, and have created the USB camera from scratch to finish. We hope to leverage the IP here to create more path breaking products like these”, Pradeep said.

It’s about time we said Jai Ho to Indian R&D centers. Let’s hope other companies take a cue from here.