Telepresence is just AMAZING!
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Posted Wed 21 May 2008 @ 7:19 a.m. by Ernie Newman
Wow!
That's all I can say after experiencing a live telepresence session in a purpose-built venue at the opening of Cisco's new Auckland office yesterday.
Cisco of course is not the only vendor in the telepresence space - there are others including high-profile Asnet who demonstrated the technology to great effect at the TUANZ "After 5s" a few weeks ago.
But for me the difference in the Cisco demo was that for the first time I experienced telepresence in the full glory - in a purpose-built suite with furniture, lighting, colour scheme etc identical to those at the two remote stations and indeed in around 250 Cisco suites around the planet. This stuff is all made in one place for absolute authenticity, and then shipped in.
Minister Cunliffe was here at the Auckland end. In Singapore the New Zealand High Commissioner - an old drinking buddy of the Minister from pre-political days - took the stage along with a senior Cisco official. Cisco NZ Country Manager Geoff Lawrie hosted the call.
The illusion of real presence was complete. Sitting across what appeared to be a single oval table, the half dozen of us in Auckland confronted images of those at the other ends at precise life size. The definition was extraordinary - we could read the time in Singapore on the High Commissioner's watch! Any latency was imperceptible; every nuance in the expression just as clear as in real life.
At one point I asked the Singaporeans to move to opposite ends of their table and talk over each other as though arguing.(Not something that comes easily to a diplomat, you understand!) The clarity was stunning - the voices came from different speakers and both could be heard separately and precisely.
There was a small glitch making the Australian connection with Cisco's Les Williamson. When he finally appeared alongside the Singaporeans and kiwis the effect was startling - as though he had been hiding under the table and suddenly appeared like Superman!
Forget video conferencing - shadowy figures on a TV screen at the end of the room. That was SO nineties! Telepresence at this level is something totally new and utterly revolutionary.
I look forward to the day when we have fibre everywhere in this country so we can utilise the potential of this stuff to the maximum. I look forward to New Zealand becoming a leading edge user to eliminate our isolation and revolutionise our economy.
I hope Cisco, Asnet and all the rest have great success in making New Zealand an early adopter of telepresence for our economic, social, environmental and cultural benefit.
I've been around technology demos often enough to be a natural sceptic. This was a revolution and an inspiration. Go to it, guys!
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