DLS IVC--Equipment Purchase

INTERACTIVE VIDEO CONFERENCING (IVC): Purchasing Equipment

What do I need to consider when choosing IVC equipment?

What bandwidth is available?
What technical support can I expect from my district?
Will all the conferences be point-to-point or should there be a possibility for multi-point conferences?
How much can be invested in the equipment?
Where will be it set up and what constraints does that entail?
Where might I obtain other funding?

Where do I find the equipment?

There are many providers of equipment, however, in North Carolina, most sites use Polycom, Sony, or Tandberg units. Talk with representatives about the equipment that would best suit your needs and capabilities. Be sure to ask for grant or incentive programs for educators and how your facilitator will be trained on the equipment.

There are also sources for used equipment. You might try a Google search. One such source is The VideoConference Store, a provider of new and pre-owned videoconferencing equipment to the education and government markets. It offers special pricing and also information on different aspects of videoconferencing via email. For example, they provide a comparison between two of Polycom's newest and most popular products, the VSX5000 and VSX7000s.

Thinking outside the box

South East Middle uses a Polycom VSX ($125) installed on a laptop. Their installation has worked well. It is unclear if NCIH/NCVNS will support this setup. The link provides a more detailed description.

Much of this material was compiled by the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics for the 2007 IVC Workshop--Building Connections. Their willingness to share is greatly appreciated.