Ricoh enhances portable business-class videoconferencing

More useful and affordable than dedicated video conferencing room systems, solution enables any room to be instantly turned into a videoconferencing center

Ricoh Americas Corporation will demonstrate this week at InfoComm 2014 in Las Vegas (Booth #C5825) a highly portable business-class group videoconferencing system that integrates voice, video and data sharing.

By combining two unique Ricoh technologies – the Unified Communication System P3000 (built on the VidyoWorks™ platform from Vidyo®) and the PJ WX4141N Ultra Short Throw Business Projection System – individuals and groups can come together virtually anywhere there is an internet connection, on the spur of the moment, enabling them to easily capture, transform and manage information allowing for quicker and more informed decision making.

Available now, dealers can create a complete videoconferencing solution for B2B applications. The combined technologies provide a solution that directly addresses a costly problem: Companies spend enormous amounts of money on complicated permanent videoconferencing rooms that are typically restricted to top executives and, remarkably, are commonly underused.

A perfect match
Dealers can create this solution by starting with the P3000, a portable, sleek, self-contained videoconferencing system as easy to use as a mobile phone. It incorporates a camera, microphone, speaker and cloud-based service for integrating up to 20 callers, with encryption through the VidyoWorks platform that helps to secure the conference link. When combined with the RICOH PJ WX4141N, together they create a complete videoconferencing solution that's perfect for home office and portable business applications.

The RICOH PJ WX4141N is a breakthrough ultra-short-throw projector that projects bright, crisp images measuring up to 80 inches diagonal without shadows, noise or glare. It can be placed from 4.6 to 9.8 inches from a wall or screen. The big projected image enables participants to see one another, even with multiple participants on the screen.

The projector is also compact, measuring 10 x 6 x 9 inches and weighing 6.6 pounds. The P3000 is a thin (1.6 inches) tablet-sized package weighing only 3.5 pounds. While portable and affordable, the combination offers all the benefits of fixed videoconferencing systems, including the value of face-to-face meetings in a portable solution.

The P3000 connects up to 20 participants at once with the push of a button, activating a 94-degree wide angle lens that allows multiple people to be viewed in a room. A variety of screen layouts are available and up to nine participants can appear on the screen at one time along with the ability for any participant to share their desktop with the group.

"Companies are continually forced to choose between pricey permanent videoconferencing rooms or consumer-class apps they find online," said Matt Sakauchi, Vice President, Technology Marketing, Ricoh Americas Corporation. "Consumer apps are really designed for one-to-one versus many-to-many calls, and they often lack the security capabilities a business requires. The P3000, on the other hand, hits the sweet spot between the two extremes, meeting the needs of today's more fluidly collaborative work styles. Because the solution is a portable, self-contained unit, any office, meeting room or home office can instantly become a videoconference room."

This portable videoconferencing solution is the newest technology from Ricoh to help customers make information work for them. In today's dynamically changing work environment, the need for virtual collaboration continues to increase. Ricoh is focused on information mobility – helping customers to make information accessible by those who need it when they need it to make critical business decisions.

A sales manager, for example, can conduct regular videoconference calls with their salespeople in the field. The salespeople can call into the conference via the solution's iPhone®, iPad® or PC app, which activates their video cameras as it joins them to the call.

The P3000 is available for an MSRP of $2,200, plus a $99 per month fee for subscription to a cloud service and a $47 per month service fee for the apps. The PJ WX4141N Ultra Short Throw projector is available for an MSRP of $2,299.00.
www.ricoh-usa.com