Free Newsletter
AudioCodes '09 HD audio push
AudioCodes is pushing high-definition audio VoIP big time for 2009. The company says Microsoft is considering AudioCodes HD technology for integration into Microsoft Office Communicator.
VoIPerfectHD, AudioCode's HD technology, would be integrated directly into Microsoft Office Communicator to provide improved voice quality between Microsoft-based voice customers. Something called "the advanced gateway" would include the real-time wideband audio encoder inside AudioCode's gateway.
AudioCodes says HD could provide to be a key differentiator for Microsoft as it goes head to head with Avaya and Nortel to get into the enterprise space. Wideband encoders are reportedly so much better that not only do customers embrace it (i.e. buy it), but they encourage other people to try it.
HD products for both service providers and enterprise customers are expected to hit the market in the first three months of 2009.
If AudioCodes is correct, HD voice may be reaching critical mass in the marketplace. Digium, Polycom, Skype, and snom all have products or baked-in support for wideband codes.
For more:
- Redmond Channel Partner Online reports Microsoft working with HD audio.
Related articles
Whence HD Voice? - FierceVoIP
Snom Upgrades Wideband Voice - FierceVoIP
More stories about wideband voice VoIP Technology VoIP Voice Quality Microsoft Office Communicator Microsoft hd voice AudioCodes
Comments
Posted by Anonymous | November 6, 2008 - 2:50pm
The article was good, but was missing one of the leading players in VoIP PBX's Shoretel which has been pushing a wide band codec for a few years now. The codec is only used on internal calls due to lack of interoperability, and since the PSTN still uses only the g.711 which is so superior to g.729 i wonder how much longer g.729 will even be an issue since it is a codec that was created in a time when the Internet was still primarily used by dial up users. In the days of the minimal being 1-2 meg, and in most metro areas the cable companies are selling 7-10 meg I wonder why anyone would endure the lower voice quality of g.729. I bring up g.729 because many manufactures still waste resources and hardware/software supporting it that has delayed the introduction of the wide band encoders, and until everyone offers wide band there will be very little concern about interoperability at anything above g.711 so the proposed wide band encoder g.722 will continue to grow slowly. The only hope of g.722 becoming a standard if that the 4G standards have hinted at it become a necessary inclusion to be able to provide a higher quality voice than the existing GSM or QCELP encoders which are both b3elow g.711 in voice quality. I would be happy if 4G just supported g.711, but I hope that the combined market forces of Next generation PBX & Telepresence manufactures, as well as the migration of the mobile workforce toward 4G will bring about a wide band codec standard. I suggest unless you are biased against Shoretel for some odd reason you might want to include the one manufacture who has been supporting wide band for the longest time as well as the market leader in customer satisfaction numbers and features when next you start an article to praise Microsoft whom I seriously doubt will monopolize the PBX market like they did the OS marketplace. The primary reason is that when ones computer was rebooting or completely screwed due to the latest virus one could always pick up the telephone and call tech support. If the PBX is Microsoft you are so screwed, and had better hoop-e tech support has published their cell phone numbers
Posted by Anonymous | November 6, 2008 - 6:05pm
Speaking of Microsoft - Microsoft's RTA is a HD VoIP codec and you would need something like the audiocoes box to connect HD IP Phones to it.
Shoretel has an excellent solution but yet not everybody is using it.
If you want non-proprietary elements for best-of-breed solutions, Shoretel is not the one.
Posted by Anonymous | November 9, 2008 - 2:50am
I wasn't aware the criteria was being available in Europe. I know they have recently secured additional funding to expand operations, and I know they are available in some countries outside the USA. I suggest you go to their website adn find out more about those plans.
Posted by Anonymous | November 9, 2008 - 2:44am
I don't know where you get the comments about proprietary as Shoretel uses the Industry Standard MGCP as well and now they have added SIP which was pushed by the likes of Cisco because they didn't want to accept the MGCP Standard because it was developed by the CCITT instead of the IETF so MGCP being Telco like and unlike SIP and not looking like HTML Code. MGCP looks more like ISDN Call Setup messages and because of that it is used by most Trunking Gateways due to being more reliable and Standards based. SIP by comparison still allows so much to be tweaked by the end users that it makes Interoperability Testing necessary for working with any two manufactures on developing a new feature. Since MGCP is a tightly controlled standard all one has to do is comply to the messaging protocol to insure 100 functionality will be attained. I know many people we sold a very good and misleading story about SIP by Cisco, but it simply isn't that reliable when compared to MGCP so Shoretel picked one standard that was mature over a developing standard that was still very much influx and not stable, but this by no means makes them proprietary as there are several phone manufactures who also make MGCP Phone such as Polycom.
As far as best of breed this is something that many have already bestowed upon them such as the Pulver 100, and well as J.D. Powers, and many trade journals such as Internet Telephony and VON.
Posted by Anonymous | November 9, 2008 - 2:47am
I don't know where you get the comments about proprietary as Shoretel uses the Industry Standard MGCP as well and now they have added SIP which was pushed by the likes of Cisco because they didn't want to accept the MGCP Standard because it was developed by the CCITT instead of the IETF so MGCP being Telco like and unlike SIP and not looking like HTML Code. MGCP looks more like ISDN Call Setup messages and because of that it is used by most Trunking Gateways due to being more reliable and Standards based. SIP by comparison still allows so much to be tweaked by the end users that it makes Interoperability Testing necessary for working with any two manufactures on developing a new feature. Since MGCP is a tightly controlled standard all one has to do is comply to the messaging protocol to insure 100 functionality will be attained. I know many people we sold a very good and misleading story about SIP by Cisco, but it simply isn't that reliable when compared to MGCP so Shoretel picked one standard that was mature over a developing standard that was still very much influx and not stable, but this by no means makes them proprietary as there are several phone manufactures who also make MGCP Phone such as Polycom.
As far as best of breed this is something that many have already bestowed upon them such as the Pulver 100, and well as J.D. Powers, and many trade journals such as Internet Telephony and VON.
Click here to get the FierceVoIP email newsletter for FREE!
Comments (6) | Post a comment