Adobe and Vidyo connect for video to web conferencing

Adobe and Vidyo are collaborating to add the latter's telepresence plug-in to an Adobe Connect session and will demonstrate the technology next week.

The Adobe Connect suite of web conferencing software allows users to share presentations from their desktops. The addition of Vidyo's implementation of the Scalable Video Codec (SVC) extension to the H.264 standard has enabled multi-screen tele-conferencing to add a more personal dimension to the environment.

At the 2010 EduCause Conference in Anaheim, California next week, both companies will demonstrate how the combined services can be used in an e-learning environment. The linking of the Vidyo application programming interfaces (APIs) will add instant access to teleconferencing for Connect users.

"With a single click, our two award-winning products can be easily integrated to provide learning institutions and training centres with a powerful new collaboration tool," said Guillaume Privat, director of product management for Adobe Connect.

The H.264 SVC standard enables a flexible use of endpoint videoconferencing equipment, from high quality studio cameras to webcams. This has been made possible by its ability to support multiple video streams with different frame rates and image resolutions.

Research showed the video conferencing market grew rapidly because of improved quality and cost-constrained economies making business travel a luxury. In terms of growth, Europe was second only to the Asia-Pacific region in 2010, with a growth rate of 20.5 per cent, according to figures from market analyst Synergy.

The company said it saw this level of adoption persisting, with the increased use of hosted services.

Though the Connect session next week will be pitched as a demonstration, a spokesperson for Vidyo said the partnership was heading towards announcing product availability in the near future. Consequently, a release date and pricing have not been announced.