Following in the footsteps of Cisco and HP, Tandberg has released a full telepresence package called Telepresence T-3. The setup is as impressive as any other telepresence system, with three 64-inch, high-definition monitors, high-definition speakers and microphones all connected in a free-standing unit that includes three tables for participants to sit at.

The tables each have a 22-inch touch screen for controlling the system and for sharing documents during conferences. The package is installed in a dedicated room, and comes with lighting and blue, back-lit wall panels that are part of the package to enhance the images shot in the room. Tandberg is also announcing a set of services to evaluate customer sites, install the gear, and manage and maintain it after it is installed.

Telepresence systems allow disparate meeting participants to feel as if they were all in the same room. Directional microphones and multiple cameras and monitors allow participants to look and speak directly to an individual, unlike standard video conferenecing solutions where everyone is looking directly into their own camera and they need to state who it is they are talking to.

Prices are comparable to other telepresence solutions. All of the AV gear will run you about $300,000, and that’s not including the wall finishings and backdrops which will tack on about $40,000 more. The Tandberg system is compatible with other vendors’ gear that builds its products to the Session Initiation Protocol, H.323 and, via a gateway, H.320.