Videoconferencing finally makes good on its promise

It's common knowledge that visual cues are important to communication and videoconferencing has long promised to provide those cues while reducing travel and other time and cost-prohibitive burdens. But until recently, these systems have been unwieldy and difficult to use, not to mention expensive. A new generation of products from companies like Cisco, HP and Polycom takes advantage of advances in video, audio and broadband technologies, creating much more life-like experiences. Advanced audio allows everyone to talk at once without canceling out any voices, while high-definition screens make everyone seem to be in closer proximity than they actually are. But let the buyer beware: these systems are expensive, running from $8,000 per room for a basic system to nearly $400,000 per room for more elaborate systems. Network management fees range from $6,000 to $18,000 per month.

Learn more about the newest generation of videoconferencing products:
- read the article at BusinessWeek