Bigpicture TV Phone From 3Com Enables Point-to-Point Television Videoconferencing Over Analog Phone Lines

Business Wire, Nov 5, 1997

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 5, 1997--

Easy-to-Use TV Phone Turns Regular Phone Calls Into Video Phone Calls

Offering a Full-Featured Videoconferencing Solution without a PC

Global networking leader 3Com Corporation (NASDAQ:COMS) today announced its availability of their Bigpicture tv phone, a simple videophone solution enabling quality person-to-person videoconferencing with ordinary television sets and telephones.

By combining the power of 3Com's video and analog technologies, this new product lets people make reliable, high-quality video phone calls without a PC. Due to its ease-of-use, the Bigpicture tv phone is an ideal choice for people who don't have PCs, technical knowledge, or the budget to install advanced video systems in the home or corporate office.

"The Bigpicture tv phone establishes 3Com as one of the first companies to provide a family of mass market videophone products that bridge the PC and non-PC worlds of visual communications," said Neil Clemmons, vice president of marketing for 3Com's Personal Communications Division. "The Bigpicture tv phone joins our award winning Bigpicture video product family as an affordable communications product that helps people access the world of video over their television sets as well as their PCs."

With the Bigpicture tv phone, no special lines, extra services or additional monthly fees are necessary. Friends and family can make a the same way they would make a voice call. Business people can save on travel time and expenses, meeting "face-to-face" without leaving the office. They can now show a product or discuss a new project from across town or across the country.

Complete Communications Package

The Bigpicture tv phone includes a built-in camera that includes adjustable quality, picture size, and frame rate features. The electronic zoom feature lets users select wide angle, normal, and telephoto (close-up) views for the remote camera. The pan and tilt features allow users to digitally adjust the remote camera's field of view, both horizontally and vertically.

"The Bigpicture tv phone combines a touch-tone telephone and television to form a complete video solution with a suite of viewing options," said Bernie Sepaniak, director of video products for 3Com's Personal Communication Division. "Because it uses standard telephone lines, a video phone call costs no more than a regular telephone call. In addition, all of the product's components are contained in a small camera that fits nicely on top of any television."

Installation requires a standard analog phone line, a touch-tone telephone and a television. The telephone key pad allows users to control the camera and video functions through a user-friendly on-screen menu. Self-view (local) mode allows you to see how others see you, privacy mode mutes outgoing video, and snapshot mode lets users capture and send images to other parties.

Video, Audio & Data Compliance

The Bigpicture tv phone conforms to the H.324 video phone standard, allowing it to interact with both plain old telephone service (POTS) videophones and desktop video conferencing systems from different manufacturers that are also H.324 compatible. Additional compliance includes G.723.1 audio compression for voice, NTSC for output and V.34 for data. This allows users to make video calls to personal computers running video phone software as well as standard television sets.

The Bigpicture tv phone interoperates with the Bigpicture video product family that includes: Bigpicture Video Kit that ships complete with a 30 fps video capture board, V.80 video/voice/ fax modem that is upgradable to x2 56 Kbps(1) technology, color video camera, suite of video communications and editing software. Bigpicture Video Camera & Capture Card package for use with existing modems or other data transmission devices.

In addition, the Bigpicture tv phone is compatible with VCRs, so users can record video calls they wish to save. Other tv phone configurations include connecting the tv phone to a television with auxiliary audio/video inputs, to a television and a cable adapter, to a television with a VCR, to both a VCR and a cable box, and with telephone accessories like an answering machine.

Additional Features: Auto-Answer, Caller ID & Upgrades

The auto-answer feature lets an unattended tv phone serve as a security camera, baby monitor, or traffic camera. This allows the phone to automatically answer an incoming call after a variable number of rings. Caller ID lets users view the phone number of the call they are receiving before they answer the video call at the top of their television screen. If the call is missed, the tv phone remembers the last number received and displays it when the user picks up the phone.

As visual communication technology continues to evolve, new features can be easily added to the Bigpicture tv phone with a simple phone call to 3Com's upgrade server. During an upgrade phone call, 3Com loads new software into the tv phone to further improve video quality and add features based on new technical innovations.