Quanta and ooVoo Partner on HD Conferencing

Video conferencing company ooVoo is partnering with Taiwan's Quanta to bring video conferencing to high definition televisions.

Video conferencing solution developer ooVoo has announced it is partnering with Taiwan’s Quanta Research Intitute (the R&D arm of Quanta Computer, one of the largest OEM computer makers on the planet) to develop an Internet-based video conferencing solution that can be used on high-definition televisions. The video conferencing technology will work either through a set-top box or a notebook computer, and promises to bring “true HDTV quality” to video conferencing anywhere broadband Internet connections are available.

“The world is just beginning to realize the promise of high definition video as more and more HDTV sets are sold and more HD programming and content becomes available,” said Quanta vice chairman and president CC Leung, in a statement. “Whether at home, work or on the go, the promise of high definition video opens new possibilities when it is put in a social context. HD video chat is just the first step.”

Oovoo has displayed a prototype of the system at its New York headquarters, and the companies hop to turn the technology into a commercially viable product during 2008. The system will use the H.264 codec, and will require a minimum of 512 kbps bandwidth for one-way, 720p video streams at 30 frames per second. (We imagine two-way video will require bandwidth of roughly 1 Mbps.) The prototype device had connectors for a Webcam and audio output, although there’s currently no word on whether the device or service will ship with its own Webcam and microphone or whether consumers will have to supply those separately.

Video conferencing solutions are becoming more common in enterprises and businesses, although the systems are generally very expensive and rely on proprietary hardware. Internet-based video systems built into software like Skype and various instant messaging programs have generally suffered from poor video quality (since many home broadband users’ upload speed isn’t adequate to video transmission) and difficult setup.

Quanta and ooVoo have not announced any pricing information for their system.