Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Appearance: Lightly tinted bluish beveled glass surrounding the palm-sized LCD and camera aperture. The rest of the unit is that type of matte finish hard plastic used in laptops. It resembles a picture frame or a small LCD monitor (which it is, in part). Three simple controls on the side of the unit, and three ports in the rear -- two for phone jacks and one for the power supply. With this unit, you supply your own phone, which may be more convenient in some cases and saves on space.
Function: You call into the other location and ask them to activate their video station, and the unit on your side activates automatically. There is a 20 second delay for the video to rev up, then both sides can see each other. The unit tilts about 30 degrees on the base.
Quality: Not bad, meaning, it's fair, but comparable to the standard line speed of 33K. The screen is big enough and bright enough for my parents to be able to view with their not so good eyesight. The unit doesn't respond well to movement like all videophones, but if the image shown is relatively constant, voice and video transmission is good and synchronized. The unit has a simple switch to decrease the resolution which prevents rebuffering delay. The unit also has a picture in picture feature so you can see what you look like. Activating this feature does not seem to slow transmission.
Ease of Use: So easy, my parents could hook it up with phone tech support. (Me.) Very easy to activate and non-threatening interface. Hook up time is about 2 minutes; installation instructions are good. Connection time for calls is really no more than 25 seconds. The unit provides good, clear responses to inform about delays in transmission or problems with connection.
Problems: The unit generates some slight heat when plugged into the adapter. I pull the power adapter out of the unit to rid this problem. It doesn't work with all phone lines, like PBX. It works with my run of the mill ten year old phone.
Overall: This is a solid, well-designed and engineered unit. It's been made to be usable, unlike some amalgams of technology I've seen. I remember the videophones of five years ago with prices in the fifteen-hundred dollar range with quality that wasn't half as good as what this unit. This unit is affordable enough to buy a few of them to distribute to the family. This unit is good for grandkids to see grandparents and closes the physical distance in an amazing way, because its like looking at grandma through a really small window in the house. I had serious doubts about this technology actually working, having not seen this unit prior to buying it, but it works.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Vialta Beamer Phone Video Station (BM80-1, Single Unit)
Add color, motion video to any phone call between yourself and another party using Vialta's Beamer. There are no hookup hassles, service fees, or extra per-call expenses. The Beamer is compatible with any home phone over a standard analog phone line. It requires no additional equipment or wiring, although to use the video features, the other party you're calling will also need a Beamer phone (sold separately).
Setup takes only a few minutes. Just plug your phone line into the Beamer and then connect the Beamer to your phone. When you call another Beamer owner and press Start, video is transmitted to the other party at up to 15 frames per second. For your party's privacy, the unit displays only a message on your screen until the other party also presses the Start button and transmits video back to you.
In addition to video, you can use the snapshot feature to send a high-resolution still image of yourself to the other party. The snapshot feature doubles as a privacy mode, temporarily preventing video transmission for as long as you want. Enjoy three viewing options: self, to view just yourself (how you will appear to the other party); other party, to view your called party; and combo, to display both you and the other party at the same time.
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