Comments on: Can Cisco be a video star?

Company execs say push into videoconferencing pivotal to Cisco's future, but analysts are skeptical.

[cfriedberg]

Seems to me its a very expensive version of iChat

would be a lot cheaper to buy an iMac for each exec...

[Seaspray0]

ichat an expensive version of AIM

I'd be even cheaper just to get all the exec's an IAM account which is free.

[Seaspray0]

The expensive version of AIM or Windows Messnger

AOL Instant Messenger offers video chat capability, the ability to transfer files peer to peer, and a whole lot more. The same can pretty much be said for Windows Messenger. Windows Messenger offered the ability to also connect peer to peer without going through a service (you dialed the ip address of the other computer directly). Even at low bandwidth connections, it can be impressive. I've seen services such as these implimented in corporations several times. I can see them pumping out the cash for something like this. What would be nice is if you could pay for the bandwidth on demand, similar to paying for minutes of long distance time. Not every company is going to need a full time high bandwidth pipe available for something like this. Have the telco's ever thought about supplying a burst of bandwidth to be sold by the minute?