HP gives sneak peak at Skyroom video conferencing

HP has given a sneak peak of its new video conferencing collaboration tool, dubbed Skyroom.

At the launch of its new Z-Series workstations, HP's general manager for workstations Jim Zafarana offered details of the new system.

The software is intended to not only enable video communication between remote workers, but also enable creative workers to share their computer desktops in real-time, even if they contain complex 3D graphics.

Once in a call, users can just drag a container box anywhere on their desktop, and the contents of the box will be shared with up to four users. Zafarana said the differentiator was that 3D graphic models could be shared, thanks to the use of proprietary HP compression techniques, making it perfect for collaboration on complex designs.

Zafarana said Skyroom is based on HP Team room software, but is expanded to another level. It's designed to work within corporate networks, and will enable remote teams to collaborate on complex projects from anywhere in the world. "The world is globalising but we don't always have the time to travel," he explained.

The tool will run on any 2GHz system but Zafarana said users could expect performance to scale on faster systems.

Zafarana did not provide an exact time frame for availability of the software.

Benny Har-Even

Benny Har-Even is a twenty-year stalwart of technology journalism who is passionate about all areas of the industry, but telecoms and mobile and home entertainment are among his chief interests. He has written for many of the leading tech publications in the UK, such as PC Pro and Wired, and previously held the position of technology editor at ITPro before regularly contributing as a freelancer.

Known affectionately as a ‘geek’ to his friends, his passion has seen him land opportunities to speak about technology on BBC television broadcasts, as well as a number of speaking engagements at industry events.