Hardware Versus Software

Media transcoding gateways can be either hardware- or software-based, which generally determines the price point. The Cisco Advanced Media Gateway is an example of a hardware-based transcoding device that is typically deployed to provide HD video integration with legacy Cisco/Tandberg systems. This system comes at a fairly significant price point that puts it out of reach for many organizations.

LifeSize, on the other hand, provides a software-based media transcoding device as part of the UVC platform. The UVC platform can be deployed on a virtual infrastructure, so it is limited by the hardware an organization runs it on rather than what a vendor bundles and ships.

Any kind of transcoding gateway requires a significant amount of processing power, so these types of products generally can handle only a handful of simultaneous calls.