Distance Education IP Options
Last Revised - July 28, 2004

For additional information about prices and product description, go to the following link: http://tvdec.k12.ne.us/0405/ipequip.htm

Polycom Options - Polycom homepage with specifications for different video conferencing devices.

Sony Options

BNI IP Contact - Software based (windows only) product. This product is the same program that operates the existing classrooms in the Tri-Valley Distance Education Consortium.

  • Product Vendor - Dark Fiber Solution (DFS), Attention Scott Neff, 600 1/2 Grant Ave., York NE 68467, 402-362-3334
  • Cost -
    • $1,100 for the IP Contact Software - Purchased through DFS, York NE
    • Windows based CPU - Est. Cost $1,300 - Purchased from Dell, Gateway, etc.
    • Audio and Camera - Est. Cost $1,100 - Purchase from Cytek Communications
  • Purchase option - I will be placing an order for several units which would include software, CPU, and audio/camera attachments. If interested in being part of that purchase, contact me - jstritt@esu10.org

Funding sources:

  • For the 2004-05 erate funding year, several schools in the TVDEC consortium filed a seperate application for the purchase of a Sony PCS-1 Codec. If approved for erate, the contracted price was $5,393. During the erate application process, USF said rules prohibit microphones and audio equipment to be included. The codec less microphone and audio was set at $4,000. If your school applied and was approved for this codec, your cost would be $1,393 for camera and audio plus the difference between what erate % paid less $4,000.

    The contract for the Sony PCS-1 was Call One Inc., 8810 astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral FL 32920, Att. Brian Bell.
  • Schools who have teachers attending the Syncing It All Together workshop on July 13-15 will be receiving about $1,000 toward the purchase of distance education technology. These funds can be applied to the purchase of BNI IP Contact package, the Sony package that is part of the 2004-05 (when approved) Erate application, or towards the purchase of a CODEC from the list above.
  • Sources to get bids for codecs:
    • Call One Inc., 8810 astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral FL 32920, Att. Brian Bell (They will bid both Polycom and Sony)
    • SKC Communication Product - Shawnee Mission KS 66227, 888-734-4438 Ext 249, Att Scott Dalton
    • Cytek Media Systems, Inc, 126 NW Jackson, Topeka KS 66603, 785-295-4200 Att Bill Jones.
    • I also have a list of about 20 more vendors. The vendors listed above are those I or the the Nebraska Dept. of Education have purchased Codecs from.

TVDEC Director Comment On Purchasing Codecs:

Tri-Valley south schools currently have the BNI system operating in their classroom. The BNI IP Contact solution would provide you with an affordable, portable system that could also work well with the existing BNI network. If you elect to go this route, the CPU that you are purchasing should be used for the purpose of video conferencing only. Using the CPU for other purposes could result in changes made to the IP contact software settings that might reduce the video/audio quality. This would be the cheapest and I feel a good portable solution.

The Polycom or Sony solution would also be great options. Both can connect to your static classroom but would have limited camera controls. Both of these solutions have high quality audio and video components. This would be a strong plus. This solution would require a little more training to use as these settings are not a software/computer driven program. These would be a great solution for TVDEC north schools.

Either solution will provide you with a second classroom. It won't necessarily be plug-n-play but will be pretty close to it.