HD VoIP?
Source: saunderslog.com
Leanne asks what HD VoIP is, an. PhoneBoy responds that it probably doesn’t mean much. Wideband CODECS have been around for ages, but because most calls terminate on the PSTN where the standard is 64k G.711 encoded at 8 bits, the fact that a PC-based client can generate and receive wideband audio is meaningless.
I’ve sent mail to Iristel to find out what their HD VoIP is. It could be one of three things, in my opinion:
- Better handling of audio on the PC itself. Both GIPS and Diamondware have convincingly shown that audio quality can be dramatically improved by paying attention to jitter, and other parts of the audio subsystem, not just the CODEC. This would impact all calls made, not just calls from one Iristel customer to another.
- A wideband CODEC. As noted previously, this only has an impact if both users are on PC’s capable of supporting that wideband CODEC.
- Bog standard G.711 throughout their network. Some operators will use more highly compressed audio on various legs throughout the network, resulting in lower quality. If Iristel were to do this, it would undoubtebly improve quality, but they wouldn’t be the only ones to try thi. gambit.
Bottom line, as Luca Filigheddu says, it’s marketng. Whether it will be effective marketing remains to be seen, but it’s definitely marketing.
UPDATE: I’ve just contacted Iristel. The solution is G.722, and uses Polycom IP phones. I’ve just ask them to confirm that it requires a Polycom IP phone at either end.
