Cisco and HP are aggressively pushing “telepresence” videoconferencing. It’s pretty amazing how this distant cousin of online video is pushing the envelope of communications. It’s not hard to imagine a future where a teleconference is almost as good as an in-person meeting, except for the handshake at the end.

Today, these systems cost $200,000 to $300,000. It may take 5 to 10 years, but we’ll eventually see MUCH lower cost as the technology benefits from Moore’s law and open standards. That’s when the really cool applications will kick in. Any bets on how quickly the first Star Trek-inspired “holodeck” comes online?

Filed under: video