Two different video players – Tandberg and Polycom – today announced plans with Microsoft that will enable them to bring higher quality videoconferencing to the desktop. In addition, Tandberg announced an agreement with Nortel Networks to deliver fully managed telepresence services globally.

The moves are part of the telecom industry’s increasing interest in telepresence as a means of reducing business travel that adds millions of tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, helping to produce global climate change.

Tandberg is licensing Microsoft’s RT Video codec and RT Audio codec to enable businesses to get high-quality audio and video when connecting between Microsoft Office Communications 2007 and Tandberg video systems. In addition, Tandberg will work through a non-exclusive agreement with Nortel to deliver managed videoconferencing services, either through service providers or directly from Nortel, the two companies said today.

The Microsoft agreement will enable Tandberg to offer “high-definition videoconferencing and telepresence solutions offering interoperability with Microsoft’s unified communications platform,” said Fredrik Halvorsen, CEO of Tandberg, in a prepared statement. “This technology license will drive further enhancements to the customer experience and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to Microsoft technologies and unified communications.”

The Nortel-Tandberg agreement is intended to offer seamless telepresence services to businesses.

“We make the technology transparent,” said Dietmar Wendt, president, Global Services, Nortel, in a prepared statement. “It's no different than simply walking into a conference room for a regular, face-to-face meeting. Ours is a fully-managed service, delivered over an enterprise's IP network with no impact to existing VoIP and data applications.”

Polycom is expanding its relationship with Microsoft to include compatibility between its systems and Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 for tighter integration and ease of use, the company said.

“Our expanded integration with Office Communications Server 2007 supports Polycom's VC2 strategy that moves customers from traditional videoconferencing to tightly integrated visual communications solutions that are simpler to use and manage and deliver a better user experience,” said Joe Sigrist, senior vice president and general manager of video solutions at Polycom, in a prepared statement. “Polycom's solutions work with Office Communications Server 2007 and will allow users to launch HD voice, video and telepresence calls intuitively using the contact list within Microsoft Office Communicator 2007, presence-enabled Microsoft applications and on Polycom video endpoints. It will also give IT managers a tightly integrated solution that can be easily deployed and effectively managed within their Microsoft unified communications environment.”