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What is Beamer TV
videophone and how exactly does it work? |
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Beamer TV gives consumers
the ability to instantly add video to phone calls using their existing
home phone and television. Beamer TV works with any home phone (corded
or cordless) over any standard (analog) phone line to display live
color motion video of the party you're talking to, on your television
screen. Simply pick up your phone, call another person who has Beamer
TV (or Beamer), and then press the START/VIEWS button on the
remote control. |
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Do I need any
special equipment or service to use Beamer TV videophone? |
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No special equipment or
wiring is required. All each person needs is a home phone, a home phone
(analog) line and a television (NTSC format) with a RCA jack. Analog
phone lines are standard for almost all homes in the U.S. If you are
unsure of what type of phone line you have, contact your local phone
service provider. NTSC is the only television format in the US and
almost all of today's televisions have RCA video jacks.
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Is there any extra cost
to the phone call when using Beamer TV videophone? |
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No, because Beamer TV
uses an analog phone line there is no additional cost for a Beamer TV
videophone call. Beamer TV is designed to work with your current phone
service for the same cost as a regular phone call without Beamer TV. |
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Will I be charged extra
service fees when using Beamer TV videophone? |
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No, with Beamer TV, there
are no monthly fees, service plans or hidden costs. There are no
additional fees associated with using Beamer TV.
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Where do I plug Beamer TV
videophone into my television? |
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Plug Beamer TV into the
RCA video input jack on your television, using the 6-foot video cable
that comes with your Beamer TV. If the video input jacks on your
television are full, you can use a video input on your VCR. If your
television does not have a RCA video input jack (usually an older TV
model), you can use a RF modulator to connect Beamer TV to your
television's antenna input. |
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Why is there no audio
output directly from Beamer TV videophone? |
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Beamer TV is designed to
be used with your TV and your home phone. With audio being transmitted
over your phone line, your telephone handset (or the speakerphone on
your telephone base) is the best choice for delivering the telephone
audio quality most consumers are familiar and comfortable with on a
daily basis.
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What kind of power supply
does Beamer TV videophone use? |
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Beamer TV has a universal
switching power supply, which means it adapts to any power system from
100-240 volts and at either 50-60Hz.
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If I have a Beamer TV,
but my friend doesn't, can I still use my Beamer TV videophone to see
them? |
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Similar to needing two
phones to make a phone call, you need two Beamer TV units, or a
combination of Beamer TV and another Beamer model, to make a videophone
call. (All Beamer models are also compatible with most other H.324
devices.)
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Is Beamer TV videophone
compatible with Beamer? |
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Yes, Beamer TV is fully
compatible with all other Beamer models.
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Is Beamer TV videophone
easy to set up? |
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Yes, very easy - from
"out-of-the-box" to "up-and-running" in about 5 minutes. Just plug your
phone into Beamer TV and plug Beamer TV into your wall phone jack using
the phone cords provided. Then plug Beamer TV into your television's
RCA video input jack with the video cable provided, and plug in the
Beamer TV power adapter.
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Is Beamer TV videophone
easy to use? |
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Absolutely. Beamer TV has
been specifically designed to be extremely user-friendly. Special
attention was given to every detail to ensure that anyone could use
Beamer TV. If you can use a phone, you can use Beamer TV. |
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Is Beamer TV videophone
portable? Can I take it on vacation? |
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Beamer TV's sleek,
ultra-slim design and light weight make it easy to take with you when
you travel. Just like at home - Beamer TV works over an analog line,
connected to a RCA jack on a NTSC format television (which is the only
television format in the U.S.) At the present time, Beamer TV will not
work on a PAL or SECAM format television. We also recommend checking
with your travel location to ensure that there is an analog line and
television with RCA jack available. |
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What are Beamer TV 's
main features? |
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Beamer TV adds live,
color motion video to your phone calls via your television screen. You
can choose from three viewing options: Self view, Other Party view, and
Combo view which displays both calling parties simultaneosly on the
television screen. Beamer TV will display a "Self view" while the
initial video connection is being made, so that you can preview what
the other party will see. This is especially helpful in making sure
that Beamer TV's camera is angled correctly to capture where you will
be sitting during the videophone call.
The
remote control also has buttons that control the clarity and smothness
of movement of the video. For greater detail, use the DETAIL
button. For a more fluid video, use the MOVEMENT button.
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During a Beamer TV
videophone call, what if I want some privacy? |
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Beamer TV has a snapshot
feature, which sends a high-resolution video image that is displayed on
the other party's Beamer. This feature temporarily halts any new video
transmission for as long as you desire, until you press the SNAPSHOT
button again. |
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Does Beamer TV videophone
work with DSL / ADSL? Do I need a filter? |
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Beamer TV will work with
the same line as your DSL service, just like your phone. Simply connect
Beamer TV on the phone side of the DSL line. However, Beamer TV will
not work on your Internet DSL service. Vialta recommends using filters
to protect Beamer TV from the DSL modem signal.
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Does Beamer TV videophone
work with special phone services? |
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Beamer TV is designed to
pass the Caller ID information to the telephone connected to Beamer TV.
Your Caller ID information will show up on your telephone, just as it
would without Beamer TV. (Caller ID is a subscription service offered
by your local phone service provider.) At the present time, Beamer TV
does not support Call Waiting or 3-way calling. |
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What is the video quality? |
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Similar to when you place
a regular phone call, Beamer TV's video quality depends on a number of
variables including the quality of the phone line connection. Changes
in the quality of the connection will impact the quality of the video.
If you have a normal or good phone line connection, you should see a
clear, color motion video of the person you are calling, including
details like changes in their facial expression. |
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How much do Beamers TV
videophones cost? |
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Beamer TV's MSRP
(manufacturer's suggested retail price) is for a single unit.
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Where can I purchase a
Beamer TV videophone? |
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You can purchase Beamer
TV online, at.
You can also click on "Retailers", under "Where to Buy" to locate a
store near you.
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What is the warranty on
Beamer TV videophone? |
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Beamer TV comes with a
standard consumer electronics warranty, which is 90 days labor and one
year on parts. For complete warranty details visit our website at www.vialta.com
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Will Beamer TV videophone
work for international calls, and does the distance affect the quality
of the call? |
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Beamer TV will work on
international calls between two Beamer TV videophones, or Beamer TV and
Beamer. Analog phone lines and NTSC format televisions are required for
connections with any Beamer TV. Analog lines are the standard phone
service in the U.S. as well as many foreign countries, with some
exceptions. NTSC format televisions are standard in the U.S. but may
foreign countries use PAL or SECAM formats as their television
standard. We recommend that you have the party who lives in the country
you wish to call confirm they have a NTSC television to use with Beamer
TV and check with their local phone service provider to verify the type
of phone line available.
Distance
should not affect the quality of the international call, and
the video quality should be comparable to the audio quality. As with
any Beamer TV call, the video quality depends on the phone line and
service provided by the calling party's long distance carrier.
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What else do I need to
set Beamer TV videophone up outside of the U.S.? |
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A different phone plug
and a power plug adapter may be required depending on the foreign
country.
Remember that Beamer TV requires a connection to a NTSC format
television, which is standard in the U.S., and may be available in
other foreign countries. |
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Will Beamer TV videophone
work if I use a calling card to place an overseas call? |
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If you usually have a
good audio connection using a calling card, your video connection will
be comparable. Cards that offer phone service provided by AT&T, MCI
and Sprint typically provide good connections. However, Beamer TV may
not work with Voice Over IP (VOIP) calling cards. As an alternative to
the calling card, you may want to use a major dial around International
Long Distance Service (such as 10-10, etc.), most of which should work
well with Beamer TV. |
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Does Beamer TV videophone
work with an ISDN line? |
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At the present time,
Beamer TV will not work with an ISDN line.
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Does Beamer TV videophone
work with a cell phone? |
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Beamer TV is designed to
work with an analog phone line, which is the standard for homes in the
US Beamer TV is not designed to work with a cell phone. |
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What if I have Digital
Phone service through Comcast or Cox cable? Will Beamer TV videophone
work? |
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Beamer TV does work with
the digital phone service provided by Comcast and Cox Communications,
since they change the signal to analog in the box outside the house. If
you can use a V.90 56K modem or fax machine on a phone line, then you
should be able to use Beamer TV on that same phone line. |
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Will Beamer TV videophone
work on my college network? |
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If the university allows
you to bring your own standard home telephone, Beamer TV should work
fine with the phone and your television. If the university provides the
telephone, you should first confirm with them whether or not their
phone system is analog. You may also ask if they can support dial up
modems, as that will usually indicate an analog phone system, and
Beamer TV should work fine. |
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Is there an audio-video
delay when using Beamer TV videophone? |
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The typical delay is
approximately 1-1.5 seconds. However, Beamer TV's detail/movement
setting, which can be adjusted by the call's recipient, will affect how
synchronized the audio and video appear. Beamer TV's set to display the
maximum degree of detail on the videophone call may experience a longer
delay than those set to display slightly less detailed but more fluid
movement on screen.
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What is the
frames-per-second (fps) rate on Beamer TV videophone and what is that
rate based on? |
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The frames-per-second
rate on Beamer TV ranges from 4 fps to 15 fps. The frame rate is based
on all of the following factors: connection rate, motion in the image,
line quality, and the detail/movement setting.
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What is Vialta's return
policy on Beamer Videophone? |
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Vialta's Return Policy
may be viewed at www.vialta.com |
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Where can I see a live
demonstration of Beamer TV videophone?
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Many of Vialta's retail
partners have displays which demonstrate how easy Beamer TV is to set
up and use. Vialta is also currently working with several of its retail
partners to provide live demonstrations whenever possible. Please check
back with us for updates and locations of scheduled demonstrations. |
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What is the bit rate? |
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During a video call,
Beamer TV can transmit up to 33.6 Kbps. |
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What kind of picture will
I get with Beamer TV videophone? Is it comparable to a broadband
connection? |
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Beamer TV's video quality
is similar to that of a web camera on an ADSL or cable broadband
service. Since Beamer TV is a point-to-point device, it does not have
to worry about the delays introduced by the broadband connections.
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