Further, the main system, which can be placed on a table top or mounted in a rack cabinet, provides outputs for standard 4:3-format televisions and VGA computer monitors or projectors. Inputs from computers, other video cameras, VCRs, DVD players, and audio mixers are all accepted.

The system automatically gets an IP address and leads you through the minimum configuration steps to place a call, which is done from the remote control. More extensive system configuration, such as monitor setup and advanced network settings, is performed from a Web interface.

From start to finish, I was conferencing in less than 10 minutes. In everyday use, you should be able to call others and enter a secure conference in a few seconds.

I was impressed with several other aspects of the QDX 6000. To begin, the studio-quality camera's performance is amazing, with sharpness and low-light color quality found in video cameras that could cost $3,000 alone. The 12X optical zoom let me zero in on people or items on the desktop; zooming, panning, and tilting (using the remote) was extremely smooth and fast.

The compact remote control is equally easy to use because of clearly labeled buttons and on-screen prompts that are readable from across a room. For example, with one press you can store (or recall) up to 100 preset camera positions, select a video source, or view far and near sites side-by-side.

Alternately, a free Polycom application (People+Content IP) lets you display the screen of a Windows computer to meeting participants without plugging the video output of the PC into the Polycom QDS 6000 system. To use this feature, all I did was load the software, enter the name of the conferencing system and password, then press the Graphics icon on the remote.

The Polycom StereoSurround microphones produced CD-quality audio with very good spatial separation. There's automatic gain control and noise suppression, which eliminates the need to play with any settings.

My Comcast network speed is pretty bad (typically about 384Kbps to 512Kbps), so I didn't have to do anything special to test Lost Packet Recovery. With LifeSize and 5 percent packet loss, I saw broken video and artifacts. However, Polycom's QoS maintained clear video at the same 5 percent packet loss. LPR is especially beneficial for home workers or employees connected through wireless networks. Yet this feature could also prove essential for critical medical applications, such as where medical specialists would share X-rays or patient images.

Overall, with high-quality video and audio, multiple video inputs and outputs, and compatibility with other systems, the Polycom QDX 6000 delivered smooth and uninterrupted videoconferences. Sure, video on this model is standard-definition wide screen. But that's hardly a negative considering the low price, simplified installation, and performance at low bandwidths.