January 23, 2016

Polycom Realpresence Debut vs Cisco SX10

With the recent release of the Polycom Realpresence Debut, it makes sense to compare it with its nearest competitor, made by Polycom's nearest competitor, Cisco's SX10. Keep in mind that I've not tested either product, it's strictly a subjective by the paper review. So let's just call it a preview instead.
On to it.
Functionally and marketing wise, these products are intended for the same demographic; small conference rooms in the SMB world. It was no real surprise when Polycom released theirs as these two companies tend to borrow ideas from each other (OTX-IX5000, Eagle Eye Director-Speakertrack, etc)



 Above, the Debut. Below the SX10



Size
SX10 - 10.8w 4.6h 3.6d at 2 pounds
Debut - 13.4w 3.7h 1.8d at 2.2 pounds

Winner: Debut as I don't mind the sacrifice of some length to get the height down. Lower profile wins. If either one looked and acted like a speaker bar that would have been better.

MSRP
SX10 - $4,094.33 was the closest I found to an MSRP. I did find it on Amazon for $2,300
Debut - $1,999

Winner: I'm not sure if there are any points off MSRP for the Debut, but even if not it still beats the SX10



Form/Style
SX10 - Subjectively, it's not my thing
Debut - Quite pleasant to look at from the pictures

Winner: Clearly the Debut although the camera appears to be a tiny bit lower on the SX10. Anything that can get the camera lower and toward the faces of the people on screen the better off you'll be. Plus, moving cameras annoy me.

Resolution
SX10 1080p30 with 1080p5 content
Debut 1080p30 with 1080p15 content

Without seeing the two side by side in the flesh, I doubt there is any real difference.

Zoom
SX10 - 5x
Debut - 4x digital

A zoom feature makes you want to believe that these can be used in larger rooms.

FOV (horizontal field of view)
SX10 - 83 degrees
Debut - 80 degrees

These are appropriate fields of view for a product that you'll be sitting close to.

Summary
These products are for small groups of 2-4 people. The problem is that they still sit on top of the display and depending on your room setup the capture will range from ok to poor. Don't believe any marketing photos from either of these products as they won't typify what the experience will be like. From the looks of it, they can sit below the displays, but that really isn't better than above.

From what I've experienced the price of either is too high unless your company's eco system already contains Polycom or Cisco's products. One might say "hey Bryan, you make a $16,000 camera and you're whining about $2,000 for a camera AND codec all in one?". It's a valid argument but falls short when you take into account the competition and their offerings. What is the competition for the Debut and SX10? Chromebox for meetings, Logitech Conference Cam and plain old web cams attached to a computer.

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