Intel TeamStation System From PictureTel

Testing by Lisa L. McNair, Michelle Speir and Ania Bernat

The Intel TeamStation System ships with a PC containing an Intel Pentium

III processor running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows NT 4.0. Its line rate is

400 kilobits/sec and its frame rate is 30 frames per second.

At $10,888 with a 27-inch monitor, the TeamStation was the most expensive

unit in this roundup. But it was also the only system to ship with Microsoft's

NetMeeting software, which gives you document-sharing capabilities. (The

system costs $9,333 without a monitor.)

Setup was easy with Intel's excellent quick-start guide. Unlike the other

systems, Intel requires users to configure the operating system, but this

is easy to do with the clear instructions. Cables come in clearly numbered

bags that correspond to numbers on the boxes containing the system's components.

The Intel TeamStation software is simple and easy to use. However, this

package is not designed to let the end user adjust many settings. An administrator

must access the Intel System AdminTools to set most preferences. If you

don't want users fiddling with settings, this is an advantage.

We would have liked a better user's guide for this system than its online

User Quick Guide, which only outlines the basics of placing a call. The

unit's hard-copy Administrator's Guide is very good, though some extra trouble-shooting

information would have been helpful.

One other feature worth mentioning is the Document Server. Using a World

Wide Web browser on a networked PC, a user can copy documents to this server.

The user can access those documents to share during a conference call or

simply display them to meeting participants in the same room.