Video conferencing has had a bit of a shaky start. It’s been
seen as expensive, complex and prone to delivering low quality,
jerky images. But that was yesterday. Technology has since evolved
and today’s affordable fast connections have made high definition
video conferencing a reality.
In the past, you’d have needed an ISDN (Integrated Services
Digital Network) link for video conferencing, but today’s IP
(Internet Protocol)-based networks are fuelling an interest in
converged voice, video and data communications. IP lends itself to
cost-effective voice and video conferencing and has the added
benefit of allowing users to collaborate on documents
simultaneously. Cisco estimates that global IP traffic will
increase fivefold over the next four years. The company also
estimates that video traffic will make up 90% of global consumer IP
traffic by 2013.
Your video conference shopping list
There is a video conferencing system for every budget, ranging
from personal desktop systems using low-cost webcams, through to
specialist video conferencing equipment designed for use in meeting
rooms and other shared environments. However, the essential
components of any video conferencing solution are camera,
microphone, monitor, speaker and codec.
For most organisations, high definition video conferencing is
the most readily available option and offers good quality on a
limited budget (usually between £1,500 and £5,000).
Next consideration: the number of point-to-point video-enabling
terminals or ‘endpoints’ needed. You’ll need to balance the cost of
the equipment and services against convenient access to the network
of video-conferencing terminals. Too few endpoints and users could
get frustrated over their lack of access to the technology.
You’ll also want to consider:
- Video infrastructure: A high definition video
conferencing service may require an investment in additional
network infrastructure, such as a dedicated line or circuit for
each endpoint. Each session will demand connectivity of around
1Mbps for clear video and audio. Moving high definition video about
on the enterprise network can cause problems; the network may not
be able to handle real-time video, while video activity may
compromise other core tasks. The right media-ready network is
vital.
- Extra peripherals: You might also want to
invest in additional peripheral devices to enhance the video
conferencing experience. This could include high definition and
wide-angle cameras, upgraded speakers and microphones. You may also
want to consider DVD players and VCRs, as well as PC-based document
and multimedia applications.
Test the water with web-conferencing
If there’s some hesitation towards investing in video
conferencing solutions, one way of proving the benefit to the
business may be to experiment with lower cost web-conferencing
solutions. These could not only demonstrate cost savings but also
lead the way to more sophisticated technology.
Web-conferencing allows your staff to share what’s on their
desktop with people in other locations. Typically, this happens in
conjunction with a phone call or audio conferencing session.
Additional features include the ability to share documents and to
work collaboratively on projects.
Telepresence: ‘Beaming down’ to an office near you
Telepresence is high end video conferencing. It offers ultra
high resolution, creating an even more immersive experience.
‘Spatial audio’ allows the transmission of every nuance of a
conversation, while huge screens and high quality cameras capture
every detail of an expression. John Chambers, Cisco Chief
Executive, has compared telepresence to “Star Trek
teleporting”.
As cool as this sounds, telepresence remains an expensive
technology to implement at present. It requires a high-bandwidth
connection and a specifically designed room at each location. While
this particular branch of technology has yet to achieve maximum
warp, video conferencing itself remains a viable option for your
organisation.
How can we help?
Our conferencing solutions make video conferencing easy. Why not
take a look?
