Video Conferencing Buyers Guide
What is Video Conferencing?
Video conferencing uses telecommunications of audio and video to bring people at different sites together for a meeting.
This can be as simple as a conversation between two people in private offices (point-to-point) or involve several sites (multi-point)
with more than one person in large rooms at different sites. Besides the audio and visual transmission of people,
video conferencing can be used to share documents, computer-displayed information, and whiteboards.
Myths v Facts
MYTH - To use videoconferencing over IP it requires too much bandwidth.
FACT - To achieve usable video, only 192k is needed, but measurable increasesin quality at higher bandwidths can also beobtained. For example, at
256k the H.264 video standard can operate increasing the quality of video images received and sent by the VC systems online. 768k or 1Mbps over the public Internet can provide phenomenal video quality that is very cost effective.
Most majorbusinesses are capable of allocating reasonable amount of bandwidth for video communications on their internal networks.
MYTH - Video conferencing is impossible over the public Internet (ADSL & Broadband Services)
FACT - This is simply not true. On a daily basis you can run VC systems over the public Internet, whether it’s across cities oracross continents.
Depending on the time of day and other factors (e.g.large amount of network traffic going through restricted bandwidth points), some packet loss
impacting picture quality might occur.
High quality video communications systems do have packet loss recovery, and QoS networks are available for mission critical applications that can’t be subject to this problem. You can even ask for static IP numbers so teleworkers can be called directly at home offices over the public highway network too.
MYTH - Videoconferencing is only for High End Corporations and Specialists Educational User Groups (i.e. performing surgeries; examining historical artifacts, boardroom conferencing over Private Leased Line Circuits)
FACT - Everyone can benefit from Videoconferencing within a network infrastructure, from low bandwidth capabilities sending minimal data, to high bandwidth allowing multiple sources to be sent/received at once. To say that Videoconferencing cannot be used by the general public infers that people do not value improvements in anything that allows them to communicate and exchange information more effectively and productively.
Currently The UK educational market is seeing a dramatic increase in primary schools using video conferencing as an educational tool to link them with their secondary schools. As well as low end educational users enjoying the VC benefit we have also financial evidence that the SoHo business users are using VC to extend their global reach and improve their carbon footprint.
MYTH - Videoconferencing is too expensive to deploy and too difficult to install.
FACT - The truth is people who want to buy Videoconferencing cannot find a good partner to work with. Often prospective buyers of VC have little knowledge of our niche industry and the major players in it so often end up dealing with technology companies with little expertise in true video communication integration. We can point you in the direction of an experienced partner who
will deliver good quality VC solutions to fit your budget with great pre – sales and after – sales support.
Video Conferencing can be used in:
• Educational organisations
• Medical and healthcare sector
• Small, medium or large enterprises
