Video Conferencing for Online Meetings
The Blog for your Online Video Conferencing Meetings
IP Communications Driving Video Conferencing Growth
December 19th, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
While video conferencing services have been used and promoted for the last several years, it hasn’t been until recently that their usage has grown at such a rapid rate. One of the driving factors of the adoption of this technology is the availability of affordable high speed internet access that can support high definition video streams, while also using other advanced web conferencing technology. Now that a majority of people have high speed internet at home and almost all businesses have high speed internet at the office, video conferencing is becoming a practical and affordable solution for online communications.
Other trends that have boosted the usage of video conferencing include the globalization of so many different markets that now have clients, suppliers, vendors and partners all across the globe. Where vendors used to have to fly from Europe to Asia to pitch their latest product lineup, they can now fire up a video or web conferencing session for a fraction of the time and cost that conventional travel took. Another driver for many industries is that video conferencing supports “going green” initiatives and reduces the companies total carbon footprint.
In a recent Wainhouse Research survey of 247 video conferencing users, two of the greatest drivers of visual collaboration and communications solutions were improved decision making and reduced travel. The survey, indicated that almost a quarter of the respondents either currently use or plan to start using telepresence in 2009.
Companies like Polycom, Cisco, InstantPresenter, LifeSize, Tandberg, Vidyo, and others are all benefiting from the growing interest in video communications technologies as the industry continues to grow, the technology becomes both more affordable itself, and video conferencing becomes an attractive alternative to conventional travel in a declining economy with rising travel costs.
Video Conferencing Usage Increases Among Government Agencies
December 12th, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
Glowpoint, a video conferencing and collaboration company, annoucned today that it was renewed its contracts with several of the government’s largest agencies. Glowpoint’s IP-based services provide video conferencing communications to many government agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board which uses Glowpoint’s services in 50 different locations.
National Labor Relations Board Member, Rob White:
Glowpoint has been a trusted vendor and provider of our video services for over eight years.They have been very flexible in working with us to create service bundles that make it easy for us to work video into our budget each year. Glowpoint’s service has always been very reliable and their support has been unmatched.
In addition to the renewing existing contracts with government customers, Glowpoint has created many new contracts with other agencies, suggesting that the US government is starting to collaborate and communicate online more than before. Along with standard video conferencing solutions, Glowpoint offers full telepresence solutions, and is setting up 8 dedicated telepresence rooms for an undisclosed government agency.
Glowpoint President and COO, Joseph Laezza:
In the current economic climate, government agencies are especially sensitive to controlling costs and maximizing their budgets. Our unlimited usage model gives government agencies a way to increase their use of video communications without worrying about their communications costs rising as they use it. Glowpoint’s TEN is increasingly being seen as a key value point for government clients as they look toward more effective means of leveraging their use of video to connect with other government departments and outside companies.
Glowpoint’s current government contracts exceed $1 million in annual revenue.
Five Reasons to Integrate Video Conferencing Services
December 10th, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
Aside from the straight forward issues like saving money on travel costs, here are a few less obvious benefits to using video conferencing services.1. Unite your geographically disperse corporation. Many medium and larger sized companies have employees working remotely, remote production sites and international sales offices. With video conferencing and other collaborative solutions, you can keep your company working as a single entity at all times, keeping your company running as efficiently as possible.
2. Increase the speed that you complete projects. Lots of projects get stalled when individual and teams are waiting for the next meeting to check the status of everyone else’s components. With video conferencing, you can instantly connect and collaborate with everyone involved in the project, saving time and speeding up the process.
3. Share news more quickly. Webinars and web conferencing allow companies to quickly share news, train employees and inform their customers of new products and offerings. Instead of an annual conference, or expo, you can release and promote new product lines with very little cost involved.
4. Close deals faster. Video conferences are typically more productive than physical meetings. There is less chit-chat and non-essential cross-talk and the meeting ususally gets down to business right away. Managers are usually less likely to miss video conferences since they don’t have to leave their office and can fit it into their busy schedule.
5. Improve IT support. Web conferencing services allow IT to quickly diagnose and repair many computer related problems. Many web conferencing software packages allow a remote technician to take control of a computer to quickly go through the repair process. This is usually much less time consuming than trying to get an end user to follow steps blindly.
Video Conferencing Used to Expedite Child Services
December 6th, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
The Placer County Department of Child Support Services has begun to use video conferencing for court proceedings in child services cases. This instant communication has allowed court documents to be created in a single day instead of the typical time which can take more than six weeks. This new system will allow disputes, payments and distributions to be handled much more quickly.
Troy Held, Director of the Placer County Child Support Services:
I am excited that the project has been initiated. It will significantly increase our efficiency and provide better service to the families who are our customers.
Videoconferencing also allows for instant feedback between the Child Support staff and the Court team for verification of important information. The idea to implement video conferencing into the system was had in 2003, however it wasn’t until last month that the funding and legal hurdles were overcome to make this possible. The project was first used in the Superior Court of Nevada County with the Sierra Nevada Regional Department of Child Support Services.
We believe this project will substantially benefit Placer County families, and will save money for both the state and county by improving efficiency. Funding for the project was awarded by a grant from the Placer County Air Pollution Control District.
Will Holigraphic-type Technology be the Future of Video Conferencing?
November 25th, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
The Eyeliner 3D projection system creates holographic-like projections of remote users, making it seem as if they were physically standing on stage right in front of you. The illusion, known as Pepper’s Ghost, give audience members the perception that live actors or objects materialize out of thin air. The technology uses a large pane of glass at a 45 degree angle with a single projector to create the illusion.This effect typically requires a very large piece of glass that can be dangerous and difficult to use. The eyeliner system users a lightweight polymer foil and a front projection system using a single projector that is much safer and easier to setup. The image from the projector screen is bounced onto the foil, making it appear three-dimensional. The image is a bit like the reflection you would see of yourself in a shop windows.
Developers of the technology see this as possibly being implemented into video conferencing services, making the presenter seem to physically be in the same room as the audience. The technology doesn’t require any more bandwidth than a typical video conference stream, however it does require the equipment to present it. Aside from video conferencing, this technology could be used for musical performances, lectures, sermons and other types of transmission, where a single individual could seem to be present at thousands of locations simultaneously.
During the election season, CNN used green screen technology to broadcast holographic-like images of reporters on set in the CNN studio. While the presentation looked very impressive to audience members at home, the technology required a remote reporter to present alone inside a room covered in green screens and the presenter in the studio, pretending to interact with the hologram, was actually speaking to no one, and had to reference external monitors to know where the hologram was being shown to viewers.
Google Adds Voice and Video to GMail Web Application
November 16th, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
GMail, the eternally beta web based email client, released a significant enhancement to it’s suite of applications. Users of the GMail service can now video conference with video and voice, or voice only through the application. The service is free and requires a free plugin to be able to use the video/voice, voice only service within GMail. Unlike other popular video-chat services such as AOL, the video session launches within the same window as the application, keeping an integrated look and feel to the service.
Google representatives claim that this is the first “leading webmail service” to include video chat in a web-based email client. The service should already be available to all GMail users. Being a web-based service, video chat is available to both PC and Mac users alike, requiring only the simple plugin download. Users can view the video full screen, or scale it to any size they desire.
Pund-IT Principal Analyst Charles King:
When Google got into email and was the first to offer loads of free online storage, it really started shifting how users viewed what their online experience should be. Specifically, that they should have access to these services for free or very little money. Google keeps upping the ante for the rest of the industry by leveraging its infrastructure to offer these services for free.
The release of the GMail video chat feature, comes on the heals of a Google Video application that was released in early September. This video feature, however, was targeted more towards sharing corporate training videos and high resolution information internally, more than short, live video conferences that this new service provides. The release of GMail’s video chat service also comes at a time of increased interest in collaborative technologies, as video conferencing services, instant messaging and social networks are being used more than ever.
Video Conferencing Saves Your Business Time and Money
November 11th, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
With airline fees and other forms of travel at a record high and the US economy at an all-time low, many businesses are looking at video conferencing as a viable, and much more affordable and green alternative. In addition to the immediate cost-savings that are realized in substiting conventional travel, video conferencing saves the strain of traveling on employees, and is a environmental conscious alterntaive in an increasingly fragile world.Video conferencing lets business and organizations hold meetings, conduct interviews or carry out legal depositions with others across the country or around the globe, without leaving your office.
More than half the members of The Association of Corporate Travel Executives have made “major cutbacks” this year in business travel. Businesses large and small are looking to cut costs and increase productivity during challenging and uncertain economic times. Video conferencing provides a convenient, affordable alternative to the hassle of traveling while still allowing direct communication with offices anywhere in the world.
Aside from the obvious cost savings, web conferencing and video conferencing services are environmentally friendly. According to the 2006 Meetings Marketing Report by the International Congress & Convention Association, corporations spend an average of $107 billion sending employees to conventions and meetings. The number of meetings - including groups and small seminars - held worldwide in 2007 was more than 1.2 million. Every airline trip releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and choosing an online meeting over conventional travel significantly reduces the carbon footprint of a company.
Logitech Buys Out Video Conferencing Company SightSpeed
October 31st, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
Today, Switzerland-based Logitech International,a popular maker of webcams and computer peripherals announced that it had reached an agreement with video conferencing company Sightspeed to purchase the company for $30 million.
SightSpeed’s video conferencing services, which are SIP-based and standards-compliant, deliver high quality video on standard computers and consumer broadband connections as a result of the company’s patented technology. The Sightspeed services are based on more than ten years of research and development originating out of Cornell University.
Privately held SightSpeed is based in Berkeley, California and has about 25 employees. Currently along with its business video conferencing solutions, its client software comes preloaded on Dell Inc. computers marketed as “Dell Video Chat.” There’s no word on whether this buy out of Sightspeed will affect the contract will Dell Inc.
Logitech said the acquisition is part of a move to take video conferencing beyond the computer and into the living room. Currently several companies are looking to integrate video conferencing into television sets, making it a more commonly used means of communication. Logitech shares rose 16 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $14.57 in premarket trading Wednesday.
PolyCom RealPresence Experience Video Conferencing in HD 1080P
October 28th, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
PolyCom’s new affordable telepresence system will support full HD 1080P resolution and 720P at 60 frames per second. Polycom has also announced that it will offer an upgrade program for qualified RMX 2000 and HDX customers who want the new high definition equipment.PolyCom’s new high definition standards supposedly work flawlessly with their existing line of telepresence solutions and software packages. Polycom telepresence solutions are part of the industry’s most comprehensive architecture for enterprise-wide visual communication that unites telepresence with high resolution video conferencing, content management and supporting services.
Polycom VP Joe Sigrist:
Customers are looking for telepresence offerings that fit within a broader solution for enterprise-wide visual communication, and Polycom is delivering a comprehensive solution. These new telepresence offerings extend Polycom’s industry-leading telepresence portfolio, giving customers a range of options for different application, space and budget requirements that fit within a comprehensive architecture allowing them to video-enable their entire organization. Supporting enhanced levels of HD resolution up to 1080p gives customers the flexibility to adapt telepresence to their specific network and application needs today and as those needs evolve over time.
The addition of full high definition video to PolyCom’s otherwise extensive line of telepresence offerings, make it a strong contender in the emerging telepresence market. The Polycom HDX 8006 package is available now starting at $17,499, which is significantly less than competing high definition telepresence solutions offered by other companies. The package includes the proprietary codec, an EagleEye 1080p camera, remote and microphone array, requiring you to provide your own monitors and computer system to complete the setup.
Lifesize Launches High Resolution & Affordable Telepresence Solution
October 21st, 2008 by Video Conferencing Expert
LifeSize Communications has announced a new video conferencing solution called the LifeSize Conference 200. The new system features their new HD camera and codec, which can record and send at full 1080P resolution @ 30 frames per second, or at 720P at 30 frames per second. Their previous HD technology only allowed 720p at 30 fps.
The previous Lifesize HD camera that produced only half the frame rate, consumed about 1Mbps in bandwidth, whereas the new Lifesize Conference 200 solution has reduced those bandwidth requirements by 25 percent, allowing networks as slow as dial-up cable modems to be able to use the technology. The new system runs more quietly, more cooly, and has a new video compression algorithm to reduce bandwidth requirements with smoother video playback.
The Conference 200 system supports up to three display HD monitors and another HD demonstration screen for sharing documents and online presentations. In presentation mode, the old Conference camera would drop to 5 frames a second, whereas the new technology drops to 30fps, still fast enough for video, so conferencing and online presentations can occur simultaneously.
The new camera in the package, features 4x optical zoom and 2x digital zoom. The camera interfaces with the industry standard HDMI cable, so it can be used with other video conferencing systems. The LifeSize Conference 200 system is available in the United States for $49,999.