Videoconferencing enables people to interact as if they were talking face to face with synchronous images and sound, where the video is the main information shared.
Videoconferencing uses high quality
video cameras and microphones in conjunction with computers and high-speed
Internet connections to enable individuals and groups in different locations to
interact and collaborate. Videoconferencing can provide very high quality
video and audio results for large groups (from 1 person to classroom sized
groups), but this quality is generally achieved at a higher cost than web conferencing.
There are various types of
videoconferencing; which is suitable for your application will depend upon the
IT infrastructure available and what it is that you actually want to achieve.
To use videoconferencing, each participating group or site generally must have a Videoconferencing Unit (VCU), connected to a high-speed Internet connection. All VCUs will provide video and audio, and most major brands of VCU can connect to other brands of VCU. If you want to have high-quality video and audio interaction for medium to large-sized groups in two locations, videoconferencing is an excellent and reliable technology to use.
The process becomes more complex when you want to connect multiple sites together via videoconferencing, and/or use presentations or display documents via videoconferencing.
Most brands of VCU will allow what are called "multi-point connections", where ONE VCU becomes a "host" for between four and six other VCUs. This setup usually involves only purpose designed VC units; however in some cases, some of the participating devices can be computers equipped with special videoconferencing software.
In this section
Features
Videoconferencing is largely a turnkey solution, however there are various
advantages and limitations, which may be critical to your purpose.
Videoconferencing units are a fairly expensive compared to web conferencing technology and can cost anywhere between $3k and $10k depending on the desired and required features. Adding features like recording sessions, or transmitting computer for screen or presentation sharing can be achieved, however costs increase for these options.
Video can be shared at a high quality (some videoconferencing units have High Definition capability) however higher video quality has higher bandwidth requirements. Before you decide to use videoconferencing, it is important to investigate what Internet bandwidth capabilities each potential participating site has.
Most VCUs can usually support at least 4 simultaneous connections but typically expects a comparable, or at least compatible videoconferencing unit(s) on the other end(s). This means that, while most current brands and models of VCU can share audio and video between multiple units, a number of the advanced features (presentations, document sharing, computer data transfer) that work between two same-brand/model VCUs MAY NOT WORK between different brands or models. It is very difficult to predict what will or will not work without performing tests with the VCUs involved, as sometimes functionality is dependent on user-controllable settings on either VCU. It is far more critical
that audio connections are maintained than the video. You may lose a video
signal or it may be intermittent but the conference will still proceed - if you
lose audio, nothing can be achieved.
