Internet2
Application Demonstrations
March
21, 2000
www.vide.gatech.edu/Demos/VC.html
www.vide.gatech.edu/Demos/VC.html
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|
Internet2
Application Demonstrations
|
|
|
March
21, 2000
www.vide.gatech.edu/Demos/VC.html |
| Title: | Video Conferencing |
| Description of Technology: | Video conferencing systems (called clients or end stations), in their common form, consist of a camera, speakers, software, and often a supplemental video board. Only standards based clients should be considered. Today it is common to find clients that support video conferencing over both the Internet (IP - called the H.323 standard) and phone lines (ISDN - called the H.320 standard.) Connections are made by simply "dialing" an ip number or phone number. Our demonstration shows dialing another individual or group of individuals (by connecting to a Multipoint Conferencing Unit - MCU) over IP. A desktop system costs about $700 (IP only) or $1000 (IP and ISDN.) A room system can be purchased for as low as $5,400. MCUs and associated gatekeepers (the element that provides secure access within a community of users) start at around $20,000 for up to nine simultaneous attendees under various configurations of "meeting rooms." |
| Intended Use : | Video conferencing is a tool which promotes face to face meetings at a distance. Most clients have features which promote application sharing. Desktop systems are useful for small meetings whereas room systems can support board meetings and distance education. |
| Development Issues : | For some time, the major development issue was adherence to and/or the interpretation of the H.323 standard and hence compliance between clients from different vendors. Today this is less of an issues between clients for point-to-point use. It continues to be an issue between clients and MCUs and gatekeepers and MCUs from different vendors. Continued testing of application sharing is necessary to determine if the T.120 standard (and current vendor implementations according to that standard) actually support the sharing of higher end applications such as those needed in science and engineering. |
| Next Steps : |
The
next steps include
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| Related Projects: | Video
Development Initiative (www.vide.net) Large Scale Video Network Prototype (http://www.unc.edu/cavner/lsvnp/) |
| Acknowledgements: |
Southeastern
University Research Association (SURA) |
| Contacts: |
Mary
Trauner |
 |