Video Conferencing - The Impact On People And Businesses

Video conferencing is considered to be one of the most effective forms of communication using electronic means.

Video conferencing utilizes a camera, a microphone and a connection, which can be via phone lines or through the Internet to allow people to communicate both orally and visually. Today, video conferencing has become very effective, because of the deep penetration of the Internet. Add to this, the decreasing prices of video capture devices such as web cameras and you will easily find that video conferencing is now a household name.

When a large number of people want to communicate with each other, video conferencing makes it possible. When an

organization wants to have an internal meeting of all its members, in which all its attendees are in different areas and are not able to reach the location of the meeting or in case it is not possible to bring them all in one location at all, what does it do so that all thse members can effectively communicate with each other in real-time?

It schedules a meeting through the use of video conferencing. With video conferencing, it is now possible for people who are aurally or vocally challenged, to communicate among themselves using sign language. These people can make use of a video conferencing service, even if both the parties have such vocal and aural problems.

Video conferencing solutions have had considerable impact in the area of education. The major impact of video conferencing has been in the area of distance education as well as in courses which are obscure and thus it is difficult to arrange teachers for them. Video conferencing allows the deployment of a centralized course and makes it possible for students to interact with the best teachers without the need to go to the places they teach at.

A number of universities in the United States provide the general public with access to recordings of video conferencing. Video conferencing also allows researchers to collaborate with each other from anywhere in the world to carry out their projects. You can find out more about video conferencing and webcasts at http://www.whatisawebcast.com

Video conferencing has also significantly contributed to the field of health care. Video conferencing has made telemedicine and telenursing a reality. It has also made it possible to optimally use health care funds in rural areas. Through the use of video conferencing technologies it is now possible for doctors to communicate and discuss cases with each other.

Business however is the area which has been radically impacted by the video conferencing technologies. With the globalization of businesses and their top brass spread all over the world it has become more and more difficult to

synchronize the work flow in companies. Thanks to video conferencing, however, now these businesses are able to

function in a smooth manner and especially their sales departments, whose personnel are always on the go as they are now able to telecommute to work.

Video conferencing has made the process of communications both economical and effective for people and businesses around the world.

Article by Dean Forster of http://www.whatisawebcast.com You can find out more about webcasts and video conferencing technology at => Streaming Video

Is Your Company Ready For Video Conferencing?

As broadband speed increases leap and bound every year, video conferencing has gradually become a popular communication tool between companies and executives. Now, you can conduct meetings and conferences on the Internet easily, with just a few clicks of your mouse. So is your company ready for video conferencing?

Video conferencing technology has been adopted by large and small organizations around the world. With video conferencing, one person in Tokyo can communicate and see another person in New York easily. There will be no geographical obstacles anymore as individuals and groups can conduct meeting no matter where they are located.

Sales department is one of the earliest adopter of video conferencing technology. In the past, the cost of travelling to meet clients is high. Now, with video conferencing, sales presentations can be made to a large group of potential buyers easily and quickly, for little cost. With the Internet, you will not need to travel from one location to another to make the same presentations over and over again.

Organizations also use video conferencing for their business and sales meetings, as key management can invite input from those in attendance. With this technology, management will get to interact with staffs in other departments, as well as gather valuable feedbacks on any key strategy of the company. With PowerPoint, you can make a decent presentation to a large group of people who are present at your video conference.

Through the Internet, video conferencing allows you to do a lot of things from the convenience of your office or location. For example, if your company is in the construction industry, video conferencing devices can be set up at headquarter office and remote sites, so that you and your guys can discuss building and architecture while simultaneously viewing the related blueprints and sketch. While doing so, you do not need to travel to each of the remote site at all.

Although video conferencing is similar to audio conferencing, it has an extra advantage because you are able to see the other party's face which is so important during face-to-face meetings.

Do take note that you do not need to spend a large amount of money to set up video conference devices in your meeting rooms. The price of the camera will depend on the features it has. Not all features are important to you - so get one that suits your needs and budget.

Video conferencing definitely helps save you time and money, as well as to increase efficiency and sales. So give it a try!

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Information About Video Conferencing - What You Need To Know

Video conferencing is the technique of meeting in a group over a network employing video and audio transmission technology and equipment. Armed with information about video conferencing businessmen, technologists, scientists and government heads started to explore ways to bring the world closer together and enable meetings of many people located in different parts of the globe. Video conferencing is the process of being able to see and interact with a group of people located at any point of the world at the same time.

Increased information about video conferencing has enabled even small businesses and organizations to communicate virtually face to face and not being in the same room at the same time. Businesses find this the most convenient way to interact with partners across the globe. Medical service providers such as surgeons have been known to use their information about video conferencing to provide invaluable advise to doctors treating patients half way across the globe. Doctors can view the patients and advise their colleagues about the treatment that must be administered to the patient. Surgeons have been known to conduct operations in distant countries through video conferencing; they observe the operation being conducted by a surgeon and advise him through the conferencing. This would not have been possible in the early 1990's as the video quality was very low and the connectivity of the video conferencing was not too good either.

Today the general man-in-the-street can use video conferencing software like any professional. Desktop video conferencing has brought the world closer and bridged the divide of the oceans for many a family. Information about video conferencing has given expansion opportunities for education and communication like no one ever expected. Someone somewhere has availed of the benefits that information about video conferencing has provided to the world. This is a technology that has achieved a lot in a few years and still has a very long way to go. Video conferencing enables scientists on the earth to communicate with astronauts in space, Generals to observe the activities on the frontlines, Doctors to monitor the progress of patients from distant lands, scientists to take part in crucial experiments from different countries at the same time and the old grand parents to have a look at the newborn grandchild just a few minutes after birth.

The information about video conferencing that you need is available all over the Internet. You need to know what video conferencing is, what you can use it for, what is the technology available to you and what is the equipment you need to set up video conferencing. In the past there was just the ISDN line linking the Internet across the world. Then there was the limited video compressing technology that could enable video transmission across the Internet. Businesses and organizations were unable to put video conferencing to its greatest use as they were bound to the limited technology at the time. The more their information about video conferencing technology advanced the better equipped they became to put it to wider use.

Shakir A. is writer an independent writer on Internet marketing, Online Video Advertising, Video Conferencing and it's happenings in Internet industry. More Details for Video Conferencing at http://www.tandberg.com

Life Happens Online in Real-Time with Video Conferencing Equipment

Technology has come a long way in the past 20 years. People from opposite corners of the globe can now send and receive letters and documents in a matter of seconds. There are now a number of ways to carry out a conversation from thousands of miles away without paying thousands of dollars. And yes, face-to-face conversation across continents are now possible with video conferencing equipment.

Video conferencing equipment has made next-door neighbors of Europe and Asia. They allow people to interact as if they're in the same room through images, text, and sounds relayed real time. This technology is extremely beneficial for multinational businesses and companies with locations all over the globe, as well as for personal use.

Video conferencing can be either one of two types. Point to point, or P2P, allows live video and audio communication between two locations. Multi-point, on the other hand, allows links between three or more locations.

P2P and You

In the past, video conferencing equipment was relatively expensive and was only utilized by businesses. However, with the evolution of technology, it is now possible for anyone with a decently running Internet connection to operate a video conference.

Video conferencing equipment includes the common and easy-to-use webcam. With this video conferencing equipment, you can stay in touch with family and friends wherever they may be in the world. And because you can actually see each other, conversations or chat sessions can be more personal, bridging the distance and bringing you and your loved ones closer. This is a good example of a P2P video conference.

Multi-point and Your Business

Multi-point video conference lets you hold business meetings among several offices in different locations. This requires slightly more complex utilization of video conferencing equipment.

The H.323 standard demands the use of a video conferencing equipment called Multi-point Control Unit. This Multi-point Control Unit is the video bridge, and it functions by connecting to the Internet. Depending on its design capacity, a Multi-point Control Unit can handle a certain number of video conferences simultaneously. Each video conference handled by the Multi-point Control Unit is separate from the others, and has a specified number of users.

Other Multi-Point System Requirements

Another video conferencing equipment required by the H.323 standard is the Gatekeeper. This video conferencing equipment acts like a client terminal that connects to the Internet. IP addresses are stored in the Gatekeeper.

By simply dialing a service number and password combination, users can already join a video conference. The Gatekeeper checks to see if the service number and the password provided are registered by the Multi-point Control Unit. Once identity is established, the Gatekeeper then completes the call by connecting to the specified video conference.

It's all very easy and painless. Like all new technologies, however, video conferencing equipment has specific requirements in order for users to take full advantage of their functionality. Users are required to have the appropriate video conferencing client terminals and an Internet connection with sufficient bandwidth. As long as your system has these capabilities, you're well on your way to carrying on those face-to-face conversations to your heart's content.

Still looking for the definition of video conferencing? Make your way to video chat rooms or take your pick of video conferencing equipment when you visit our site today.

How Video Conferencing Works - Multimedia, Interactive Communication Across the Miles

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You may think you understand video conferencing pretty well until someone who isn't at all familiar with it approaches you for a simple definition. When they ask, "What exactly is video conferencing?" you could suddenly realize you're at a loss for words. The simplest definition of how video conferencing works is simply by the integration of video, audio and peripherals to enable two or more people to communicate simultaneously over some type of telecommunications lines. In other words, you are transmitting synchronized images and verbal communications between two or more locations in lieu of them being in the same room. How video conferencing works is a little bit harder to explain than answering the question, "What is video conferencing?" Millions of people use video conferencing every day around the globe, but very few people know just how the technical aspects of the process work. The main ingredients of successful video conferencing are video cameras, microphones, appropriate computer software and computer equipment and peripherals that will integrate with the transmission lines to relay the information. The analog information recorded by the microphones and cameras is broken down into discreet units, translating it to ones and zeros. A Codec encodes the information to a digital signal that can then be transmitted to a codec at the other end, which will retranslate these digital signals back into analog video images and audio sounds. The theory's the same, the transmission has changed In the earlier days of video conferencing, T1, ATM and ISDN lines were used almost exclusively but were really only practical for room-based video conferencing systems. These dedicated lines were expensive and only large corporations tended to have the facilities and money to invest in this type of set-up. As the Internet became more a part of the everyday lives of all businesses, however, it changed how video conferencing was conducted. The TCP/IP connections of the Internet are much less expensive and can carry large quantities of information, including video packets for conferencing, relatively easily. Because of this, video conferencing has become much more prevalent in small businesses and in desktop packages that can be set up with software for computer-to-computer networking. Compression makes video transmission practical The problem that arises when you convert analog to digital for transmission is the loss of clarity in an image. Analog signals are a continuous wave of amplitudes and frequencies showing shades and ranges of color as well as depth and brightness. When you convert to digital, which is strictly 0's and 1's, you then need to develop a grid to represent values, intensities and saturations of different color values so that the image can be interpreted and reformed at the receiving end. This vast amount of digital information requires huge bandwidth and means that the time it would take to transmit video images would be impractical for most applications. That's where compression is crucial. When determining how video conferencing works, one of the most important elements is the compression ratio. The higher the compression ratio, the more quickly the information is capable of being transmitted. In many cases, however, this also means some loss in clarity or audio/video quality. For instance, a compression ratio of 4:1 would be terribly slow but have a fantastic picture quality. But by the time it was transmitted, everyone at the other end would probably have left the room for a cup of coffee. Lossy compression discards unneeded or irrelevant sections of a signal in order to transmit only the essentials, speeding up the transmission time significantly but sometimes resulting in loss of quality. Compression can either be intra-frame or inter-frame for material that is repetitive or redundant, such as that wall behind the conference participant. Since the wall remains static and never changes, this image is redundant and can be eliminated from transmissions to an extent with proper compression. Intra-frame compression assumes the redundancy will be present in parts of a frame that are close to each other. Inter-frame compression assumes that there is redundancy over time (i.e., like that wall). Either of these can achieve a fairly high degree of accuracy and reduce the bandwidth needed for transmittal of signals. A newer version of compression/decompression is SightSpeed technology, developed by Cornell University. SightSpeed compresses only images considered essential and eliminating what is considered 'filler,' relying on the brain to fill in the decompression at the other end. Based on an artificial intelligence model, SightSpeed achieves compression of about 90:1, compared to the typical 15:1 for video conferencing. Any video conferencing session you use will provide compression of the transmission signal. The key is determining the balance between speed and video picture quality that is right for your needs. Point to point video conferencing Point to point video conferencing is just what it sounds like - a link between two different points on the planet, or two different video conferencing terminals. It could be between an office in New York City and a conference room in Munich. Point to point video conferencing can easily be initiated by someone on one end contacting the other end as though making a standard telephone call. There are no special arrangements to be made other than knowing that the participants will be there. Multipoint conferencing is more complex Multipoint conferencing is more complicated because it has to coordinate several different locations simultaneously. Since you can't be in direct contact with several places at once while they are all in contact with others, you need one source that will tie them all together. In video conferencing, this is called a multipoint bridge or multipoint conferencing unit (MCU). An MCU enables multi-location video conferencing by providing a sort of "central processing center" for all of the locations through which all the information flows. The MCU receives all information from the various locations and then sends it out to each location. In some cases the MCU is located on a particular PC, and in other cases it is located on a remote server (the most common structure, particularly for more powerful MCU networks). Audio is usually sent and received simultaneously in all locations with an MCU with no problem because of the relatively small bandwidth needed for transmittal. It is broadcast in what is called "full duplex" mode, meaning everyone can talk and hear at the same time with no cutting off when one person or another speaks. Video transmission, however, can be broadcast in a number of ways with an MCU depending upon the quality of the software and the complexity of the system. Some common types of video transmission for video conferencing include:

Continuous Presence video conferencing, which allows up to four conference sites to be seen simultaneously on split screens. This is usually used if you have a small group or individuals in separate locations and will primarily be seeing close-up shots.
Universal Control video conferencing is controlled by the initiating conference site. The primary site determines who sees what at all other sites.
Voice Activated video conferencing is by far the most common type used today. The image with these systems shifts to the site that is currently activating the microphone so that you can always see whoever is speaking. However, if there is a good deal of background noise participants should mute their microphones when they aren't talking in order to avoid the image jumping about needlessly. Overcoming the language barrier Obviously, communicating through video conferencing can't be achieved unless both ends of the conference are "speaking the same language." That is, whatever is being transmitted electronically will need to be reassembled properly and heard and seen clearly at the other end. The Codec system (Coder-Decoder) is useless if both ends aren't using the same virtual language to interpret the signals. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) developed a set of standards in 1996 dubbed H.323 to outline specific guidelines for Video Conferencing standards and protocols so that compliance and support across networks would be easier to achieve and maintain. Since then, many manufacturers and developers of video conferencing tools have adopted the H.323 guidelines as their own. Web conferencing solutions such as Click to Meet, Lotus's SameTime, and WebEx also offer corporate solutions that are based on Internet video conferencing. These systems have shared protocols that can be downloaded and used anywhere at any location for subscribers through the Internet. These are becoming more popular with companies who like the convenience and user-friendliness. They will no doubt become more and more refined over time, vying with and perhaps surpassing the H.323 standards. Overcoming firewall issues There are, of course, obstacles to overcome when you take a look at how video conferencing works. After all, you're sending vast amounts of translated data either directly or through a gatekeeper system (the MCU) that is switching and transferring information between a variety of computers. Just about any business these days has a firewall system to provide security and protect the system from potential viruses. Trouble is, many firewalls also block the transmission of data for video conferencing. Recent innovations have largely circumvented these problems by designing firewall solutions that recognize video conferencing signaling requests and allow the information packets to bypass the firewall or router without disabling the firewall protection for other traffic. Even with this, however, there may be occasions when packets are dropped because of heavy traffic on the system, so investing in a firewall system that can handle substantial traffic is essential to quality video conferencing performance. How video conferencing works will certainly evolve over time and improve in the coming years, but a basic understanding of what it is and how it works now will help you make the best choice for you when you're ready to begin using video conferencing yourself. This article on the "How Video Conferencing Works" reprinted with permission.

Copyright © 2004 Evaluseek Publishing.

About the Author

Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer who loves her job because it
gives her the opportunity to learn more about the world every day. Right now,
she knows a little bit about almost everything, and a lot about
video conferencing,

video teleconferencing, and

desktop video conferencing. She has two dogs who are spoiled
and one teenager who is not. She does her video conferencing in pink bunny
slippers.

Try Video Conferencing Services - Stay Ahead of Time

The world is changing and so are methods of communication available to businesses. To stay afloat in this ever-changing market, you need to keep your business up to date. By replacing your years-old communication process with video conferencing, you can benefit from these changes to technology whilst saving money.

What is Video Conferencing?

Video conferencing is an interface that lets users organise a conference using telecommunication technologies. Users located at different offices or companies can participate in a videoconference to get a real time conferencing experience without the travel.

By streaming video and audio files in real time, video conferencing equipment helps people in two or more locations to interact with each other; creating the right virtual environment for group communication and discussion.

Video conferencing consists of suitable hardware and software to transmit video and audio signal simultaneously.

Videoconference technology is distinguishably different from videophones though both are capable of audio and video transmission simultaneously. Videophone uses duplex transmission process where only two nodes can communicate with each other; whereas, video conferencing is designed for group or one on one communications.

Hence, individuals and groups in two or more places can easily interact with each other with a video conference solution, allowing world wide real time meetings to take place.

Advantages of Video Conference technology:

Video Conference solutions provide real financial benefits in the long run. Without video conferencing in your company when you need to hold conferences or meetings with staff in remote locations, customers or suppliers you need to arrange either a basic telephone conference or visit these locations physically. Both the processes are expensive and limiting. Using video conferencing services, you can meet remotely located people and have a group communication without incurring any additional cost.

Saving travelling time and costs will also reduce the carbon footprint of your company whilst saving lengthy delays caused by most travel methods - weather you are flying or travelling by car.

Finally, the interface is simple to use. Video conferencing equipment does not need highly skilled operators; users can control the hardware and software with just basic training.

Stephen Smith is freelance consultant of video conferencing system. While working on this he has gathered knowledge on video conferencing, using of video conferencing equipments Visit http://www.mvision.co.uk for more information and services.

Usage and Benefits of Video Conferencing Systems

With the reduction in the prices of video conferencing systems, this technology is gaining a faster popularity and a steep rise in demand. Earlier video conferencing technology was very expensive and could be afforded only by the big and some medium sized organizations. But the reduced prices have now brought this solution well within the reach of organizations of all sizes.

Video conferencing microphone and other equipments have now become so cheap that these equipments are being used as standard equipments in the conference rooms of almost all the organizations located in the different parts of the world. It facilitates the users to get connected to each other and communicate via audio and visuals. The distance between the different parties do not act as an obstacle in the video conferences.

Video conferencing solutions help organizations to cut down travel expenses. It also saves time and facilitates to take quick decisions and actions during times of emergency. Therefore, over a short period of time, the expenditure incurred on the video conferencing equipments and services are recovered from the many benefits which it offers.

There are wide varieties of units available for desktop video conferencing in the market. The first and the foremost thing which an organization needs to consider before purchasing any unit is the size of its conference room and the number of members expected to participate in a conference at a time. While choosing the best video conferencing unit, an organization should also consider its compatibility and near future expansion prospects. This will ensure that the organization does not have to spend unnecessarily on another unit within a year or two.

Video conferencing systems are being widely embraced by organizations of all sizes as they offer a number of benefits to businesses. This technology can be used in different environments to cater different requirements. Video conferencing is most commonly used for conducting business meetings, trainings, online seminars etc.

Video conferencing solutions are being widely used in the fields of telemedicine, telecommunication, education, surveillance, security, emergency response etc.

The organizations using video conferencing systems for improving their businesses are deriving many benefits from its use. Some of the advantages are mentioned below:

1) The basic advantage of using video conferencing is that it facilitates people located remotely to meet up without having to travel. Therefore, it enables efficient communication between people, while saving both time and money.

2) Another advantage of using video conferencing is that it facilitates to conduct business meetings, seminars, training sessions etc, while the participants are located in different places.

3)It fastens decision making processes and facilitates to take quicker actions during times of emergency.

4)It facilitates better sharing of data and knowledge. Business organizations can use this technology for making presentations to the important members of an organization even if they are separated by vast distances.

Video conferencing offers virtually endless potentials for business communications. But to make the most out of this technology, it is important that, good quality video conferencing systems and services are used by the organizations.

Zaibatt is an experienced Business Development Content writer and publisher for Telcom & Data Inc., a leading provider of VoIP phones, Businesses phone systems, Conference Phones, Equipments, and Phone Conferencing Bridge.

Video Conferencing - The Way of the Future

Video conferencing nowadays is an integral part of many business organizations that operate from different countries around the world.

With the growing competition and market evolution, organizations cannot limit their business to a single place. This idea has given the concept of globalization rather than localization of business. In today's global economy, leader can no longer afford to think about the business arena from a local perspective anymore, they must think about operating from a global perspective.

As business owners strive to make their business ventures a success, video conferencing is their key tool for communication with their employees from remote locations. These business men are constantly on the move making trips, planning expansions and meeting important business tycoons to plan ahead for their future ventures. In such a scenario it is not easy for them to communicate with their staff members and continually be there in person to monitor the smooth running of their many offices located all over the world. Video conferencing provided easy solution to their communication problem without causing any overhead. They can contact their managers and get update through live conferencing even while on an airplane or while attending to other business matters at a different location.

Apart from the business owners and staff member communication, virtual communication also comes in handy in developing a better relationship between members of virtual work teams. Virtual teams comprise of employees that are set apart at different remote locations but are part of a single team and working for a single organization.

Virtual teams that work together from different locations require strong communication, availability to respond to each other well and team intimacy and trust. Trust and intimacy can develop even if people have not met face-to-face. Video conferencing has provided a way to bring virtual workers close together and build strong connecting working environment virtually. Video conferencing allows for better understanding among virtual workers so that they may be able to connect and work with each other as a team although being geographically apart.

Video conferencing can be done through the user's computer with no other requirement than an internet connection and a web camera. Everyday many new video conferencing softwares are making their place in the market of virtual communication. Some have quite simple features and allow users to connect visually while other video conferencing softwares offer a wide variety of features like sharing of data and files among users, sharing of user's desktop with authorized remote access, conducting online meetings, conducting one to one or one to many live conference, recording an online meeting for analysis and review and performing a range of more sophisticated activities.

Thus, Video conferencing has brought about a positive change in the lives of many people and are the life bloods of many virtual organizations that use web conferencing for the successful operation of their daily business activities. Its use is becoming popular day by day as businesses continue to grow and communication gaps need to be filled continually for maintenance and proper working of these virtual business organizations.

Lucas Mattioneli has specialized in Web Conferencing and Video Conferencing for the past 2 years and has written articles and reviews about the subject during this time. He is also a co-author of Web Conferencing Reviews Blog and is writing a book entitled "Web Conferencing: Its advantages and disadvantages" to be published anytime soon.

If you liked this article and want to learn more about business video conferencing, webinar and web conferencing visit my blog Web Conferencing Reviews

Advantages and Uses of Video Conferencing

Uses of Video conferencing

Video conferencing can be used in a host of different environments, which is one of the reasons the technology is so popular. General uses for video conferencing include business meetings, educational training or instruction and collaboration among health officials or other representatives. Thus far video conferencing has been used in the following fields:

- Telemedicine

- Telecommunicatio

- Education

- Surveillance

- Security

- Emergency Response

Advantages and Benefits of Video conferencing

Perhaps the biggest advantage or benefit video conferencing has to offer is the ability to meet with people in remote locations without incurring travel expenses or other expenses associated with face to face communication. Business meetings, educational meetings, healthcare conferences and more can all be easily conducted thanks to video conferencing technology. Individuals living in remote areas can also use video conferencing to keep in touch if you will, with the world at large.

More people are easily accessed and contacted using video conferencing. Because of this technology information and knowledge are often disseminated at more rapid rates, and collaboration between people occurs more willingly and freely. Students can take advantage of video conferencing to take classes at distant locations that would normally be unavailable. They can also take classes that will accommodate busy schedules.

Video conferencing can stimulate better brainstorming, knowledge sharing and information gathering. Businesses can use video conferencing to provide presentations to key members of an organization or to solicit new clients in a professional manner, regardless of their location. The possibilities for communication are virtually endless thanks to video conferencing technologies.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his web site on video conferencing for more information on video conferencing http://www.videoconferencinginsider.com

Video Conferencing - Courthouses Are Making the Change

In the wake of the tragic shootings that took place in an Atlanta courthouse in 2005, it is unequivocally clear that there is now a widespread effort by numerous counties to significantly enhance courtroom security. Most counties are addressing the security issue through technology, and the type that appears to be implemented the most is video conferencing. Already in use by legal systems throughout the world, video conferencing is revolutionizing the way cases are tried in America today. By simply installing one video conferencing system at the courthouse and another at the jail, incarcerated defendants can participate in all legal procedures without the municipality enduring the costs and dangers associated with jail-to-courthouse prisoner transport.

The monetary savings to a county become clear when one considers that costly resources need to be allocated, such as: several policemen, a vehicle, courthouse security, gasoline and tolls, among others. Depending on several factors, among them the distance of the courthouse to the jail and geographic location, these costs can sometimes reach into the thousands, even for just one trip. Over the course of a year, the result is a hefty bill that video conferencing aims to eliminate. In October of 2003, the Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance, at the request of the Badger State Sheriff's Association, which represents sheriff departments in various Wisconsin counties, initiated a study into the possible time and cost-saving benefits of video conferencing. The study revealed a savings of about $2.7 million if all counties used the technology. That data, along with the obvious security benefits, was enough for Wisconsin's Green County to move 'full speed ahead' with video conferencing.

Like many courthouses, Green County's proposed video conferencing system had been in the planning stages for quite some time and the incident in Atlanta proved to be the spark needed to move the project forward. In an interview featured in an article by Brian Gray of the Monroe Times, Green County Circuit Court Judge James Beer said, "video conferencing is the wave of future. It shows the court is moving into the 21st century." The equipment will enable doctors to appear at mental health proceedings and people who are serving time in prison to appear remotely. "The benefits are limitless. It saves the county a great deal of money and also increases security here at the courthouse."

Video conferencing in the court room also has other uses. In Pennsylvania's Montgomery County, large police departments such as Abington (92 officers) use the technology not only to handle on-camera arraignments for smaller departments in the county but also to digitally process and transmit photographs and fingerprints into criminal databases. In minutes, police can have fingerprints and photographs matched with a defendant's criminal record. In an interview featured in an article by Harry Yanoshak of the Bucks County Courier Times, Montgomery Deputy Chief John Livingood said, "Because it has such technology, Abington and other large departments serve as a central booking center for defendants. Video arraignments are time savers because defendants never have to leave the police station to see the judge. If we had to take a person to see the judge in person, it would effectively take two officers out of service for at least a couple of hours," he said, noting the length of time could be longer if the on-call judge is located across the county.

In Montgomery County, police and deputy sheriffs, rarely constables, shuttle defendants to the county prison, said District Judge Paul Leo, whose court in Hatboro has used video conferencing for about two years. While the technology enables a judge to do work from home, that's not how it's being used in his courtroom, he said, noting how the courts should remain open to the public, regardless if the proceeding is captured on a computer screen.

Video conferencing equipment manufacturers, for their part, have responded to the demand by introducing a series of products aimed at this sector. TANDBERG, a leading manufacturer of video conferencing products, recently introduced the TANDBERG Justice Package, which is an integrated video solution designed specifically for the courtroom environment. As a component of the Justice Package, the 'Judicator' conferencing system allows for simple video and audio control directly from the judge's bench. The Judicator enables: arraignments, remote visitations, parole and mental-health hearings, depositions, medical appointments, sensitive witness and expert testimonies, attorney consultations, among others.

While manufacturers are providing the product, solution providers such as IVCi are providing the education and support. From courthouses to jails, and prisons to law firms, solution providers, who have been preaching the many benefits of video conferencing, are finally being heard. "Now is the time to introduce video conferencing into your department," said Robert Swing, president and founder of IVCi, LLC. "It's the best way to increase your productivity and reduce or eliminate transportation costs while ensuring top-notch communication between all parties involved in the legal process." Due to recent happenings, it's becoming clear that this technology has become much easier to justify.

For many years, Harold German has been recognized as a knowledgeable source for information on corporate branding methodologies. A director at IVCi, LLC, whose divisions include IVCi Audio Visual and IVCi Home. Mr. German is a renowned author and contributor, with appearances in noted international publications such as The Economist, and on news stations such as CNN. Mr. German covers IP networks and the future of conferencing technologies.

Hotels with Video Conferencing

Video conferencing allows people to communicate over the Internet. It enables two or more persons in different places to engage in face-to-face audio or video interaction. Hotels with video conferencing facilities benefit people who spend considerable time traveling and meeting customers, suppliers or business partners. Hiring a hall in a hotel with a video conferencing facility can help to save time and expense. The main advantage of video conferencing is that it can reduce the need for travel.

Many hotels provide meeting rooms with facilities for video conferencing. These hotels offer video conferencing equipment on rent from their audio/visual provider.

You can hold a business conference or invite key people to speak to your audience no matter where they are located. People who are far away can be seen and heard clearly, in live video format. Video conferencing can be used for holding meetings, conducting interviews and giving lectures. Hotels with video conferencing facilities hire leading companies for technical support.

Video conferencing can be classified into point-to-point conferencing and multipoint conferencing. Point to point conferencing is basically a communication link between two locations. Multipoint conferencing is a communication link between more than two locations. Multipoint conferencing can be further classified into, LAN and Multi Control Unit (MCU). LAN provides a link between different groups or locations. In the MCU environment, audio and video signals can be connected to one or more conferences simultaneously.

Video conferencing facilities in hotels are usually available round-the-clock. These hotels also engage conference and meeting organizers. Hotels with video conferencing facilities serve to bring delegates and speakers together from anywhere in the world, conduct PR events or press conferences and can deliver HR presentations to employees. Video conferencing used to be an expensive procedure. But now, anyone with a fast Internet connection, a camera and a headset can conduct a videoconference at a minimal cost.

Conferencing provides detailed information on Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Audio Conferencing, Video Conferencing and more. Conferencing is affiliated with Online Conference Centers.

What Is Video Conferencing?

Video conferencing isn't necessarily a new technology, but it has come a long way since it was first introduced and for the most part makes good use of the new technologies that have been introduced in recent years. By allowing people to communicate either with video and audio or video and text, video conferencing serves a number of purposes in business, as well as for personal use and even use by groups as diverse as the court system and NASA.

In order to understand how video conferencing works, however, it's important to take a moment to learn how the technology first came about and how it has been adapted over time to meet the needs of businesses and consumers.

Origins of Video Conferencing

Early forms of video conferencing originated with the advent of television, using a pair of closed-circuit televisions which were connected by cable to allow the users at either end to communicate. Later advances on this theme were used by news reporters on location, who transmitted a signal back to the station from a truck filled with equipment, and also by NASA who used high-powered radio waves to transmit signals to and from space missions. Attempts were made by AT&T and other companies during the 60's and 70's to make video conferencing more accessible, but poor picture quality plagued these early systems and even when more powerful devices were made they still did not become popular.

Modern Video Conferencing

In the 80's, new technologies such as ISDN networks made it possible to guarantee a minimum transfer rate and compression rate for video and audio which in turn made video conferencing much more feasible. Dedicated networks for video conferencing began to develop, and ISDN was soon accessible from most parts of the world. Video conferencing was originally prohibitively expensive for most, but as new advances in technology continued to be created the prices of video conferencing equipment soon dropped and it became much more common.

The advent of the internet did much to bring video conferencing where it is today; once the technology was developed to transmit live video and audio over internet protocols, much of the equipment previously needed to create video conferencing connections was no longer required. Many free programs and services soon began to include webcam video conferencing in their chat features, allowing computer users to communicate as never before.

Uses of Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has a number of uses, both at home and in business. When using a webcam or other form of video conferencing from home, you can use it to stay in touch with friends and family across the city or around the world. It can add a bit more of a "human touch" to conversations or chat sessions, as you can actually see the person that you're talking to instead of them simply being words on a screen or a voice on the phone. In business, the applications are even more useful; business meetings can occur among several different offices or individuals in different parts of the world. Not only can this add a great deal of convenience, but it can also save money that would have to be spent on transportation and time that would have to be spent on organizing the meetings and getting all of the parties in the same place at the same time. Video conferencing can also be of great use to educators, science professionals, and a variety of other individuals who can see the advantage of being able to speak face-to-face with others without the need for actually meeting each other in a specific location.

Ricardo Trinidad, President of Telcom & Data, is a telecommunications professional. Established in 1997, he has molded his company into a top-notch telecommunications provider. Telcom-Data offers telecommunications solutions to those business professionals in search of quality products and superior services. To view his whole line of products you can visit [http://www.polycom-products.com]

Video Conferencing - The Pros and Cons of Video Conferencing

Many businesses conduct video conferencing during meetings. Video conferencing allows you to call anyone in the world and not only speak to them, but also see them on the projector or computer screen. Video conferencing is meant for larger audience such as a conference or meeting, rather than serving the needs of an individual.

As technology becomes more advanced, businesses have made video conferencing an important activity during meetings. However, video conferencing has its pros and cons.

Video conferencing advantages:

1. Able to reach anyone in the world and almost immediately. With video conferencing, there is no need for anyone to travel long distance for conferences and meetings. There will be no geographical and time boundary.

2. Works well for a large audience. During video conferencing, PowerPoint slides and visual display can be projected on a large screen for everyone present in a room. This makes it suitable for conducting conferences and meetings with larger crowd.

3. Allow people at different locations to interact with one another effectively and easily. A phone call only allows 2 people to interact with one another. However, with video conferencing, it allows people from different locations to interact with one another effectively. 3 people in Singapore can interact with 5 people in China and another 3 people in the States easily, with everyone able to hear and see perfectly.

Video conferencing disadvantages:

1. Expensive. The price of a good video conferencing system may be a major concern for most people. So if you do not need advanced features, there are cheap options for you to choose from. However, if you know how to make use of those advanced features, you may find that the money you save flying employees and clients around the country will more than makes up the cost of the video conferencing system. Before you buy any system, make sure that you know what your needs are so that you can get the right one for your company.

2. Lost of human touch. Eye contact is very important during a communication. However with video conferencing, eye contact is not easily delivered through the camera.

Now that you have a list of pros and cons of video conferencing, it is now up to you to decide whether video conferencing is necessary for your business. Before you buy any system, make sure that you conduct a thorough research first so as to choose the best system for your company.

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Video Conferencing - Examining The Virtual Field Trip

Video Conferencing Connects People From Around The World

Those familiar with video conferencing might describe it as a virtual field trip around the world. Video conferencing has the ability to connect consumers, employees and employers and students from around the word. Corporate representatives can use video conferencing to meet with world class experts or business executives in multiple fields, locations and within many different industries to expand their knowledge base, network and improve their strategy and procedures.

Students can use video conferencing to meet with experts and instructors in various fields to enhance their understanding of a particular subject or area of interest. Consumers can use video conferencing to explore exotic locations, vacation spots or perhaps investigate a new area to live in.

Benefits Video Conferencing

More and more individuals and organizations alike are starting to realize the benefits video conferencing has to offer. Video conferencing can increase a non profit organizations ability to extend knowledge of their programs and engage in outreach efforts. Healthcare providers can use video conferencing to communicate with experts in their field from around the world, to solve a new case or come up with new treatment ideas or research areas.

Perhaps the biggest advantage video conferencing has to offer the world today is its ability to connect people from around the world so face to face communication results. This will dramatically increase man's networking ability and our ability to explore, conquer, understand, learn and succeed for years to come. Video conferencing truly is the wave of the future, a method for engaging in virtual field trips to any location in the world.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his web site on video conferencing for more information on video conferencing http://www.videoconferencinginsider.com

The Benefits of Video Conferencing For Your Business

Large businesses these days are growing even larger every single day. Many companies run their operation out of several different locations, and that can make things very difficult. Back in the day people from those different locations would have to fly or drive to a certain location in order to meet and discuss things. However, the advancement of technology has changed all of that. Nowadays, video conferencing has made things a lot easier for businesses all over the world. This article will discuss a few great benefits of conferencing via video.

It is important for any business to save money wherever they can. The more money a business can save the more money that ends up in their pockets as well as their employees' pockets. This just so happens to be one great benefit to video conferencing. A lot of money could be spent flying people from many different locations to one location to meet and discuss things. The more meetings a company has the more it's going to cost them when they meet that way. However, conferencing via video allows people to have a conference without spending a lot of money. This is because no one needs to travel anywhere. Everyone can be present at a meeting without leaving their own office!

The old saying of time is money may be old, but it speaks the truth. Being efficient is a great way for a company to save both time and money. If conferences took place from one location with everyone having to be physically present, that would cost the company a lot of time and money. The time it would take for everyone to meet up at a certain location and then go back to their offices after the conference is time not being well spent. That's just another thing that makes video conferencing so great. Having a conference via video allows people to have a meeting right away with no time being spent traveling!

Many companies have meetings with people from other companies in order to work together and be productive. Well, if these people would have to travel across the country or even across the world it wouldn't be as productive as if they had used video conferencing. Since conferencing this way allows people to do things faster and easier, it will obviously increase productivity. Anyone who runs a business knows that productivity is never a bad thing, and that's just another great benefit to video conferencing. It is truly a great way for a company to be more efficient and productive!

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Web and Video Conferencing - The Art of Online Collaboration

With the advent of the Internet, it has now become possible for individuals to keep in touch with people living far and wide for professional as well as personal purposes. For instance, companies now hold their meetings through Internet. This method is termed as web conferencing. It can involve just two people or a business meeting can also be held with a small group of people. With the help of collaboration via web conferencing, it has now become possible for organizations to interact with their customers irrespective of which part of the world they are located in. This is regarded as the greatest benefit of web conferencing collaboration.

Web conferencing helps in making a business more efficient. This modern technology helps in bringing business close to the prospective customers without any need for travel from one corner of the world to another. You can also hold a meeting with your fellow employees who are located in some other part of the world. The web meetings or conferences are conducted online with the help of desktop computers or laptops by connecting them to the Internet. Holding these meetings online also helps in reducing the cost factor to a great extent and is also a wonderful solution for companies using work-at-home employees.

Web conferencing allows you to demonstrate your newly developed product to the prospective customers, hold general meetings with customers, and make PowerPoint presentations. A video or a telephone connection helps in making the communication much easier. It is regarded as an ideal solution not only for the big corporate houses but also for small business organizations.

The Art of Video Conferencing

Like web & video conferencing is also the new buzzword among small and large businesses located in different parts of the world. Like elsewhere, video conferencing Australia is being widely used for different types of corporate activities like management meetings, sessions for resolving problems, briefing and planning sessions, client presentations, interviewing prospective candidates located in some other country for any vacancy, complex negotiations, holding bi-annual meetings with staff, and so on. Like web conferencing, video conferencing is also an effective collaboration tool and helps in saving a lot of money and time required for travelling from one place to another.

Benefits of Web Conferencing over Video Conferencing

It has some advantages over video conferencing like:

Cheaper and more reliable;
Fewer issues related to firewall configuration;
Requires lower Internet bandwidth;
No need for too much lighting and makeup as participants cannot see each other;
Technically, less difficult to set up and use.Advantages of Video Conferencing over Web.

Video conferencing also has some benefits over web. They are:

Live video feed and hence all the participants can view each other in real-time;
Participants usually feel deeply involved as there is a video element.

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Video Conferencing and Education

How Video Conferencing Can Support Education

Video conferencing technology is all the rage among corporations. Recently educational facilities have begun taking advantage of video conferencing technology to support learning and education. Video conferencing equipment can help facilitate instruction and provide distant learners with a host of resources and access to content providers, teachers, librarians and more.

More and more teachers are adopting video conferencing as a method of enhanced communication and instruction. Many California schools are using video conferencing to connect with one another and produce networks carrying large volumes of video and text data to educational facilities, teachers and students. Other people that benefit from video conferencing technology include librarians who can use video conferencing to develop strategies, provide resources and improve the quality of their service and delivery.

Video conferencing And Learning

Video conferencing facilitates learning by allowing remote or distant learners to meet regardless of their location. Students can take classes at multiple universities. In essence classes that are not available at one location may be available at another through video conferencing. Video conferencing can also benefit non traditional students who are not able to attend classes during normal hours.

Video conferencing can also be used as a career or employee training tool. Many colleges are now collaborating with local businesses to offer students certification and business training. Expert subject matter delivered from individuals in the field is easily delivered to students using this new technology. Student can also take advantage of mentoring services offered by companies in distant locations using video conferencing technology. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his web site on video conferencing for more information on video conferencing http://www.videoconferencinginsider.com

The Impact of Video Conferencing on Education

The Impact of Video Conferencing on Education

Given the importance of education, it's no wonder that many technologies find some of their best uses to be in the classroom. One technology that has seen a great amount of use in schools and colleges is video conferencing, which is a method of transferring audio and video in real time between individuals in different locations. Video conferencing allows students to speak with journalists, politicians, scientists, and a variety of other influential people, as well as allowing teachers and professors to interact with students who are in classrooms at different schools or sometimes even in different states or countries. Video conferencing can even allow different groups of students to interact with each other, allowing them to take part in joint projects or to share cultures that they might not otherwise have access to.

Video Conferencing in the Classroom

When most people think of video conferencing, they think of it in terms of major companies speaking with overseas partners or offices which are located across the country. Video conferencing technology isn't confined simply to business use, of course; a number of primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools make use of video conferencing in some or all of their classrooms in order to allow their students to partake in a wide variety of experiences. This technology can allow the students to interact directly with other classes or important figures who have set aside time to speak with the students in various schools. In some cases the video conferencing events take place in a number of schools simultaneously, so that as many students as possible can take part and have an experience that they will never forget.

Teaching Across the Miles

Another important use of video conferencing is to allow teachers to communicate with students [http://www.polycom-products.com] in different locations who might otherwise not be able to attend classes with that particular teacher or in the subjects that they wish to learn. This is especially popular in a college or university setting, and allows satellite classes to be set up in outlying areas so that the main school can provide their classes to students who may be an hour or more away. This can also allow teachers to easily schedule guest speakers or other teachers from schools across the country or around the world to interact with their class or to provide opinions or input on topics which are being discussed or subjects that are being taught.

Unique Opportunities

As students have more access to video conferencing, they may find themselves having a greater access to unique opportunities as well. It may be possible to take part in special programs via a video feed, which many students would not be able to attend due to distance, cost, or the program being limited to a specific number of people. By adding a video component, programs and opportunities such as these could be opened up to a practically limitless number of people.

Of course, other opportunities may be opened up for students by giving them this sort of exposure to video conferencing technology as well. As the students gain a better understanding of how the technology works and the situations that it can be applied to, they will be better prepared for future situations in the business world in which they may have to work with similar technologies or come up with ideas for how to improve their company's communications network.

Ricardo Trinidad, President of Telcom & Data, is a telecommunications professional. Established in 1997, he has molded his company into a top-notch telecommunications provider. Telcom-Data offers telecommunications solutions to those business professionals in search of quality products and superior services. To view his whole line of products you can visit [http://www.polycom-products.com]

What Is Multi-Point Video Conferencing?

There are times when you need to be able to talk with individuals in other locations, both for personal reasons and for business. To convey simple messages you might choose to use a telephone, cellular phone, or even send an e-mail... unfortunately these methods are only effective if you don't need to interact with the parties involved directly or be able to present visual information to them or view what information they might have to show you. In situations such as that, you may find that multi-point video conferencing can be just what you need.

Though the name may sound complicated, multi-point video conferencing is actually a relatively simple concept. When you are using multi-point video conferencing, you are using a series of cameras and displays which are located in different buildings or offices and that will transmit images from each location to every other location in the video conference. This allows for real-time visual communication without the need or expense of travel that would be required for more traditional meetings.

How Multi-Point Video Conferencing Works

Before you can use multi-point video conferencing, it's first important that you have an understanding of how the technology involved works. Basically, multi-point video conferencing uses a series of cameras, at least one in each location of the conference, and transmits the audio and video that is picked up over a computer network where it is received by the other members of the conference. This works similar to a telephone conference call, allowing all members to interact in real time, but instead of simply being a telephone call the members can see what is going on at the other locations and often can pull up additional information from their computer and display it as a part of the conference as well.

Advantages of Multi-Point Video Conferencing

Multi-point video conferencing can do quite a bit to make communication easier for all members of the conference, presenting them with the opportunity to show important information to the other parties involved or to express their meaning through gestures and body language as well as speech. Since most multi-point video conferencing is done via computer, it also has the advantage of being able to transfer files, take polls, and utilize text chatting and other features that also would not be available form a standard conference call. This can give users a new level of interactivity and make their experiences with the multi-point video conference much more productive and worthwhile.

Uses of Multi-Point Video Conferencing

Given how adaptable the technology can be, there are a variety of ways that individuals and businesses can make use of multi-point video conferencing [http://www.polycom-products.com]. When used by people at home, multi-point video conferencing can allow them to talk with several friends or family members at once and have a "virtual reunion" or share important news. Companies that make use of multi-point video conferencing can host meetings with employees, offices, or business partners in other cities or around the world without having to make the travel arrangements needed to get all of the parties involved together. Multi-point video conferencing can be used by teachers who are doing activities with other classes or who teach several classes at different schools as a form of distance learning, or by members of the scientific community who are attempting to share data and complete research with others in different countries. As advances in multi-point video conferencing technology continue to be made, the only real limit on the usefulness of this method of communication is the imagination and creativity of those who will be using it.

Ricardo Trinidad, President of Telcom & Data, is a telecommunications professional. Established in 1997, he has molded his company into a top-notch telecommunications provider. Telcom-Data offers telecommunications solutions to those business professionals in search of quality products and superior services. To view his whole line of products you can visit [http://www.polycom-products.com]

Using Audio, Web, and Video Conferencing for Distance Learning

Using Audio, Web, and Video Conferencing for Distance Learning

Distance learning has been greatly increasing in popularity over the course of the last several years, and as distance learning technologies become more accessible and less expensive it doesn't look like this trend will be stopping soon. By utilizing modern audio and video conferencing technology combined with web conferencing software, you can greatly increase the effectiveness of distance learning for both the teachers who provide the content and the students who wish to learn it. To help you determine whether audio and video conferencing and web technology can help you to improve your distance learning programs, please consider the following information.

Audio Conferencing

The use of audio conferencing in distance learning can be of great benefit to both teachers and students, since it allows them to interact with one another in ways that standard correspondence and e-mail communication cannot match. By using an audio bridge to allow real-time communication with a number of students at one or more distant locations, an educator can converse directly with students so as to answer any questions that they might have while allowing their comments and other input to drive the class discussion in new and interesting directions. Audio conferencing also allows an advanced distance learning setup to be established with relatively low cost and little technical maintenance. The main drawback to audio conferencing is the fact that there is no visual component to the lessons that are being taught; this is where video conferencing comes into play.

Video Conferencing

In a manner that is very similar to audio conferencing, video conferencing can allow distance educators to interact directly with students in real time. As the name suggests, the main difference between the forms is that video conferencing adds one or more cameras into the mix so that students will be able to see as well as hear the teacher or other speaker as well as any materials that they may present. A video conferencing setup may work in one of two ways... there may be a video camera setup which captures the video and audio of the teacher or speaker and an audio setup which captures the responses of the students (meaning that there is one-way video and two-way audio), or there may be video setups on both ends of the conference connection to capture both video and audio (which allows for real time two-way video communication.) The video which is captured and transmitted (be it one-way video or two-way) is displayed on a television or other monitor at the other end of the connection; audio may also be routed into speakers within the monitor, external speakers, or a separate audio conferencing setup.

Internet Conferencing Solutions

Another alternative for distance learning which is growing in popularity combines both audio and video conferencing with the ease and convenience of internet communication. A number of software companies market internet conferencing software which allows users to not only interact directly with those on the other end of the connection, but additional software components may be integrated and used as well. This can be useful for distance learning educators by allowing them to post questions, quizzes, images, or a variety of other components which the students may then interact with and answer. Internet conferencing may feature either one- or two-way video, and utilizes two-way audio to allow teachers and students to converse as needed during lessons. In many cases software features may be customized to only allow certain users to receive specific content as well, so that sessions with multiple student locations may each have content specific to them as a supplement to the material being discussed by the instructor or other speakers.

Distance learning is increasing in popularity while expenses continue to decrease, and it looks like this trend is here long term. To learn how you can take advantage of these products visit our #1 website for Audio, Web, and Video Conferencing.

Video Conferencing in Houston Leaps to 21st Century with Phonoscope

The benefits of video conferencing have been well-known for some time: reduced travel budget, facilitated collaboration, more cost-effective use of billable employee time, access to off-premise experts such as trainers or lawyers, access to employees in other locations, etc. However, until recently, the cost of the equipment, the special expertise needed to operate it, and low picture and sound quality have been major factors inhibiting the widespread use of video conferencing. For Houston and surrounding areas, those problems have disappeared. Video conferencing vendors everywhere have been scrambling to revamp their products in the past few years to make their systems better, more affordable, and easier to use and manage. But no one that I’ve researched has come close to the product that Houston’s Phonoscope offers in terms of price, quality, applications, and ease of use.

Phonoscope has been a technology leader in Houston since opening in 1953 and holds the nation’s largest privately owned fiber optic Metropolitan Area Network (MAN). Phonoscope provided Houston’s first cable television company, and in 1958, began the installation of the world’s first large scale “talk and see” two-way audio/video television network for the Galveston School District—the original video conferencing system. Today, Phonoscope supplies customers with the most innovative video conferencing available at a reasonable price without huge upfront equipment expense. With its massive fiber optic coverage in Houston, Phonoscope is near most business locations throughout the Greater Houston Area, spanning five counties to reach locations such as Baytown, Freeport, Magnolia, Richmond-Rosenberg, Splendora, Texas City and Willis, Texas.

Ten years ago, companies were paying on an average of $75,000 or more for a standard video conferencing system with only enough equipment for a couple of conference rooms. Now you can find room-based systems for as little as $5,000 to $20,000 and then you pay monthly for your broadband service--still fairly pricey for many small to mid-size companies. Enter Phonoscope with no equipment purchase costs. The Phonoscope high definition Video Conferencing System is supplied through the company’s utility services, and the equipment is provided and maintained as part of the monthly service. Phonoscope offers T3 Internet services, allowing video conferencing to transfer through fiber optics, putting their competition at the end of the line in regard to reliability, latency and speed. However, the true value of the Phonoscope’s system is found in the video conferencing applications the company offers: health services, legal services, corporate training, education, and more.

Medical professionals are available by simply dialing a four-digit number to Phonoscope’s Health Service through the video conferencing system. The benefits of this service to companies include employee benefit solutions, such as onsite medical assistance, immediate access to a physician, prescriptions and refills, health profiles, preventative screening, and chronic disease management. The service also provides employees with wellness training, smoking cessation programs, stress management, nutritional counseling and therapy, and a 24 hour TeleNurse. HR departments are aided with healthcare reporting, assistance in obtaining carrier credit for reduced health insurance costs, individualized healthcare plans and tracking of patient compliance, OSHA training/compliance, pre-employment screening, support with integrated data merge in records, and data capture that meets HIPPA guidelines.

Phonoscope has affiliated with a local law firm, Marc J. Krasney, P.C., to offer corporate In-House counsel services, via their Phonoscope units on a flat fee monthly basis. This service is for any company requiring dedicated in-house legal management without the need or resources for an in-house legal department or outside law firm. Gone are the days where you must drive across town and face traffic to meet with your counsel to discuss questions arising out of normal day-to-day operations such as contracting, leasing, corporate law and procedure, and employment law. By simply dialing a four-digit number, companies can visit face-to-face with a lawyer and at the same time review any documents. This law firm also assists with negotiating and signing agreements with customers, suppliers, employees, subcontractors, distributors, and regulatory agencies, and perform Corporate Secretarial Functions. Marc J. Krasney, P.C. can help you prepare materials for director and shareholder meetings, attend the meetings via Phonoscope, give advice on corporate procedures, store your corporate books, and produce minutes.

For lawyers, Phonoscope Video Conferencing System will soon connect their law firm to the Harris County Courthouse so the lawyer can appear via video rather than in person for motion hearings. Phonoscope Legal Service is partnering with key mediators through the Greater Houston area market to allow lawyers the ability to participate in mediation without leaving the office and offers a full service court reporting company with knowledgeable court reporters that will allow the firm to conduct depositions over the Phonoscope network. The deposition is conducted just as if the lawyer were actually in the room with the witness without needless delay typically associated with video conferencing, and the deposition is recorded in real time. Both the video and the transcript will be available immediately following the deposition (in a rough draft form) on a dedicated server accessed through password protected software from anyplace at anytime.

Phonoscope Corporate Training is another valuable application on the Phonoscope Video Conferencing System. Considering that the latest figures show that dealing with poorly performing employees cost businesses in the United States $105 billion last year, employee training may be one of the most important expenditures a company can make in terms of getting a serious return on their investments. The right training can improve employee performance and production, decrease management’s problem-solving time, and improve customer satisfaction. But, that training has in the past been expensive and frequently required that employees be off-site for a number of days. With Phonoscope Corporate Training, companies can reduce the time and money spent on training while receiving quality that offers high ROI.

All Phonoscope services, from cable to internet to High Definition video conferencing and applications, are provided over fiber optics -- at the speed of light!

Vickie Adair is the senior technical writer at Media A-Team (http://www.mediaateam.com) and also publishes as a freelance writer. She writes for http://www.houstonmanufacturers.com, a website for Houston manufacturers, providers, and suppliers, and http://www.natural-products-directory.com, a directory of online business that sell or manufacture organic and/or natural products.

8 Advantages of Video Conferencing For Small Businesses

There are many advantages for small businesses to use video conferencing on a daily basis as an effective tool. For example, you can keep in touch with employees - no matter where they are located. Not to mention cutting travel costs and time away from the office to attend business meetings.

Here are 8 Advantages of Video Conferencing:

1) Meeting online saves on expenses

No longer is it necessary to travel from location to location, paying high gas prices, or expensive hotel stays and food expenses.

2) Save Time and be more productive

You and your employees will be able to get more work done in less time by eliminating the need to travel to other locations to attend meetings. Simply meet and collaborate online - saving a lot of valuable time and energy.

3) Video conferencing Equipment is now affordable

Online conferences is no longer just for large corporations with deep pockets. The only thing you need is a computer, ann internet connection, a webcam/microphone, and a reliable service provider. Even small businesses can afford as little as $49 dollars a month to benefit from the convenience and ease of video conferences.

4) Meet As often as you need

Logistics can make it difficult for employees to attend meetings. With video conferencing, every one can attend in minutes without having to leave your office or location.

5) Speed Up Decision Making

Make faster decisions by including all key decision makers in an online meeting. Even if they're traveling in China!

6) Safety

Commuting long distances in poor or bad weather is risky. And more people are nervous about air travel with the threat of terrorists. Employees are concerned about their safety in traveling to distant locations. Video conferencing eliminates these and other risks associated with traveling.

7) Improves customer relations

Customers can make or break your small business. But it's expensive calling frequent business meetings with your clients. You can drastically cut this cost and still meet face to face with video conferencing. Plus, you can skip the high cost of a conference room.

8) Higher quality of life

Instead of spending your time on business travel, your employees will appreciate being able to attend important meetings from the comfort of their office or desk. This leaves more free time to spend with loved ones, volunteer in the community, or pursue interests and hobbies.

With so many advantages of video conferencing, it's fast becoming as important to business management as your cell phone and laptop.

Start cutting 68% or more off your business costs with video conferences HERE

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A Cheap Solution For Small Business Video Conferencing

For a small business trying to decide on a network solution which will be required to support video conferencing .... the journey can be aggravating.

Basically ..... Give me an open check and I will spend every dime on bandwidth pipes. Give me a fixed budget and I will squeeze every dime of bandwidth with compression techniques and accept the quality trade off.

Therein lies the dilemma ..... bandwidth vs quality.

So this is really not a question of bandwidth, but QoS (Quality of Service).

If you're willing to accept some risk in QoS to keep your budget under control.....there are options open to you.

With the bandwidth, you would scale to the number of users using the video/multimedia streaming network. About 384kbps per active connection per direction is the scaling for basic video conferencing(320x240). For 640x480 double it, and for 1080i HD 3-7Mbps for each feed.

LAN - Local Area Network, the one you buy and build

WAN - The one you lease and pay for, DSL etc

DSL - Digital Subscriber Line, 3-7Mbps

VPN - Virtual Private Networking, key technology for your solution

For your LAN network topology you want Ethernet at each video conferencing location. This is standard for most all LANs. Your WAN or Wide Area Network connection is the one that needs speculation. Just 10 years ago your choice would have been either a few T-1's at 1.5Mbps each, T-3 at 45Mbps, or Fibre for near limitless bandwidth depending on the above calculated bandwidth need.

Today's internet backbone is much more developed and can handle VPN over cable/DSL very well. VPN is creating a virtual software driven dedicated connection over a broadband connection like DSL.

Many (Linksys) network routers come with VPN capabilities. This should be the first solution attempt because it is exponentially cheaper than any other way. All you would require is a VPN router (Linksys $100) and 3-7Mbps DSL/Cable at each video feed location. Don't forget to get static IP's for each DSL location so you can make your VPN a permanent structure of the internet.

That's the basics. If you need help finding a DSL or cable provider in your area that won't steal your wallet .... visit us at Broadband Nation.

Michael is the owner of FreedomFire Communications....including DS3-Bandwidth.com and Business-VoIP-Solution.com. Michael also authors Broadband Nation where you're always welcome to drop in and catch up on the latest BroadBand news, tips, insights, and ramblings for the masses.

Video Conferencing Public Rooms- Go Public, Go Practical

Your business is going global. You've got people working for you in Bangkok, Auckland, Florence, and Paris. Thankfully for you and the people who work for you, gone are the days of waiting for telegrams to arrive. Nor is there any need for you to yell in competition with inaudible static just to get your message across. In this day and age, modern technology has made it possible for you to connect with real people in real time. Thanks to a wondrous little innovation called video conferencing, you can connect to your liaisons officer in Zimbabwe and talk to him almost as if he were in the same room with you.

Video, What?

Video conferencing technology allows you to utilize the Internet to send or receive audio files and images to any or all of your business associates around the world and vice versa. The quality of the sound and images you send and receive is dependent on the speed of your Internet service provider, so if you don't want your image frozen in mid-blink with half-closed eyelids, high-speed is the way to go.

Can You Afford It?

Video conferencing equipment is usually set up in conference or board rooms. Video conferencing equipment does not come cheap, however. High-tech video conferencing equipment includes LCD screens and projectors, routers, and speaker phones, and would eat up a hefty chunk of last year's profits. If your company can afford it, though, then by all means, purchase all the equipment you need. If you're still cutting corners or just breaking even, however, purchasing video conferencing equipment would not be a good idea.

Make It Public!

Who's to say you can't use video conferencing technology? Even if your resources are not as bottomless as your ambitions, you can still use video conferencing technology. How? By utilizing video conferencing public rooms! Video conferencing public rooms are conference rooms with the necessary state-of-the-art video conferencing equipment you need. They may be rented or leased.

The good thing about video conferencing public rooms is that you can use one for a very small fee. This makes it the cost-efficient alternative to having to set up your own video conferencing room. In video conferencing public rooms, you simply inform operators know what you need, how long you need it for, and when you need it. These operators will take care of everything for you, from the conference set-up to equipment maintenance. Undoubtedly, video conferencing public rooms will save your company not just money but also time and manpower.

Going Public

So, now the next concern is finding the best among the multitude of video conferencing public rooms available. One of the more popular video conferencing public rooms is FedEx's Kinko's. Kinko's boasts of 120 locations worldwide and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It provides the latest video conferencing equipment. You even have the option of having your meeting videotaped, so you can review the proceedings at your leisure or monitor which of your executives slept while you talked.

Proximity also offers video conferencing public rooms in 3,500 locations worldwide. They can organize video conferencing involving as few as two to as many as 5,000 participants. All you have to do is show up. You don't need to worry about a thing.

Video conferencing public rooms are sprouting like mushrooms everywhere, from shopping malls to hotels and even subway stations. Pluck the right mushroom and you'll be guaranteed seamless and convenient video conferencing no matter where in the world you might be.

Save like you've never saved before through video conferencing public rooms! Visit http://www.Video-Conferencing-Guide.com now and learn more about choosing videoconferencing companies and video conferencing rooms.