A Beginner’s Guide to Handling a Video
Conference Call
Communication technology has created a world that
is
practically smaller that it actually is. Well, the world did not shrink
or deplete, but because of the great advancements on the means of
communication, the far-off placing now seem to be very near and
accessible. While the ability to speak to people throughout the globe
has been available for some time thanks to the telephone, nowadays,
long distance communication has been revolutionized in ways
unimaginable to the mindset of the past. Now, not only can people talk
to each other, they can even see each other, no matter how far apart
they are. Moreover, conversations may take place not only between two
parties but among several persons in different locations at the same
time. This is what video conference is all about.
Video Conference Calls
Video conferencing is simply a remarkable
blessing, an
astonishing fruit of technological progress. In the past, people only
dreamt of being able to talk and see people over the telephone, such is
just an idea confined to cartoons, movies, and television shows. Video
conference calls are not really new. Surprising as it may seem, video
conferencing has been around for several decades. However, video
conferencing back then was still crude, involving large and expensive
equipment that only the government or business enterprises could
afford. Today, video conference calling is widely available to most anyone, as
the required equipment is much cheaper. Unfortunately not a lot of
people still take advantage of this technological convenience. A lot of
people do not know that they are actually capable of doing it at all.
Many do not know how to handle a video conference call. The truth is,
it is
video conferencing is very easy with a few basic knowledge.
To handle a video conference call, one should have the right set-up.
But you do not have to worry because the set-up is not complicated.
First you have to have a working computer with a decent Internet
subscription. You also need an audio system, a video system, and an
integrator.
Conference Call Equipment
For the common video conference setup, it is
enough to
use a computer that has been bought not more than three years ago. An
older system can probably still work but it might not be able handle
calls that require more stability and clarity. The internet connection
should be higher than 1 mb, most computer
experts would recommend speeds of about 2-3 mbs – the usual
speed offered by cable and DSL providers, but for real, hardcore video
conference calls, a T1 connection would be excellent.
One should also have a good audio setup since
video
conferencing involves talking. Most computers are already equipped with
good sound cards, and as such, this would not be a problem anymore.
What is needed is a microphone which comes quite cheaply from any
computer accessories store. One may also want to purchase internet
phones – which work like regular telephones but are connected
to
the computer instead of a phone line. Internet phones work using a
system called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) which takes advantage
of the world wide reaching capabilities of the internet at cheaper
rates than regular overseas telephone calls.
Since video conference is about video, it would
not be
complete without a video camera. Video conferencing cameras, or web
cams, are widely available and very cheap. It is good to purchase one
with higher resolutions to ensure a clear and stable reception.
To handle a video conference call, one would use video conference
software or an instant messaging program. The most popular ones are
Microsoft NetMeeting and GnomeMeeting. Other programs are available out
there, some are even offered for free.
Conference Call References
It is very easy to handle video conference calls
when
you know what you need. There are several books and magazines about the
video conferencing and you can very much take advantage of them.
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