Joining the Hi-Tech Communication Bandwagon: How
To Choose Video Conference Equipment
It’s a small world after all. What was
once just a
catchy tune that kids (and even grownups) sing and dance to after
visits to any Disney theme park, is now becoming a reality. Of course
the planet is not decreasing in size, however the people living on it
are shrinking the gaps among each other through the quickly progressing
communication technology as observed today. The invention of the
telephone was indeed a great milestone in human history, but now it
seems a far cry from what people use to talk to each other today.
Reaching out to practically any place in the world is now very easy
with the help of computers, the internet, plus the hundreds of gadgets
that seem to pop out every minute.
Perhaps the most amazing gift that technology has
brought to people is video conferencing. Before, the ability to see
people while talking to them on the phone was just a dream seen in
sci-fi books and movies. It may have existed before, but its use was
only limited to rich businessmen who could afford the technical
wizardry required for video conference to be possible. Nowadays, video
conferencing is very cheap and easily acquired. However not too many
people have joined the video conferencing bandwagon as most do not know
what to look for when setting up a system. A lot of people do not know
how to choose video conference equipment. In reality, it is easy to
choose web conference equipment with some basic know-how.
Setting up a video conference is not at all
complex. Of
course you have to have the basic stuff like a computer with multimedia
function and an Internet connection. Aside from those, one needs
certain equipment to hear people, to talk to them, to see them and then
for you to be seen at the same time, after all, what is video
conferencing about apart from communicating with others while seeing
each other. Finally, there should be an equipment to put together
everything.
Computers bought within the past three years are
more
probably ready for video conferencing. Something older might still
work, but more likely not as efficiently as the new ones. For the
internet connection, it should have at the very least a speed of 56
kbps. However that is already quite slow for video conferencing, what
is recommended is a high-speed connection of about 512 kbps, which can
be achieved with broadband connections like cable, DSL, and most
especially T1.
The next very important component would be the
audio
conferencing phone. Internet phones can come cheaply, you may choose to
get one that is compatible with different kinds of software or one that
is dedicated to a particular program. The former is quite cheap but
might not be very reliable, the former could be quite expensive but
offers more stability. Internet phones are also called Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) phones. During video conferencing, earphones
and microphones may come in handy as it would be quite tiring to hold a
handset throughout the conversation.
With the internet phone, you can actually begin
talking
to your friends over the internet, but you will not be able to see
them. To do this, you need a video camera. There are many web camera
(web cams for short) in the market, but it is best to get the ones with
the highest resolution and frames per second to ensure clarity of the
video. While some video handycams can be used as web cams, it is still
best to use a camera that is made especially for video conferencing
because it would be easier to connect to your system.
Finally, to put all these things together, you
need an
integrating software. There are many video conferencing programs out
there, the most popular ones are Microsoft NetMeeting and GnomeMeeting.
Other web conference software have their own sets of special features
and it is best to review them before deciding which one to use. Anyway,
a lot of such programs are downloadable for free, and it may be a good
idea to try each one and see what works best with you.
When starting a web conference system it is good
to
consult friends who are already using the technology. You can also
learn from the many computer magazines, which usually discuss the
subject matter.
It is very easy to choose web conference equipment
if
you know what you need. With video conferencing the world becomes
smaller and people are getting closer.
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