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Multipoint Video Conferencing – Don’t Restrict Your Precious Conversation to Just Two Participants

Multipoint video conferencing allows participants at more than two sites to engage in real-time communication by means of a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) to which all the participants connect. In multipoint communications this video bridge device interconnects signals from

several sources in the same fashion that multiple audio lines are intermingled in a telephone conference call.

The key difference in multipoint versus “normal” video conferencing is the fact that there are multiple participants at multiple locations rather than a single interaction between two webcams or two digital video cameras communicating directly through conferencing software.

Is There a Demand for Multipoint Conferencing?

There is an increasing demand for multipoint video teleconferencing for a number of reasons. Not only does it overcome the expense and delays caused by travel, but these meetings tend to be briefer and more focused than face-to-face encounters and thus more productive. Busy executives can budget their time more effectively when meeting with clients or employees and, compared to the cost of travel, establishing facilities for a multipoint video conference is much more cost effective.

How Does Multipoint Video Conferencing Work?

Essentially a conferencing system uses a CODEC, a device which converts and compresses the video signal into digital data for transmission to a decoder which reverses the process on the other end. Working in full-duplex mode, the system encodes and decodes data in both directions simultaneously. The network over which the data travels may be any kind of broadband or satellite connection. Speeds as lows as 128 Kbps will produce a decent quality conference, but for television quality video the minimum data rate should be around 384 Kbps.

There are two modes or formats for multipoint video conferencing, continuous presence (CP) and voice activated (VA). Participants in the conference should always be told which method is being used. Generally a moderator is used in both scenarios to control the interaction and troubleshoot any issues that may arise.

Continuous Presence

In a multipoint video conference conducted in continuous presence mode, all sites can be seen at the same time. Usually at one site participants will see themselves on one monitor and the remote participants on a second monitor in smaller windows. This is not an optimal method for displaying any kind of data other than voice communication because the data will not occupy the full screen. Microphones can be simultaneously active at all sites involved and as a result, things can get a bit noisy. Intervention on the part of the moderator may be required to keep things in order.

Voice Activated

In this method of multipoint video conferencing only the remote site that produced the most recent audio will appear on the monitors. Again, at a single site participants will see themselves on one monitor and the source of the most recent audio will appear on a second monitor. Microphone settings are critical in voice activated mode. When a site is not speaking, their microphone should be muted to avoid random noise that will suddenly place them on screen. Moderation is especially recommended in this mode.

Could Multipoint Conferencing be made Affordable?

Many systems now offer a built-in video conferencing bridge, which has made multipoint conferencing increasingly affordable. Still, a system capable of supporting a four-way conference will cost in the $8,000 range. As multipoint video conferencing continues to grow in popularity, however, and systems with build-in bridges become more refined, prices will undoubtedly drop.

Continue to : How to Plan for Multipoint Video Conference

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