Rooms – You Need Special Ones For Video Conferencing

Video conferencing rooms are rooms facilitated to accommodate meetings between people in different locations or countries. These rooms, along with videoconferencing public rooms, enable people to combine the technology of both sound and vision to interact with each other. A video conferencing room should emulate the traditional conference room model with all individuals sitting around a common table and having equal access and the possibility view to all participants. The format of the meeting is based on a discussion format and no more than 25 people can use the conference room facilities at each side.

There is a certain commonly used layout for a video conferencing room and as this method has been tried and tested it is best to stick with this format if you are planning to facilitate a video conference. The following things should be taken into account when setting up a video conferencing room:

Lighting

The best lighting to use for videoconferencing is diffuse fluorescent lighting. It is important to minimize shadows in videoconference rooms and to create an evenly lit environment so that all participating people can be captured by the camera. To enhance the appearance of skin tones and to minimize annoying shadows, lights with a color of 3500 Kelvin should be used. Make sure that the illumination of participants' faces is between 500 and 700 lux (vertical). Also, using low energy fluorescent lights that operate between 30 and 50 kHz is not recommended. These lights can interfere with the proper functioning of wireless keypads and keyboards used by system operations.

It is best for the room to not have any windows facing outside as incoming light can interfere with any light settings and arrangements. If the room does have windows they need to be covered with room darkening drapery/blinds.

Decor

The best decor for video conferencing rooms is plain and simple. The area within view of the camera should be uncluttered and simply laid out. Objects such as mirrors, artwork, plants, and fans cause video compression algorithms technology to expend large amounts of processing resulting in less efficiency and reduced video quality. This could possibly cause disturbance in images. A neutral non-white color such as a grey tone is the best color for the walls in video conferencing rooms. Light grey, blue or beige can also be used. There should be no patterned wallpaper or items with busy colorful prints in the area that is to be filmed. This can also cause disturbance.

Acoustics

Audio quality is the most important factor for a successful video conferencing experience. If you cannot properly hear what is being said, there is no reason to have a meeting, therefore good acoustics are paramount.
One topic to pay extra attention to is reverberation (the effect of sound reflecting off of hard surfaces). One of the best ways to avoid effects of reverberation is to coat floors, ceilings, and walls with a special sound absorbing material. It is also important to isolate the videoconferencing public rooms from external noise sources like fans and duct work from heating and cooling systems, water pipes, office machines, telephones, and street noise.

Microphones

Placing the microphone is an important factor for influencing audio quality. A microphone has to be placed at least six feet from the system speakers. Another microphone is placed ten feet from the first. A microphone cannot be farther than seven feet from a speaking person to ensure maximum audio quality and no more than three microphones can be used in a room.

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