Bridging Time, Connecting Lives - History of Video Conferencing

Once upon a time, video conferencing did not exist. If you want to speak to several people, you'd have to climb up the apex of a hill and loudly invite them to visit your cornfield. While therapeutic and easy, shouting can, nevertheless, be exhausting. Soon, people grew tired of shouting, so they tried communicating by telegraph. However, talking by clicking sounds was not very user-friendly. For a while,the telephone seemed the best solution. The invention of the television, however, opened the doors to better and even more dramatic means for communication. It was not long before video conferencing was developed, and in time, it became the most virtual form of person-to-person communication. Ironically, the history of video conferencing did not start with video conferencing.

Talking Televisions

The history of video conferencing really began with television. Thanks to the invention of television, analog conferencing became possible. The term "analog" means "copy." Simply put, this form of conferencing consists of a cable that connects two TV systems. While analog conferencing is extremely basic, many TV stations continue to use it.

The Future Then

A fake helicopter ride to view a model of New York City was not the only exhibit during the 1964 World Fair. A milestone in the history of video conferencing took place, and this milestone goes by the name video conferencing. About half a decade later, in 1970, At&T unveiled its Picturephone video conferencing gadget. With a hefty monthly charge $160 and payphone calls costing about 10 cents, the Picturephone was simply too pricey.

Enterprising Ericsson

1976 was another red-letter year in the history of video conferencing. On this year, Ericcson gave a demonstration for the first trans-Atlantic LME video telephone call. This motivated other companies to polish their own video conferencing models, in the hope of striking gold. The result was the creation of new video protocols. These were never included in products that were marketed to the public, however.

That same year, a Japanese company successfully created video conferencing between Tokyo and Osaka, covering a distance of about 325 miles.

A Very Expensive Chat

The next era of the history of video conferencing unfolded in the early 1980s. At the time, video conferencing products were still novelty items, and they cost an arm and a leg. Consider these:

1. In 1982, Compression Labs' video conferencing unit cost a whopping $250,000, with lines that had a $1,000 per hour price tag.

2. In 1986, PictureTel unveiled its own video conferencing component, which costs a "mere" $80,000. Its hourly line fee was $100.

3. In the late 1980s, Mitsubishi created a phone with a still-picture. The picture was black and white, and both parties had to clam up while the picture was transmitting. Understandably, the unit only stayed on the market for a couple of years.

The Net Catches the Video Conferencing Bug

Several technological breakthroughs in the 1990s were instrumental in improving video conferencing systems. For example, video files could be made more compact, allowing videoconferencing from the comfort of one's desktop computer. Also, Internet Protocol, or IP, became more complex. IBM unveiled another black and white video conferencing system in 1991, but this time the pictures moved, and they could be viewed on a PC. Eventually, breakthrough software allowed video conferencing to be enjoyed through programs such as MSN messenger and Yahoo messenger.

What lies next in the history of video conferencing? No one knows. One thing is certain, however: video conferencing has a big and bright future ahead.

Curious about the history of video conferencing? From the early days of video conferencing to widespread use of videoconferencing in court reporting, video-conferencing-guide.com has just the information you need.

What is the Story With Online Video Conferencing?

Online video conferencing is much more than simple video chatting. Not only does it allow you to talk with others by video and give video presentations, a good conferencing software package gives you the capability to collaborate and share files.

For example, if you want to run a project by your boss, rather than emailing him the file and waiting for him to email you back with requested revisions, you can work together in real time through an online conference. Online video conferencing software lets the two of you work on a document together and both of you will see the updates instantly on your monitors even if you are a world apart.

This online collaboration can take place between two computers, or many. When two people simultaneously work on a document it is called point-to-point document sharing and if more than two share a document, it is called multi-point collaboration. When shopping for online video conferencing software, make sure it has multi-point capability if you have several employees and may need to share files with multiple people.

File transfer is another feature of online video conferencing software. This allows files to be sent from one computer to all other members of the conference. This is useful for distributing digital handouts for a meeting, or sending a group collaboration file to all participants when the document is complete.

Whiteboard is another useful tool that the best online video conferencing software packages include. It is a digital version of the wall whiteboard and lets you make diagrams and notes during your presentation that are transmitted to everyone on the conference. The whiteboard can also take snapshots and save them as graphics files for later reference.

These features of online video conferencing are what make it such a valuable tool for businesses, much more so that just plain video chat would be. However, video chatting does play an important role in distance communication, and all good software packages include the ability for video chat too.

The option can be set for all conference members to see only the speaker, or the screen can be split among several participants at once. Be sure your online video conferencing software has multi-user video if you need the split screen features for multi-participant video chat.

There are many online video conferencing software packages to choose from due to the high demand. The prices vary so it pays to shop around and compare features offered against the price.

You may be able to save money and time by using online video conferencing software through a web-based provider. When you do this, you do not need to install any software at all since it is remotely hosted. Using web-based software has its advantages. You can call into your conference using any computer that is available, even from a cell phone that has internet capabilities.

As long as you have access to a browser, you can participate in online video conferencing. Of course, if you want to communicate by video, you will need access to a webcam as well. Many web-based software providers offer a free trial of their services so you can get a taste of online conferencing and decide which software features are for you. Once you know what you need, you can purchase a package tailored for you so you don't pay for features you won't use.

The drawback to using web-based online video conferencing software is that you must pay a monthly fee that can surpass the cost of buying the software after a few months of use. Whether you choose to install your own software or utilize a web-based service is a matter of convenience versus cost since the features offered remain the same.

Andrew Long writes for many scientific and IT related media, which includes online video conferencing. This article can be used on a website as long as this resource box and live links in the article are used.

Be Confused No More - A Definition Of Video Conferencing

You forever hear the term but do you really understand it? The definition of video conferencing can be stated as the integration of audio, video and peripherals for the simultaneous communication of two or more persons who are connected by a particular telecommunication line.

In video conferencing, synchronized images and verbal communication are transmitted between two or more locations. Now that we have videoconferencing defined, how does videoconferencing work?

Why Video Conferencing Works For Many

For video conferencing to work, you would need microphones, video cameras, the necessary computer software, hardware and peripherals, along with the transmission lines for sending video conferencing information amongst video conferencing participants.

When holding a video conferencing event, a codec translates the analog information received by the microphones and video cameras into digital information, which is then transmitted to another codec that translates the digital information back to the original sounds and images, which the video conferencing participants can understand.

Video conferencing used to be more expensive than it is today, because T1, ATM and ISDN lines were used for video conferencing, and all of these were very costly. However, the emergence of the Internet has provided a cheaper solution for video conferencing, using web video conferencing. As a result, video conferencing has become more present in small businesses.

The problem with video conferencing is that the conversion of information from analog to digital format can result in the decreased video quality. The compression ratio is the most important factor in video conferencing. The higher the compression ratio, the faster the video conferencing information is transmitted, but the lower the video quality.

Video conferencing can be used for communication among groups of people. Video conferencing is also very useful in education. Video conferencing can make learning more fun, and video conferencing can work for different learning styles. Video conferencing also allows experts from remote places to talk in classes.

Video conferencing is the wave of the future. Make video conferencing work for you, know more about video conferencing, and make a step forward on improving your conferencing services.

When the subject of conferencing is confusing so many, Jon Butt's site at http://www.conferencing-explained.com does exactly what it says on the tin. Explaining the facts and fiction about web, video, audio and teleconferencing, how this latest technology can save you money, the equipment you need or don't need, the best call plans and where to find the best prices and value online

Tandberg Video Conferencing - Solutions At Your Fingertips

Tandberg video conferencing is easy to set up. There is certain hardware as well as software that is required for video conferencing and Tandberg video conferencing are just the people to provide you with all your video conferencing requirements. This equipment includes video input and output equipment such as web cameras and video displaying equipment such as monitors. LC Displays or general television sets equipped to be connected to the network in order to display the conferencing mages being transmitted. Audio devices, such as a microphone, are required for inputting the sound into the conferencing system and audio output devices such as speakers are needed to reproducing the audio. And finally, there needs to be a way of transmitting the data from one location to the other. This can be accomplished by the state-of-the-art Tandberg video conferencing system over the Internet, or even a LAN (Local Area Network). The more bandwidth one has on the network the better the transmission and reproduction.

Even the general population has ways to take advantage of Tandberg video conferencing facility. There are quality services available in the form of downloadable programs similar to Googletalk, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, among others. This software is usually free of charge, and if you have a webcam, a microphone, and broadband Internet access, you can be connected with friends and family through the Internet without having to worry about the huge telephone bills. Tandberg video conferencing is an ideal way for grandparents to witness the activities of their grandchildren as well as for long distance friends to keep in touch over this much awaited technology.

Tandberg video conferencing has put this wonderful technology to another good use. They have successfully set up the Tandberg video conferencing system in universities and colleges for educational purposes. Alumni can use the Tandberg video conferencing facility to participate in distance learning programs from across the world without having to leave the comfort of their homes. Tandberg video conferencing offers no limits to the possibilities of expanding your educational and cultural assets, no matter where you live. And yet another positive use for Tandberg video conferencing software is in the field of medicine. Doctors and nurses consult patients and colleagues in real time and send and receive medical documents and images in the bat of an eyelid across the globe. Tandberg video conferencing systems allow experts to diagnose ailments from anywhere in the world right from their offices.

Tandberg video conferencing software is not only used for business meetings anymore. The advancements of the Internet has provided a means of allowing the average person to take advantage of this technology. Uses of Tandberg video conferencing systems continue to develop day and night in the domains of business, medicine, education, and personal computing, Tandberg video conferencing software is a highly convenient and an easy means of virtual communication. Communication all over the world has never been the same since Tandberg video conferencing systems made their presence known in the field of video conferencing.

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

The History of Video Conferencing - Moving Ahead at the Speed of Video

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No new technology develops smoothly, and video conferencing had more than its share of bumps along the way before becoming the widely used communications staple it is today. The history of video conferencing in its earliest form goes back to the 1960's, when AT&T introduced the Picturephone at the World's Fair in New York. While viewed as a fascinating curiosity, it never became popular and was too expensive to be practical for most consumers when it was offered for $160 a month in 1970. Commercial use of real video conferencing was first realized with Ericsson's demonstration of the first trans-Atlantic LME video telephone call. Soon other companies began refining video conferencing technologies, including such advancements as network video protocol (NVP) in 1976 and packet video protocol (PVP) in 1981. None of these were put into commercial use, however, and stayed in the laboratory or private company use. In 1976, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone established video conferencing (VC) between Tokyo and Osaka for company use. IBM Japan followed suit in 1982 by establishing VC running at 48000bps to link up with already established internal IBM video conferencing links in the United States so that they could have weekly meetings. The 1980's introduce commercial video conferencing In 1982, Compression Labs introduces their VC system to the world for $250,000 with lines for $1,000 an hour. The system was huge and used enormous resources capable of tripping 15 amp circuit breakers. It was, however, the only working VC system available until PictureTel's VC hit the market in 1986 with their substantially cheaper $80,000 system with $100 per hour lines. In the time in between these two commercially offered systems, there were other video conferencing systems developed that were never offered commercially. The history of video conferencing isn't complete without mentioning these systems that were either prototypes or systems developed specifically for in-house use by a variety of corporations or organizations, including the military. Around 1984, Datapoint was using the Datapoint MINX system on their Texas campus, and had provided the system to the military. In the late 1980's, Mitsubishi began selling a still-picture phone that was basically a flop in the market place. They dropped the line two years after introducing it. In 1991, the first PC based video conferencing system was introduced by IBM - PicTel. It was a black and white system using what was at the time an incredibly inexpensive $30 per hour for the lines, while the system itself was $20,000. In June of the same year, DARTnet had successfully connected a transcontinental IP network of over a dozen research sites in the United States and Great Britain using T1 trunks. Today, DARTnet has evolved into the CAIRN system, which connects dozens of institutions. CU-SeeMe revolutionizes video conferencing One of the most famous systems in the history of video conferencing was the CU-SeeMe developed for the MacIntosh system in 1992. Although the first version didn't have audio, it was the best video system developed to that point. By 1993, the MAC program had multipoint capability, and in 1994, CU-SeeMe MAC was true video conferencing with audio. Recognizing the limitations of MAC compatibility in a Windows world, developers worked diligently to roll out the April 1994 CU-SeeME for Windows (no audio), followed closely by the audio version, CU-SeeMe v0.66b1 for Windows in August of 1995. In 1992, AT&T rolled out their own $1,500 video phone for the home market. It was a borderline success. That same year, the world's first MBone audio/video broadcast took place and in July INRIA's video conferencing system was introduced. This is the year that saw the first real explosion in video conferencing for businesses around the globe and eventually led to the standards developed by the ITU. International Telecommunications Union develops coding standards The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) began developing standards for video conferencing coding in 1996, when they established Standard H.263 to reduce bandwidth for transmission for low bit rate communication. Other standards were developed, including H.323 for packet-based multi-media communications. These are a variety of other telecommunications standards were revised and updated in 1998. In 1999, Standard MPEG-4 was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group as an ISO standard for multimedia content. In 1993, VocalChat Novell IPX networks introduced their video conferencing system, but it was doomed from the start and didn't last. Microsoft finally came on board the video conferencing bandwagon with NetMeeting, a descendent of PictureTel's Liveshare Plus, in August of 1996 (although it didn't have video in this release). By December of the same year, Microsoft NetMeeting v2.0b2 with video had been released. That same month, VocalTec's Internet Phone v4.0 for Windows was introduced. VRVS links global research centers The Virtual Room Videoconferencing System (VRVS) project at Caltech-CERN kicked off in July of 1997. They developed the VRVS specifically to provide video conferencing to researchers on the Large Hadron Collider Project and scientists in the High Energy and Nuclear Physics Community in the U.S. and Europe. It has been so successful that seed money has been allotted for phase two, CalREN-2, to improve and expand on the already in-place VRVS system in order to expand it to encompass geneticists, doctors, and a host of other scientists in the video conferencing network around the world. Cornell University's development team released CU-SeeMe v1.0 in 1998. This color video version was compatible with both Windows and MacIntosh, and huge step forward in pc video conferencing. By May of that year, the team has moved on to other projects. In February of 1999, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) was launched by MMUSIC. The platform showed some advantages over H.323 that user appreciated and soon made it almost as popular. 1999 was a very busy year, with NetMeeting v3.0b coming out, followed quickly by version three of the ITU standard H.323. Then came the release of iVisit v2.3b5 for both Windows and Mac, followed by Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), version 1. In December, Microsoft released a service pack for NetMeeting v3.01 (4.4.3388) and an ISO standard MPEG-4 version two was released. Finally, PSInet was the first company to launch H.323 automated multipoint services. Like we said, 1999 was a very busy year. SIP entered version 1.30 in November of 2000, the same year that standard H.323 hit version 4, and Samsung released their MPEG-4 streaming 3G video cell phone, the first of its kind. It was a hit, particularly in Japan. Rather predictably, Microsoft NetMeeting had to release another service pack for version 3.01. In 2001, Windows XP messenger announced that it would now support Session Initiation Protocol. This was the same year the world's first transatlantic tele-surgery took place utilizing video conferencing. In this instance, video conferencing was instrumental in allowing a surgeon in the U.S. to use a robot overseas to perform gall bladder surgery on a patient. It was one of the most compelling non-business uses in the history of video conferencing, and brought the technology to the attention of the medical profession and the general public. In October of 2001, television reporters began using a portable satellite and a videophone to broadcast live from Afghanistan during the war. It was the first use of video conferencing technology to converse live with video with someone in a war zone, again bringing video conferencing to the forefront of people's imaginations. Founded in December of 2001, the Joint Video Team completed basic research leading to ITU-T H.264 by December of 2002. This protocol standardized video compression technology for both MPEG-4 and ITU-T over a broad range of application areas, making it more versatile than its predecessors. In March of 2003, the new technology was ready for launch to the industry. New uses for video conferencing technologies 2003 also saw the rise in use of video conferencing for off-campus classrooms. Interactive classrooms became more popular as the quality of streaming video increased and the delay decreased. Companies such as VBrick provided various MPEG-4 systems to colleges across the country. Desktop video conferencing is also on the rise and gaining popularity. Companies newer to the market are now refining the details of performance in addition to the nuts and bolts of transmission. In April of 2004, Applied Global Technologies developed a voice-activated camera for use in video conferencing that tracks the voice of various speakers in order to focus on whoever is speaking during a conference call. In March 2004, Linux announced the release of GnomeMeeting, an H.323 compliant, free video conferencing platform that is NetMeeting compatible. With the constant advances in video conferencing systems, it seems obvious that the technology will continue to evolve and become an integral part of business and personal life. As new advances are made and systems become more reasonably priced, keep in mind that choices are still determined by network type, system requirements and what your particular conferencing needs are. This article on the "The History of Video Conferencing" 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,
renting a

video conference facility, and which

videoconferencing conferencing solution is best for small groups. She has two dogs who are spoiled
and one teenager who is not. She does her video conferencing in pink bunny
slippers.

Live Video Conferencing - The Best Way To Communicate

Live video conferencing is a technique that is fast replacing the need to commute miles every time the need for a conference arises. Businesses, organizations and even government and military heads need to travel days in a year to meet up with their counterparts and partners in order to have crucial meetings to discuss matters of prime worldly importance. This traveling takes up a lot of their time and costs the exchequer a large sum in travel related expenditure. Live video conferencing does away with a lot of this expenditure. Live video conferencing requires a one time investment that is just a fraction of the cost of traveling between countries. The connection link is established via the Internet and the running cost is negligible.

Companies such as Tandberg and Cisco have the very latest state-of-the-art technology incorporated into their wide range of live video conferencing equipment. The equipment from Tandberg range from a simple desktop live video conferencing unit to large LCD screens that link up the participants of the live video conference to any part of the globe provided of course, that that part of the globe has access to the internet. Broadband internet connectivity is a necessity for live video conferencing because the video compression technology is not as yet that advanced that slower internet connection can transmit and receive the video signal without pausing between frames. The technique of streaming video has made live video conferencing a large success though there is still a lot of development in order. Live video conferencing saves on time and travel expenses and pays of the system in just a few sessions of live video conferencing when compared to the cost that would have been incurred if the participants had to travel to convene at a particular location.

Live video conferencing adds up to a lot more saving when it is used for government heads to confer with their counterparts in other countries. It is a boon when the security of these government heads is paramount. By cutting out the travel and hotel stay for the representatives of the conference a lot of security risks are covered. Because with live video conferencing none of the participants need to leave their offices to take part in the conference, they just need to have their own live video conferencing hardware, which is available from vendors such as Tandberg. This is a simple video cameras, microphone and video screen connected to the Internet through broadband connectivity. There are no restrictions on the number of people that can take part in a video conference.

Technology is changing fast and with it the live video conferencing equipment. Tandberg has a number of live video conferencing equipment to choose from. They have the permanent studio setup that is advanced live video conferencing equipment setup in a conference room. This takes care of wide camera fittings and lighting that is appropriate for live video conferencing. The large LCD screens make the other participants look as if they are in the same room even though they are thousands of miles away. Live video conferencing is definitely the best way for groups of people to meet at the most economical of cost.

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

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]