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Videoconferencing uses voice and video communication, usually over digital
transmission systems (ISDN, dedicated channels, fiber optics, or satellite communications). A coder/decoder
(CODEC) digitizes the audio and video before transmission, compresses the data
to fit the transmission system, and converts the incoming audio and video from
digital to analogue at the remote sites. Videoconferencing systems range from
large-scale, fixed installations—often used for live video-lecturing to
large audiences with one-way video and two-way audio—to point-to-point
desktop systems on personal computers linked by networks. Recent improvements in
video compression technology, together with lower-cost equipment and
transmission (such as by public ISDN), have made two-way "compressed
videoconferencing" affordable for classrooms, businesses, and small colleges.
This technology fills a niche between the very expensive traditional systems and
desktop conferencing on personal computers.
More on Videoconferencing
Videoconferencing resources (external links)
- Jodi Reed and Merry Woodruff, Using compressed video for distance learning available at: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/vidconf/Using.html
Link established with permission.
- Support Initiative for Multimedia Applications (SIMA), University of Manchester, Dos and Don'ts of Videoconferencing. Available at: http://www.man.ac.uk/MVC/SIMA/video1/toc.html
This report gives general guidance on using videoconferencing, reviews the services currently available and sources of information about these services, and reports the results of a survey on the use of videoconferencing in higher education.
Link established with permission.
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