Encounters in Videoconferencing

A successful high-definition videoconferencing system has several components, but one of the first considerations is the network connection. To view in high definition, experts say you need at least one megabyte of bandwidth (the amount of data that can be transferred on a line in a fixed amount of time). You can conduct a videoconference on high-definition equipment with less bandwidth—and in fact, the quality of the videoconference will still be better than that of a standard videoconference—but it won’t be high-definition quality.

“A high-definition videoconferencing system essentially requires a T1—a really common network service—and a T1 is typically plus or minus $750 per month,” Stoebner says. A T1 line can handle up to 1.544 mega-bytes per second and transmit both voice and data signals.

Indeed, a videoconferencing system can use integrated voice and data lines. “Most of our customers now ask for [Internet protocol]–based systems,” says Rik Roberts, vice president of sales and marketing at EPA Audio Visual, Inc., an audio-visual installer in Rockford. The costs of IP networks are decreasing, compression technology for video signals is getting better, and companies that already have these networks—for voice-over-IP applications for instance—can use the same network for videoconferences.

Joe Baer, AVI Systems’ regional vice president, says that his clients are also moving away from using integrated services digital networks (ISDN) to using IP for high-definition uses. ISDN is a standard network for voice and data transfer over regular or digital telephone lines.

“Most decisions to go to an IP-based system are based on cost,” Roberts says. “If the customer has the bandwidth available on their network and a fast link to the Internet . . . they eliminate the costs of the ISDN line.” AVI Systems will work with a client’s IT staff to determine if the current network can support high-definition videoconferencing. It’s worth noting, though, that ISDN provides a higher quality videoconference when the person you are talking to is overseas, says Gary Fern, senior account executive at Graybow Communications Group in Minneapolis. The intermittent Internet “congestion” on an IP network can make applications that require real-time or simultaneous data transfer unreliable.

The cost of high-speed “pipes” that carry a lot of bandwidth is decreasing in Minnesota, bringing down one barrier to videoconference adoption. However, Brandabur warns that the price for high-bandwidth connections vary around the world; depending on who you conference with, it pays to look into pricing. “What’s cheap in Tokyo costs a fortune in the Netherlands,” he says.