Encounters in Videoconferencing

Other parts of a successful high-definition videoconferencing system include:

• High-definition cameras. These cameras produce a high-definition signal in the wide-screen format that HDTV viewers will recognize. (“Why is KARE 11 the only company in town that distributes a high-definition signal? Because they have the cameras,” Brandabur notes.) High-definition cameras have better optical capabilities and bigger lenses.

• High-definition receiving device. A flat panel TV, LCD computer screen, or plasma screen that displays 1280 by 780 pixels is necessary to view a high-definition signal.

• Microphone.

• Codec. It takes the video from the camera and the audio from the microphone, compresses the signal, and then sends it over the network. In addition, the incoming signal is decompressed by a codec. You need a codec that can process high-definition signals.

• Video bridge. Only necessary for conferencing between more than two locations, it’s software that’s installed on the codec and used to link the sites. Each location sends a signal to the bridge. The bridge then sends one signal back to each location.

Total Immersion

As with high-definition, the goal of another industry development is to make videoconferences feel more like face-to-face meetings. The new category of systems emerged last year with a Star Trek–like name—telepresence. California-based Cisco Systems, Inc., was the first out with its TelePresence system. Hewlett Packard followed suit with the Halo telepresence system, and Polycom introduced the RPX product line.

For Cisco’s telepresence system, large high-definition displays are set up to fill the users’ viewing space so that people on screen appear life size. Cameras and microphones are placed to optimize the sound and video quality. High-definition video combined with spatial audio makes it seem as if voices are coming directly from conference participants on screen rather than speakers. The displays are often positioned in the room so that conference participants feel as if they are sitting at the same table. To add to the same-room feeling, the carpet, wallpaper, lighting, and furniture in each room are matched to offer a seamless appearance. Cisco has even created a certification process for all TelePresence rooms that includes specifications for acoustics, lighting, wall color, and network design.