AT&T adds continuous presence video display to WorldWorx videoconferencing service.BRIDGEWATER, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 1996- New feature enhances the videoconferencing A real time video session between two or more users or between two or more locations. Although the first videoconferencing was done with traditional analog TV and satellites, inhouse room systems became popular in the early 1980s after Compression Labs pioneered digitized video systems experience AT&T today announced the availability of a new continuous presence feature for AT&T WorldWorx(R) multipoint voice, video and data conferencing Sharing data interactively among several users in different locations. Data conferencing is made up of whiteboards and application sharing and are often used in conjunction with an audio or videoconferencing connection. service, which supports a more natural videoconferencing experience by allowing conference participants to view up to four other sites simultaneously on-screen on·screen or on-screen adj. & adv. 1. As shown on a movie, television, or display screen. 2. Within public view; in public. . Also called "quadrature quadrature, in astronomy, arrangement of two celestial bodies at right angles to each other as viewed from a reference point. If the reference point is the earth and the sun is one of the bodies, a planet is in quadrature when its elongation is 90°. ," continuous presence divides the video monitor screen into four quadrants, each displaying a different conference participant. This configuration is ideal for five participants, as each person can simultaneously view all the other four participants throughout the conference. "As the videoconferencing industry has matured, we've been able to work with our customers to learn which capabilities are most essential to conducting a successful videoconference vid·e·o·con·fer·ence n. A teleconference using video technology, such as closed-circuit television. vid ," said Ernie G. DeNigris, general manager and director of AT&T TeleConference Services. "And customers value the ability to see and feel that they're talking to Noun 1. talking to - a lengthy rebuke; "a good lecture was my father's idea of discipline"; "the teacher gave him a talking to" lecture, speech rebuke, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval - an act or expression of criticism and censure; "he had to a group of people rather than the one person that they previously saw on-screen during multipoint conferences." Due to flexible conference configurations, continuous presence videoconferences can easily include more than five participants. Using a "fixed" format, the participants viewed in each quadrant quadrant, in analytic geometry quadrant. 1 In analytic geometry, one of the four regions of the plane determined by two lines, the x-axis and the y-axis. are fixed, or pre-defined, during the conference set-up for the duration of the call. Others view the "fixed" participants on their screens and participate in an audio-only mode. A "non-fixed" format uses voice-activated switching to add participants as they speak. Under this dynamic configuration, the new participant is added to the upper left quadrant and the other quadrant views rotate clockwise clock·wise adv. & adj. Abbr. cw. In the same direction as the rotating hands of a clock. clockwise Adverb, adj in the direction in which the hands of a clock rotate , as each new speaker appears on screen. Customers can also opt for a director control broadcast configuration which offers host controlled switching to change quadrant views. "What differentiates AT&T in this market is the value and expertise that we bring to the videoconferencing process which helps our customers ensure a successful business conference so that the technology is incidental to the meeting, not the focus of it," DeNigris said. "Contrary to some early assessments, videoconferencing is not intuitive," he said. "Business users who easily adopted and adjusted to other new telecommunications technologies found videoconferencing more difficult. And what we quickly learned is that our most important role is not merely delivering new technology, but helping our customers learn to use the technology to conduct their business more efficiently." Continuous presence is the latest addition to a number of features and service enhancements that the company has introduced. The service includes important meeting features such as audio add-on for non-video-equipped participants, dial-out service, and operator-assisted conference hosting service. Continuous presence is available for both room and desktop videoconferencing Using a PC or Mac for a videophone session or videoconference. Contrast with a "room videoconferencing system" where a group of participants congregate in one room. See videoconferencing. systems that use ITU (International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland, www.itu.ch) A telecommunications standards body that is under the auspices of the United Nations. Comprising more than 185 member countries, the ITU sets standards for global telecom networks. H.320 standards-based video and audio modes. AT&T has long been a leader in the videoconferencing industry, introducing point-to-point desktop service in June, 1994, and multipoint voice, video and data conferencing service in July, 1995. And as an industry pioneer, AT&T has long championed international standards as the essential element in providing interoperability The capability of two or more hardware devices or two or more software routines to work harmoniously together. For example, in an Ethernet network, display adapters, hubs, switches and routers from different vendors must conform to the Ethernet standard and interoperate with each other. across vendor platforms. WorldWorx service, which is now available in more than 40 countries around the world, offers an unmatched level of security through dial-out conference call set-up and conference-level passwords to protect against unauthorized access to confidential files. Videoconferences can be scheduled 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and technical support is also available around-the-clock. Reservations can be made by phone, fax, or on-screen on as little as 30 minutes advance notice (assuming available capacity), or as far ahead as 6 months. AT&T WorldWorx Service provides real-time, interactive voice, video and data conferencing between two or more locations. Additional information about AT&T WorldWorx Service is available on the Internet at http://www.att.com/worldworx, or by calling 1-800-828-WORX. CONTACT: AT&T Pat Mallon, 908/658-5084 Pager 1. (hardware, communications) pager - (Or "beeper", "bleeper" (UK?)) A small wireless receiver that, when triggered (generally via phone), will beep or vibrate (un)pleasantly. : 1-800/258-0000, PIN 220-2993 pmallon@mail.att.net or Kevin Compton, 408/452-3966, 408/353-3883 (home) kcompton@mail.att.net |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion