Videoconferencing: not yet ready for prime time. (Remote Meeting).

Remember the Dick Tracy movies and comic books? Our hero could talk directly to headquarters, not via phone or radio, but by a wristwatch with video and audio.

Well, some 70 years after Dick Tracy's debut we're not much closer to mass video/audio communication-but we have made some headway.

The Internet is helping to bring videoconferencing to the masses. With a low-cost webcam and high-speed connection, you actually can hear and see a person on the other end, but it probably isn't what you want for important meetings.

IT'S THE UPLOAD

Don't even think about videoconferencing unless you have a broadband connection--a regular dial-up account will not cut it.

Broadband connections range from 500-1500kbps (thousand bits per second) download speed, about 10 to 30 times faster than your fastest dial-up modem.

Unfortunately, your download speed is not the problem, it's the upload. This ranges from 100-300kbps for normal cable or DSL connections.

Upload speed is vital because you can send video and audio only as quickly as your upload speed, not your download. Lag time does not make for free-flowing meeting discussions-real time does.

WEBCAMS

Front-end costs, such as webcams, are fairly reasonable. These cameras cost from $29 to hundreds of dollars. But don't spend more than $75--you simply won't see the difference. With higher-priced webcams you are paying for a few more bundled software packages, but the software for lower-cost webcams is sufficient.

MESSENGER

The software bundled with most webcams does not support videoconferencing. And if it does, it only works if the person you are talking to has the same software.

You can bypass software incompatibility by downloading free instant messaging products like Microsoft's Windows Messenger, which comes standard with Windows XP, or Yahoo! Messenger, available at www.yahoo.com. Both have built-in videoconferencing tools that allow you to pretty much "call up" another person using the same messenging software and have an audio/video conversation.

Instant messaging programs allow you to conference with multiple people. So, if you need to meet with two or three people, it's possible to see everyone on your screen and videoconference with them. However, the more people you add to the conversation, the slower and more jittery the video and audio become.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM

Purchase a headset with a boom microphone. This allows you to speak and hear the other person echo-free. Boom microphones can be found at any consumer electronics store such as Best Buy or CompUSA and will cost from $10 to $30.

SERVICES AVAILABLE

Of course you don't have to do it yourself. There are myriad services that offer videoconferencing. Kinko's facilities go for about $225 per hour, per facility. For a service like Kinko's, unless you have your own high-end equipment to accommodate larger meetings, you have to hold your meetings at their facilities.

CONSIDER YOUR REASONS

Before you make even a minor investment in videoconferencing, consider your motives. Do you really need and want to videoconference? Does videoconferencing really fit into your customer service model? Do you really want to abandon in-person meetings with customers and clients?

Or, do you really want your client to see you as you are talking to them? You won't be able to multi-task like you can during a teleconference. Videoconferencing requires you to give your full attention to the other callers (Is that necessarily bad?).

Do-it-yourself videoconferencing may be better suited for team members who work in multiple locations. It could allow for more interactive and productive meetings, while drastically reducing travel costs.

NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME 

But can you do it? For many, the Internet speed needed for true videoconferencing is just not there. If all parties have a T-1 or T-3 connection, then videoconferencing should work rather well. If you have cable or DSL, standard for most smaller businesses, your upload speed is less than desirable, and you just aren't going to want to hold business meetings this way.

You can try the "pay-a-vendor" route, but a four-hour meeting will cost you at least $1,000 for the technology alone. Is that prohibitive?

Widespread videoconferencing is coming, but it's not quite ready for prime time. Try it out though on a low-tech level-hey, at a minimum, it's fun.

Kendall Wheeler, CPA/CITP is a partner in the Fresno-based firm Moore Grider & Company and a member of CalCPA's Technology Committee. Wheeler can be reached at [e-mail].