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 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 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 (1) Applications that are included with new hardware. For example, a new PC often comes with several applications, many of which may be light versions or full versions with no limit on usage. Others may be only 60- or 90-day trial packages. See bundle. 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 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 has the same software. You can bypass software incompatibility The inability of a Husband and Wife to cohabit in a marital relationship. incompatibility n. the state of a marriage in which the spouses no longer have the mutual desire to live together and/or stay married, and is thus a ground for divorce by downloading free instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or products like Microsoft's Windows Messenger The instant messaging (IM) client in Windows XP. Windows Messenger is the XP counterpart to MSN Messenger, both of which have been upgraded to Windows Live Messenger. Organizations can use the instant messaging capabilities in Microsoft Exchange to set up a private IM system. , which comes standard with Windows XP The previous client version of Windows. XP was a major upgrade to the client version of Windows 2000 with numerous changes to the user interface. XP improved support for gaming, digital photography, instant messaging, wireless networking and sharing connections to the Internet. , or Yahoo! Messenger Yahoo!'s instant messaging (IM) service, which includes text messaging, voice calling and file sharing. The IM client includes Internet radio and the regular phone calling at rates as low as one cent per minute. Starting with Version 8. , 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 vid·e·o·con·fer·ence n. A teleconference using video technology, such as closed-circuit television. vid 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 Headphones combined with a microphone. Used in call centers and by people in telephone-intensive jobs, headsets provide the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation. Many people use headsets at the computer so they can converse and type comfortably. 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 not ready for prime time - Usable, but only just so; not very robust; for internal use only. Said of a program or device. Often connotes that the thing will be made more solid Real Soon Now. 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 DSL in full Digital Subscriber Line Broadband digital communications connection that operates over standard copper telephone wires. It requires a DSL modem, which splits transmissions into two frequency bands: the lower frequencies for voice (ordinary , 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 kwheeler@mooregrider.com. |
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