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What Is Video
Conferencing
What is video conferencing and what are its benefits?
May 3, 2006
By: Alice Osborn
What is video conferencing? Video conferencing is a real
time and interactive tool for companies, students and
individuals to communicate via audio, video and computer
technology across time zones and locations. Essentially, it
is a live connection between people in separate locations
that provides full-motion video images and high-quality
audio.
Meeting participants see and hear each other during the
conference, and can concentrate on the images and
interaction among the participants. Video conferencing
technology typically includes access to a network (ISDN and
IP are the most common), conferencing equipment (monitor,
camera, microphone and speakers), an audio system, and a
codec (an acronym for coder/decoder). Through this device,
video, audio and data signals are compressed during
transmission.
Video conferencing benefits
The benefits of video conferencing are numerous. Video
conferencing saves travel time and money, it urges
participants to reach decisions that may not come as easily
in a face-to-face meeting, and it gives participants the
chance to see others' body language and facial expressions,
which are important factors for a sales or a board meeting.
Video conference meetings are most successful when the
participants have met before, and when they meet on a
regular basis. It can also be used to deploy employee
training in a lecture format that is both creative and
interactive for greater learning and retention. Also, since
the attendees must see the speaker, they in turn will stay
focused on the speaker's presentation.
Telecommuters benefit from video conferencing because
they are able to live where they want to live, and still get
their job done through their computer and video
conferencing.
When video conferencing is used in the classroom, remote
students are able to interact with each other and the
instructor, or with guest speakers, and the conferencing
technology can transport the students to virtual field trips
and connect them with other video conferencing participants
at other locations. Video conferencing is accepting of
students' various learning styles and conferencing
presentations hold students' interest through video clips,
graphics, and animations of hard to access locations like a
nuclear power plants, laboratories or volcanic islands. For
greater interaction, electronic whiteboards can be used
while host PCs share documents and scan photos.
Video conferencing plays the role of helping participants
communicate fully with remote participants and it gives
access to participants who are limited by their physical
location. This technology connects groups with their ideas,
and it is beneficial for a company's bottom line, or a
university's education goals.
About the Author
Alice Osborn is a successful freelance writer and
contributor to Video-Conferencing-Guide.com. Your definitive guide to everything you need to know about video driven communications, including multi-view video conferencing solutions for business, broadband video phones and personal webcam chat rooms.
Also See: [
Business
conferencing made easier with video and web-based tools ]
[ Top 7 video
conferencing tips to ensure effective virtual meetings ]
[ ICUII video chat is full of
friends, fun, and games ]
Home Page:
[ Video-Conferencing-Guide.com ]
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