One of the biggest problems when hiring new professors is to bring them to your own country. There are many reasons that the professor won’t move to your country but with the use of video conferencing tools the professor can give a lecture  just by using a computer and a webcam.

Imagine a medical school student to watch a doctor/professor to perform a operation live even though he/she is miles and miles away. The power of video and audio interaction is amazing for the human brain.

Video conferencing tools improved its capabilities to let more than one person to collaborate and share info. Gotomeeting will release in the first quarter of 2011 its new version of the software that will allow up to 6 people to interact with each other using HD Faces technology without the necessary to buy new hardware.

In 2010 online education became a powerful and affordable way for students to get a degree. Even though the student will lose the interaction with other students and professors, the possibility of getting a degree increased dramatically. Even the tuition is much more affordable than regular university’s tuition.

Some students are concerned about getting an online degree due to not get as same treatment as a student that got a 0n-campus degree. This myth has been debunked after many major companies spoke about hiring very smart people with online degrees.

Even though the most benefits of video conferencing in the classroom relies on how effectively the instructor manages it, successful stories of its incorporation can be seen everywhere.

Here is come of the universities that offer online degrees:

University of Phoenix	Kaplan University	Strayer University
Devry University	Ivy Bridge College	Ashford University

I believe 2010 was by far the most productive in the video conferencing industry. Lots of new features were added to the existing softwares and improvements were made to make the softwares run even in slow machines.

The leader in video conferencing Citrix was one the companies that made more announces regarding new features in its products, specially GoToMeeting.

The giant software maker Microsoft is trying to catch up in the video conferencing industry with its product Microsoft Live Meeting. It has many benefits such as interaction with other products from the Office family but still needs many improvements in order to compete with products such as GoToMeeting and Webex.

With the grow of the video conferencing industry, many video conferencing products were launched in 2010 plus small competitor are increase their share in the market.

Big companies like Cisco are investing heavily in infrastructure in order to keep with the demand of video conferencing in 2011.

Besides all the improvements in the video conferencing softwares, scientists found a way to bring holographic videoconferencing to live with images transmitted from anywhere in the world. No one expected to have this type of technology before 2020 but it seems that it will be much sooner.

Even though video conferencing is much cheaper than 5 years ago, it’s still not for everyone. There are plenty of people that would never start using video conferencing because they think it is not as reliable as a phone call.

In the latest Entrepreneur magazine they interview two business owner to know what they think about it. The results were amazing.

In one hand, Victor Cheng (CEO Coach and Author) can’t live with it. Here is what he thinks about it. “I find that it’s just not as reliable as the phone. It’s plain and simple: I’ve made literally tens of thousands of phone calls, particularly on the landline, and it works like 10,000 out of 10,000 times. On video it seems like someone somewhere always has a problem.”

On the other hand, Adrienne Graham (CEO of Hues Consulting and Management and founder of Empower Me!) can’t live without it. Here is what she thinks about video conferencing. “I started using videoconferencing to save money on travel, break into the international markets and as a way to compete with bigger recruiting firms with bigger budgets”.

As we see in both opinions, video conferencing is not for everyone but it is one of the fastest and convenient way to communicate with people around the globe.

In the beginning of this month it was announced that a team led by SPIE Fellow Nasser Peyghambarian at the University of Arizona has developed a new type of holographic telepresence that allows the projection of a three-dimensional moving image without the need for special eyewear such as 3D glasses or other auxiliary devices.

Holographic videoconferencing will enable people to communicate with each other separated by thousands of miles as if they were in the same room, literally.
The technology is not fully developed, it has to be perfected to make it work properly. So far the image is too small and the refresh rate is two seconds.

The next step is to make the refresh rate faster and produce bigger screens to compete with the current 3D technologies in the market.

Watch the holographic video here:

The technology will feature the innovative new Citrix Multistream HD™, which will let the attendants to participate in a video conferencing with up to six people.
The total maximum resolution allowed for the session is 1920p x 960p, making it the first in the market. The technology will also allow people to view video and the presenter’s shared desktop in the same screen.

The software featuring the new technology HD Faces™ was previewed at Citrix Synergy Berlin and will become commercial available for the first quarter of 2011.

“When customers say they want video capabilities combined with web conferencing, they don’t mean tiny choppy images – but that’s what they currently get with the products on the market today,” said Bernd Christiansen, vice president and chief technology office of Citrix. “What they actually want is to see the details in others’ facial expressions just like in a face-to-face meeting or training session. That’s why it was so important to us to incorporate high-resolution video into our collaboration products. I’m confident that we’re the first to combine web and video conferencing the right way and – most importantly – to make it delightful for customers to use.”

“We’ve made it so easy and natural to work on a shared document in a video conference that I can’t imagine why any businessperson would ever want to use a standalone desktop video conferencing solution again,” Christiansen added.

Below is the demo presentation of Gotomeeting with HD faces. Just click in the video to watch it.

Video conferencing may be commonly used in the business world, as its use is totally immense. However, video conferencing is slowly being applied for personal uses outside commerce. A number of regular people are gradually coming across the immeasurable features of video conferencing.

The technology is not entirely unfamiliar to private individuals since it’s been around for decades now. Take for example the videophone. Two parties are required to configure the same setup as a result; the callers’ faces are displayed on a small screen to which they look at. Another example is the revolutionary webcams, which allowed people to communicate at the convenience of their computers.

Video conferencing has become a very beneficial tool especially for families nowadays. As globalization has opened a lot of doors for all walks of life so as the number of people leaving their families for a jobs somewhere on the other side of the globe. This holds true to the growing number of immigrants to and fro nations. Video conferencing technology serves as a very important tool for communication – live communication with a human touch.

The possibility of families and loved ones from across the globe meeting real-time in the convenience of their own homes and interacting at real-time events is simply magical. This bridges the worldwide gap and brings families and loved ones together. This more than what commonly slow webcam messaging can offer.

Video conferencing also touches on a certain segment of education – that is distance education. Some people may opt to utilize the ability of video conferencing technology as a tool for education. Personal uses extend from the one receiving lessons to the one giving lessons. A willing student may use video conferencing in order to learn from a teacher who’s located on some part of the globe. A teacher also shares knowledge to his or her student through the means of video conferencing technology. This is a good opportunity for the common educator to earn money aside from the regular eight to five teaching job at school.

In today’s technology driven world where electronic gadgets crash and go, the use of video conferencing is a perfect solution for troubleshooting needs. You don’t need to carry your heavy electronic gadgets, and all the wires that come with them, just to get it fix in an electronic shop. You don’t need to drive miles and spend a lot of time in traffic just to get to your technician’s place. All you need is a complete setup of video conferencing equipments in order to communicate with your technician. You can do the troubleshooting and fixing while you and your technician are at your respective homes.

The convenience of video conferencing technology today hasn’t only been exclusive to business use. It has now spread its influence even in the regular activities of private individuals.

The following are important information that will help you choose the web conferencing hosting provider that fits to your needs.

1. Understand the difference between the different kinds of hosting services.

As the web hosting industry evolved and became more specialized to answer different business needs, it is important to understand how providers differ to make the right decision.

Shared Hosting is a service where all the clients of the host can use the server. It is like sharing a very large conference room with other clients. That means that if multiple clients use the server at the same time, the performance of the site may be affected. The good thing, however, is that this service is often cheap.

Dedicated Hosting is basically leasing a server from the host where you are the only client who can use it, unlike shared hosting. The level of technical support depends on the price you pay; but still, this is the best option for large businesses and industries who wish to have an uninterrupted online communication and large size data storage.

2. Do not place budget your top priority.

Saving money is good but make sure that the money you save from selecting a cheaper hosting company can answer your service requirements. Remember the old saying “you get what you pay for”? A cheaper hosting company may not offer features that are important to your business. Connection speed can also become an issue. Over-prioritizing on the price can bring you to lots of problems later on and maybe, can cost you more.

3. Don’t get blinded with the brand.

Big and familiar names in the industry may have reliable services but that doesn’t mean they are stable. When choosing your hosting company, open up yourself to all available companies that can provide your needs.

4. Prioritize on security.

During web conferencing, you send, receive and store confidential information about your business that you don’t want others to know. If the hosting company is not well-equipped with standard security features, spammers, hackers and online criminals can access freely to your information. A good hosting company has Secure Socket Layer (SSL), non-persistent data flow and intrusion control features. These security standards are set by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to protect the users and the data from authorized access.

5. Understand the payment methods and make sure that you know how much do the maintenance and technical support cost.

The different maintenance and technical support services should be properly outlined. Know which services are free and paid.

6. Take note of your needs.

Ending up with wrong hosting company is not only annoying but also expensive. Before purchasing a service, make sure that you know what are the features they offer and if these features fit to your need. It is important to list down all the features you need and find a host that provide these features.

Web conferencing are reliable and economical but make sure that you choose the host carefully so that you can enjoy and maximize the benefits of this technology.

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Some of these video conferencing facilities can be found in hotels and universities. You have the option to use 3 ISDN lines to connect to another party even if it is possible to do so using just one or two. The reason why three are used though is to enhance the audio and visual quality that is assuming that whoever you are talking to can accept all three.

The video conferencing facilities in some cases are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week and charge on an hourly basis.

The rates vary depending on who will be renting the place so if you are a student, it going to be much cheaper than the one that a corporation has to pay. Weekday rates are also much cheaper than during weekends.

With the price you pay, you also get a technician to make sure that everything is running smoothly. This person will come in handy should you be interacting with more than three sites simultaneously as he or she will make sure that there is a bridge connection.

People who will be renting a video conferencing facility should reserve early so no one else will take their scheduled time. To avoid paying for the slot allotted should there be a cancellation, you are advised to inform them.

To maximize the time in any video conferencing facility, someone should be designated as moderator so the lecture or the objectives of the meeting are not interrupted.

The setup of video conferencing facilities varies at each location. You will have the basics like a camera, microphone, screen but the processor or codec available depends on what they have chosen to buy and serve to the public.

If you are worried that people outside will hear what is happening inside, no need to worry because most of these facilities are soundproof.

For those who are happy with the video conferencing facility they have rented, you can ask the administration if there is a discount should this be used on a regular basis. Some give this generously while others don’t.

As for payment for the use of video conferencing facilities, the bill will only be given to you after the conference has been concluded. This is because although they know how long you will be using it, there are times that you may have to extend beyond this time which they can honor as long as no one else will be using it.

Given that there are a lot of video conferencing facilities around, what should the basis be for choosing one venue over another one? Aside from price, you should check what kind of equipment they use, if this is compatible with the version that the party is using, if you are able to send and receive data as well as the ability to record the meeting so this can be later reviewed.

If the video conferencing facility is up to standards, then you can see how things work out and decide whether or not to use them again in the future. If you are not content, look in the directory or surf online because there is sure to be another venue that can offer something better so you can maximize the time you have during your video conference.

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Video conferencing quickly turned into an important way to save money and be more efficient for many businesses and remote workers. But regular contacts need to maintain the spirit of community and team spirit.

Cooperation:

• Teamwork is very important to keep the group together and get the job done. With groups and communities becoming geographically disparate, the effective face to face communication has never been more important.

Knowledge transfer:

• Decision-making based on the experience of key staff on an ad hoc basis, is crucial for the business.

Accessibility:

• Prompt and full access to information is no longer an advantage, but it is a requirement. A new generation of users expect information and resources to be there where and when they need them.

Reducing costs:

• The actual costs of physical meetings(time and money) are being lowering with the massive use of collaboration tools with video conferencing features.

Video conferences allow businesses to solve these issues, and more. Opportunities for communication between remote employees, as often as necessary, along with cost savings associated with less business trips all the benefits that users have the benefits of videoconferencing.

Video Conferencing is available to all enterprises with a low cost, does not require IT infrastructure and bandwidth. It increase productivity and it’s ideal for times when money is difficult to get.

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Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, with a way of holding them close to a user’s ears and a means of connecting them to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio or CD player. They are also known as earphones, earbuds, stereophones, headsets or, informally cans.

In the context of telecommunication, the term headset is used to describe a combination of headphone and microphone used for two-way communication, for example with a telephone.

A microphone, sometimes referred to as a mic or mike, is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or sensor that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, tape recorders, hearing aids, motion picture production, live and recorded audio engineering, in radio and television broadcasting and in computers for recording voice, VoIP, and for non-acoustic purposes such as ultrasonic checking.

The microphone play an important part in the video conferencing world.

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Conference Room microphone

Our state of the art conference microphone systems will enhance your meeting because it is microprocessor based and features a single cable topology suitable for a broad variety of applications. The user-friendly concept ensures easy set-up and operation.

A conference room microphone will help coordinate conferences among people who are in different locations. This is a great way for people who have offices with multiple locations or home based businesses to coordinate meetings. Any reason you have to communicate “en masse” can be accomplished quickly and easily by using a conferencing system.

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