The Finer Points of Videoconferencing

Meetings & Conventions: Planner's Portfolio March 1999
March 1999 PLANNER'S PORTFOLIO:

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BY DAVID VAN ETTEN, CMP


The Finer Points of Videoconferencing

How to guarantee a more successful interface

Every year, a growing number of corporations turn to videoconferencing to get more business done. In fact, according to M&C’s 1998 Meetings Market Report, more than a quarter of corporate planners (26 percent) are using the technology, up from 21 percent in 1996. Clearly, these on-screen meetings give new definitions to A/V requirements, room setup, speaker preparation and protocol. Here’s what planners should know.

BARE NECESSITIES
Make sure the facility has experience and understands the many intricacies of videoconferencing, including connection speed, dial-up requirements and standards in communication links. There should be technicians on staff who can handle unexpected difficulties on the spot.

There are two kinds of services: point-to-point and multipoint transmissions. Point-to-point is the most common type of videoconferencing, in which only two sites are used. Multipoint calls frequently are used when companies want to bring a large number of people up to speed at the same time. They require a “bridge” or “MCU” (multipoint conferencing units) to connect three or more conference sites for simultaneous communications. Unlimited participants can join in at up to 50 sites.

CLEAR PICTURE
Most videoconferences will not have the fine picture quality we see on televisions. For instance, when using ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) lines to carry the conference, the transmission is compressed with a quarter-second delay, which results in a slight delay of sound and picture. It’s noticeable at first, but participants quickly adapt. To minimize this, the connection can be made using more ISDN lines for faster transmission.

For this service, the room and equipment generally cost about $250 an hour per site. The transmission costs $40 to $1,000 per hour depending on the speed, distance between sites and quality of the transmission. The party who places the call pays the ISDN phone bill.

TV-quality satellite videoconferencing can be accomplished by bringing in a satellite dish. The video is not compressed as with ISDN lines, but the cost is much higher: approximately $1,400 per site and $900 per hour. Also, rainy weather can affect the transmission.

WRITING THE SCRIPT
Before anyone gathers for the transmission, a number of details need to be worked out

David Van Etten, CMP, is a partner with the Network Conference Center, which manages the Hayes Conference Center and Network Meeting Center at Techmart, both in Silicon Valley.