When it comes to video conferencing
via the Net, there are two
distinct groups of applications and
hardware; corporate and personal.
For the purposes of this column, I will focus primarily on
the personal options in hardware and software.
There are three main issues with video conferencing; the Internet
connection, a webcam and the connection software.
It all begins with your Internet connection, with the bigger
the pipe (faster connection) the better the experience. While
a dial-up Internet connection will certainly work, if everyone
involved is on a high-speed connection, such as cable
or DSL, the video size and smoothness (on the recipients screen)
as well as the audio/video sync will likely be better.
If you are behind a router (or firewall) for your Internet
connection, the complication level to making a
connection will be higher, depending upon which software
solution that you choose (more on this later).
The next component that you will need is some form of webcam
or netcam. They range from very inexpensive
($25) to very expensive ($250). My
recommendation is to get something
in the middle of the road (less than $100) that supports USB
2.0, which has a much faster transfer rate between the camera
and your computer.
Video quality, light sensitivity, contrast, brightness and
microphone quality generally suffer in low cost webcams.
The final piece of the puzzle is the most difficult decision,
because there are so many options.
If you are an avid IM (Instant Messaging) user, most all
of the major companies, such
as AOL, MSN and Yahoo! include an
option to use a webcam via their system. This means
that all parties must be on
the same system for compatibility purposes.
If you have a firewall installed, using an IM client for video
connections generally negates the need to
manually configure your firewall to allow a connection.
While an IM solution is free and easy to get started, the
quality in both video and the audio synchronization
is not the greatest.
Both Microsoft and Apple have created specific applications
for video conferencing. Windows users can download the free
NetMeeting 3 solution at www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting
and Apple users can checkout
iChat at www.apple.com/ichat.
Another option for those that have a
high-speed Internet connection and
want to use their television
for video conferencing is a product called i2eye from
Dlink (www.dlink.com). This solution does not
require a computer and uses a traditional
handheld remote to control the unit.
There are literally hundreds of options available for video
conferencing available, but remember, everyone that
plans to participate must meet all of the requirements for
the solution that you choose to use.
Talking to someone that is not comfortable with computers,
over the phone, on how to install
a webcam, configure a conferencing client
or heaven forbid, punch a hole through their firewall can
be the very frustrating, so be careful what you wish for!
