Life Happens Online In Real-time With Video Conferencing Equipment

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Telepresence and Holography / Holograms - November 2008

Editor’s viewpoint on their differences, likenesses and future...

We all just recently viewed an historic CNN holographic interview on an historic Election Night. CNN stated this type of imaging has never been done before on National TV and I believe that. I haven’t seen anything like it. The live interview caught me by surprise and sure had the “wow” factor attached to it didn’t it? Here’s a link to the actual interview.

CNN Hologram Video

The question now has to be asked. Is it Telepresence?

I’m no expert on the subject but I’m going to throw my hat into the ring, go out on a limb and say yes, I believe it is. Although I know many video conferencing purists are rolling their eyes and grabbing their guns right about now with my statement.

While I do know that Telepresence still hasn’t been universally defined (Houston, we have a problem), here’s how I see it…. Broken down to its simplest form - “tele” (through electronic means) and “presence” (present). This is how I’m justifying my opinion by lumping holography and Telepresence together. Just as Telepresence is surely an offshoot of video conferencing, holographic imaging (like we viewed on CNN) surely has to be considered an offshoot of Telepresence. The interviewer was “telepresent” from Chicago and beamed into the CNN Election Headquarters. She was most assuredly - “telepresent”. There was negligible latency, the imaging was fantastic and both interviewers were rehearsed on what they would say. I’ve just recently read that CNN actually “downgraded” the experience to make it “movie” quality and not as good as it could have been. Maybe they thought us mere mortals would be shocked if they showed their complete hand. I have a feeling it was so big to them, they didn’t want it to get upstaged by the historic election. I’m willing to bet we’ll see the “true” power of this technology in the upcoming weeks and months when they can put the pedal to the medal and show it off without having it sidetracked.

What an amazing time for this technology (all differences and opinions aside). Telepresence Doctors, nurses, teachers, schools and healthcare (healthpresence) will benefit from the recent gains in this state-of-the-art industry whether holograms, Telepresence or holography. Airlines also have to see the threat to a portion of their business travel. Hell, who wants go through security and fly to Miami for a two-hour conference when you can look them in the eye via Telepresence?

Beam me up Scotty! Simply amazing…!

Visit the free Telepresence Forum for more information and discussion

Your Editor and Administrator - L II
"Ride on the Next Plane of Existence" TM

Technology has come a long way in the past 20 years. People from opposite corners of the globe can now send and receive letters and documents in a matter of seconds. There are now a number of ways to carry out a conversation from thousands of miles away without paying thousands of dollars. And yes, face-to-face conversation across continents are now possible with video conferencing equipment.

Video conferencing equipment has made next-door neighbors of Europe and Asia. They allow people to interact as if they're in the same room through images, text, and sounds relayed real time. This technology is extremely beneficial for multinational businesses and companies with locations all over the globe, as well as for personal use.

Video conferencing can be either one of two types. Point to point, or P2P, allows live video and audio communication between two locations. Multi-point, on the other hand, allows links between three or more locations.

P2P and You In the past, video conferencing equipment was relatively expensive and was only utilized by businesses. However, with the evolution of technology, it is now possible for anyone with a decently running Internet connection to operate a video conference.

Video conferencing equipment includes the common and easy-to-use webcam. With this video conferencing equipment, you can stay in touch with family and friends wherever they may be in the world. And because you can actually see each other, conversations or chat sessions can be more personal, bridging the distance and bringing you and your loved ones closer. This is a good example of a P2P video conference.

Multi-point and Your Business Multi-point video conference lets you hold business meetings among several offices in different locations. This requires slightly more complex utilization of video conferencing equipment.

The H.323 standard demands the use of a video conferencing equipment called Multi-point Control Unit. This Multi-point Control Unit is the video bridge, and it functions by connecting to the Internet. Depending on its design capacity, a Multi-point Control Unit can handle a certain number of video conferences simultaneously. Each video conference handled by the Multi-point Control Unit is separate from the others, and has a specified number of users.

Other Multi-Point System Requirements Another video conferencing equipment required by the H.323 standard is the Gatekeeper. This video conferencing equipment acts like a client terminal that connects to the Internet. IP addresses are stored in the Gatekeeper.

By simply dialing a service number and password combination, users can already join a video conference. The Gatekeeper checks to see if the service number and the password provided are registered by the Multi-point Control Unit. Once identity is established, the Gatekeeper then completes the call by connecting to the specified video conference.

It's all very easy and painless. Like all new technologies, however, video conferencing equipment has specific requirements in order for users to take full advantage of their functionality. Users are required to have the appropriate video conferencing client terminals and an Internet connection with sufficient bandwidth. As long as your system has these capabilities, you're well on your way to carrying on those face-to-face conversations to your heart's content.

Still looking for the definition of video conferencing ( http://www.Video-Conferencing-Guide.com/definition-of-video-conferencing.htm )? Make your way to video chat rooms ( http://www.Video-Conferencing-Guide.com/index.htm ) or take your pick of video conferencing equipment ( http://www.Video-Conferencing-Guide.com/video-conferencing-equipment.htm ) when you visit our site today.

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To learn more about Telepresence, the revolutionary new style of immersive video conferencing; visit these websites:

Telepresence - "Ride on the Next Plane of Existence" - Telepresence
Telepresence Web Portal - Telepresence Internet web portal
Telepresence Report - 24/7 breaking Telepresence related news and information
Via Telepresence - Video conferencing via Telepresence
Telepresence Forum - Free user discussion forum for everything Telepresence related
Telepresence Today - Telepresence information and editor qualified headline news
Telepresence Resource Directory - Telepresence web resource directory
Telepresence Tube - Telepresence videos, pictures and more