ABSTRACT

Video-conferencing is simply a method for people in two or more locations to not only talk with one another, but to see each other and exchange information. Desktop video-conferencing (DVC) is an emerging technology of video-conferencing that uses a standard personal computer which has been enhanced with special video processing capabilities and a small camera. This technology is employed by a broad spectrum of users to facilitate cost effective communication with key individuals or groups regardless of their geographic location. Ideally, participants have an experience similar to watching and listening to one another on TV, with the added ability to interact, or 'talk back'. Until recently, most videoconferencing was done with room videoconferencing systems, which re uire very sophisticated and expensive e uipment to provide high! uality sound and video. Desktop video-conferencing is less expensive and re uires personal computer. This "ro#ect can be used in our college for various meetings that include all the department heads in our college. It is also useful for principal to talk with various staff members and with the management and get the things done at a faster rate. It is also useful to deliver online pro#ect guidance to the students etc. The primary use of Desktop Video-conferencing is to allow the timely exchange of information without traveling. There is no need for various persons to meet at a common place to make their conference. $ost meetings that are held face!to face can be held by video!conferencing. Desktop Video-Conferencing is useful in situations of crisis management, or times when meetings are held on short notice.

PROBLE

DE!"#"T"O#

%dvances in computer technology such as faster processors and better data compression algorithms enabled the integration of audio and video data into the computing environment. Today videoconferencing can be achieved by adding software and relatively inexpensive hardware to standard desktop computers. &uch systems, also, have the ability to easily incorporate data from other desktop computer applications into the conference. Video!conferencing describes the use of compressed video technology for live, two!way, interactive communication in a variety of situations ! person to person, informal discussions, formal group meeting, and large lectures. Desktop video-conferencing (DVC) is an emerging technology of video! conferencing. This technology has been around since the early '()s when *ornell University researchers wrote *U!&ee$e which is a program that allowed Internet users with cameras and fast Internet connections to transmit live video. % DVC system uses a standard personal computer +"*, enhanced with special video processing capabilities and a small video camera with a speakerphone. % -V* system allows two or more people using their "*s from different places to communicate through an audio and video connection. *onnections between -V* systems can be made over Integrated &ervices -igital .etwork +I&-., lines through regional and long distance telephone companies. % DVC system comes in three basic types/ those that operate over phone lines, such as a 01 2bps 3%.4 T5 telephone service and I&-., those that operate over a 6%. such as 7thernet, and dedicated systems that use special video cables between each connected computer. 8ur Desktop VideoConferencing %pplication uses 6%. for connections between DVC systems.

OVERV"E$
Desktop video-conferencing is gaining acceptance as a viable

telecommunications technology. 3hile a video!conferencing system uses the analog voice and video technology, a DVC system employs the digital audio and video technology offered real!time applications sharing that increases productivity of groups who need to work together but are split up geographically. -esigned to run on a personal computer +"*,!based platform, DVC systems are meeting the challenge of providing varied applications in the government and the commercial sectors. DVC systems take advantage of the operating system9s multi!tasking environment, allowing users to maintain a live face!to!face video!conference while accessing many other applications on their desktops, such as spreadsheet and word processing. In general, a DVC system has three basic parts to the screen/ the video window, collaborative workspace and :;ollywood: s uares. Using a V*<, a desktop video! conference can be recorded for future use. DVC systems, either analog or digital, can be used by organi=ations as an enterprise!wide solution. %n analog system can provide voice, real color images, and graphics at an analog bandwidth up to >.0 $;=. This system operate on either a 6%. or 3%. through switches, -&U4*&U4 $odems or codec for hands!on interaction between a point!to!point or a multi!point conference. % digital DVC system offers more advanced features as well as provides more flexibility than an analog based!system. % digital system allows voice, vivid compressed color images and graphics to be transmitted between remote locations within seconds. %ccording to telecommunications experts, the DVC technology is expected to be commonplace in 5((?. +.etwork 3orld, 5)4(0, Tackett,."rogrammable multimedia processors with video!conferencing capabilities now allow high performance achieved with low cost add!in boards for "*'s +3aur=yniak, 5((0,. %dditionally, many DVC systems are developed to provide an easier access for more users through the use of 6%.s.

%O$ "T $OR&S

+o*ering t,e reso+-tion of each frame co(pressing the images before sending them. In compression, your computer takes information +the data for a still picture, for example,, and mathematically manipulates it so less data is needed to represent the information. Then, your

recipient's computer reverses the process and displays the original information +the still picture,.

In desktop videoconferencing, images are always compressed by your computer before it sends them over the network, and decompressed by the recipient's computer. Images aren't the only information being sent during videoconferencing/ sound is also compressed and decompressed. This process uses up a lot of bandwidth. % way to increase the speed of the video's transmission would be to not transmit sound +and telephone the other party, for example, to communicate verbally,.

STA#DARDS
$ost current DVC systems use ;.AB) as an umbrella standard that embraces several other standards detailing how video and audio information is compressed and transmitted over wide!area digital services. In addition to ;.AB), there are a number of video and audio standards widely used for DVC systems. &ome are discussed below.

Video St'nd'rd/ ;.B15, also known as the ITU "x1>, provides the specification for compressing real!time video at rates varying from 0141> 2bps to 5.(B $bps. ;.B15 covers both " x 0141> 2bps +" C 5,B, ... 1, and $ x A?> 2bps +$C 5,B,...0,. The compressed video comes in two video uality modes +display formats,, *ommon Intermediate Dormat +*ID, and Euarter!*ID +E*ID,. The *ID provides for a B?? lines by A0B pixel picture and the E*ID a 5>> line by 5F1 pixel picture. Theoretically, a *ID and a E*ID can transmit video at A) frames per second +fps, and 0 fps, respectively. Gut except for dedicated wire systems, as of today, no DVC system transfers video close to A)fps over I&-.. The use of an ITU " x 1> standard!based desktop video!conferencing provides +5, interoperable -V* systemH +B, multiple procurement sources facilitating competitive pricingH +A, increase product life cycleH +>, economical long term investment. Video !r'(ing St'nd'rd/ The ITU ;.BB5 standard is a framing protocol used for multiplexing video, audio, and control signals. It has the capability of aggregating 0141> 2bps bandwidths to form a wider bandwidth. Voice St'nd'rd/ The ITU " x 1> recommendations support several audio standards. I.F55 describes audio transport at 1>2bps pulse code modulation +"*$, digital audio from A.0 2;= analog, I.FBB uses sub!band adaptive differential pulse code modulation +%-"*$, to provide a >?2bps or a 012bps at F2;= analog signal +almost *- uality,, and I.FB? provides for near!"*$ uality audio at a data rate of 51 2bps at A2;J for low bit rate video.

Point-to-Point Contro+/ "oint!to!point conference control is facilitated by the use of the ITU ;.BA) and ;.B>B standards. The ITU ;.BA) standard provides control and signaling capability. The ITU ;.B>B standard provides for the set up and disconnectH inband information exchange, fault and channel management.

-+ti-Point Conference Contro+/ The ITU " x 1> standards associated with multi! point conference control +$**, are ;.BA5, and ;.B>A. The ITU ;.BA5 standard describes the overall architecture of multi!point control unit +$*U, using digital channels up to B $bps. The ITU ;.B>A standard provides the control procedures between a ITU ;.BA5 compliant $*U and ITU ;.AB) codecs. &ome of the $*U services include +a, meet!me conferences, where conferees get a number in advance that will connect them to the conferenceH +b, dial!out conferences, where the $*U calls each conferee to initiate the conferenceH +c, progressive conferences, where a conferee calls successive parties and adds them to the conference one at a timeH +d, <eservation systemsH +e, <emote $aintenanceH +f, %ttendant screening of conferees for added security. T../0 St'nd'rd/ DVC uses T.5B) as an umbrella standard for data sharing. This standard, which was to have been finali=ed last summer, allows for the sharing of information such as whiteboard, file transfer and so on between systems that conform to this standard even if the systems are not alike. $any other video and audio standards for DVC are in the work. &ome of them

include the transport of video and audio over the Internet +;.ABA, or company network and ;.AB> for direct modem!to!modem dial!up link, gateways for I&8!7thernet, and high!speed 7thernet!to!I&-. and mobile communications. Intel also developed its Indeo, a video compression techni ue, to compete with ;.AB) and others DVC standards.

$OR&"#1 E#V"RO# E#T

C'(er'/
Video can't get into a computer without a video camera. Gecause your computer deals only in digital information, you can't use the type of video camera that you use to make videocassette recorder tapes. +V*< tapes, like audio tapes, are analog media. *ompact discs and computer disks are examples of digital media., .ot long ago, users had to open up their computers and install a special card for the video camera. Today there are three types of cameras that can connect to a computer without using a video card. These cameras use the computer's seri'+, p'r'++e+ and 3nivers'+ Seri'+ B-s (3SB) ports. 3hile serial and parallel cameras can connect to almost any computer, 3SB cameras can only connect to machines that have the new 3SB port. The advantage of 3SB cameras is that they're able to support better picture uality and more frames per second !! that's because a 3SB connection can move more data at a faster rate than older connections +like serial and parallel,. Today's new computers are usually e uipped with 3SBs. There are several digital video cameras on the market. &ome options to look for are/

color, =oom, and wide angle settings the ability to take still pictures automatic ad#ustment for different types of light the ability to select which type of compression to use

.o matter which camera you're considering, make sure your computer meets the camera's re uirements +they usually re uire at least .4 disp+'6,. B of RA 'nd /54 co+or V1A

icrop,one/
@ou9ll probably also want a microphone and speakers on each person's computer +otherwise you won't be able to hear each otherK,. @ou can use any microphone that is compatible with your system's sound card +which you'll also need in order to hear each other,.

#et*ork Connection/
To desktop videoconference you need a network connection to send the images between computers. Gasically there are four options/

P+'in O+d Te+ep,one Service (or POTS) "ntegr'ted Services Digit'+ #et*ork (or "SD#) Et,ernet Dedic'ted video +ines

POTS/ To use POTS all you need is a telephone hookup, which you probably already have, and a modem. This is relatively inexpensive, but it is also by far the slowest type of connection. "SD#/ "SD# is a special digital phone with a much higher bandwidth than POTS. Gandwidth is the amount of information that can be sent across a network in a second. 3hen you use "SD#, the entire bandwidth is dedicated to you and only you, so the speed never changes. Et,ernet/ 7thernet is the primary type of networking on the Internet, and has an even higher bandwidth than "SD# +but with some drawbacks,. 3hen you use 7thernet networking, the total bandwidth is split among all the people currently using it, which

means the speed you send things at depends on how many people are currently using the network. Dedic'ted Video Lines/ The fourth networking option is to install dedicated video lines, which are special cables used exclusively for videoconferencing. This is only feasible when you want to communicate within an office or school, since you'd have to set up the cables the entire distance between the two computers +7thernet and I&-. connections are set up by a phone company,.

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