[LINK] The PLAN, and broadband speeds?

[Ivan Trundle]

On 23/06/2007, at 5:20 PM, Craig Sanders wrote:

> On Fri, Jun 22, 2007 at 06:27:53PM +1000, Jan Whitaker wrote:
>> At 06:01 PM 22/06/2007, Craig Sanders wrote:
>>
>>> what the hell else can you possibly mean when you're talking about
>>> "videoconferencing" in the home? videoconferencing and videophones
>>> basically means the same thing except that the "videoconferencing"
>>> implies more expensive, professional or semi-professional equipment,
>>> while "videophone" implies simple, cheaper consumer equipment. aside
>>> from the expense and the quality of the equipment, both terms are
>>> talking about essentially the same technology.
>>
>> uh, no. videoconferencing doesn't have to use expensive, professional
>> equipment, but they help increase quality. Videoconferencing is the
>> linkage of two or more locations using videocameras and microphones
>> as input devices, with video monitors (computer or television) and
>> speakers as outputs, linked by a telecommunications channel.
>
> i still don't see any great distinction.  it's essentially the same
> technology.  office use may or may not have more bells and whistles  
> (e.g.
> document transfer, multiple cameras, multiple screens).

Nor do I - we use whatever you want to call it all of the time,  
direct from our laptops. We use multiple views of the people we talk  
to (one viewport per caller/callee). And the bandwidth requirements  
is not too excessive - it's mostly the hardware. But is Craig say,  
hardware is hardware - some handles it better than others.

Incidentally, all new Macintoshes do this out of the box, with iChat  
- and not just one-on-one calls.

It's basically a conference call with conferenced voice and vision.  
No special hardware, no special tricks.

It hardly matters what you call it - or if you consider it  
professional, semi-professional or not. It doesn't require any skills  
in setting it up (there is no setup), and nor to operate it.

But I think that is what we are all talking about, and are probably  
in agreement.

iT