TEXT A Video conferencing is
gradually becoming an accepted means in which to do business. For a long time is
suffered from the image of the video conferencing suite, cumbersome and
expensive to operate with long booking lead times. Its use tended to be confined
to special executive meetings on different continents and its practicality for
everyday uses tended to be overlooked. That was perfectly understandable given
the state of the technology. But desktop video conferencing entered the market
with an explosion of publicity several years ago and has been growing at a
steady rate since. Market predictions show growth rates of around 60-100% year
on year as more and more companies axe beginning to embrace the concepts and
applications of video conferencing. Changes in the way we work
are going to provide one of the most important spurs to the growth in the use of
this technology. Mobile working is making traditional communications methods
obsolete and rapid information exchange a priority. Video conferencing is well
positioned to help companies who have a heavy reliance on immediate employee
communications to meet this need in the ever-changing working
environment. For those who are new to video conferencing it is
worth defining the key areas of video conferencing to help in understanding the
market. Video conferencing enables audio and video transmission between separate
locations from anywhere in the world. Video conferences can be point-to-point
exactly like a telephone call, or multi-point enabling virtual meetings amongst
three or more locations to take place, both most commonly using an ISDN
network. Multi-point conferences require a physical device
called a Multi-point Contro Unit (MCU) or "bridge". The MCU’s function is to
recognize that each participant is using an industry standard and then connect
all the participants together. The technical complexities of operating a bridge
requires a telecom department within a organization. However most choose to
avoid the costs and work associated with this and use a multi-point service
provider which is where AT&T expertise lies. Intel who
produce the Proshare desktop conferencing software were actively targeting the
business markets and trying to drive down the cost of video conferencing, they
believe video conferencing will be "the norm" in the future and as common as any
other software currently residing on your PC. The main advantage
of the desktop product is the data sharing capability, which allows a user to
hunch a software application and share it with other users. The power of this is
clear to sec. Documents can be agreed and amended with desktop users
throughout the world in real-time, instead of faxing documents backwards and
forwards with comments or trying to make changes over the phone which often
leads to mistakes being made. In a multi-point environment application sharing
operates using the T. 120 industry standard. Your PC is always
available to you on your desk and all you need to do to set up a meeting with
three or mote people is to reserve a call with a multi-point service provider
such as AT&T and dial into a bridge. You can then be linked with up to 24
different worldwide locations. Not only will you save time and money, you will
also develop more effective face to face working relationships with your
colleagues, customers or suppliers. Which of the following is the best possible title for this essay
A.An Introduction to Desktop Video Conferencing. B.Modem Office and Video Conferencing. C.A New Solution for Office Work. D.Face to Face with Your Partners.