7 Video Conferencing Considerations for Your Enterprise’s System

This is where the video portion of videoconferencing comes into play. A camera allows for the opposite party to see you and interact through more than just sound. You want to ensure that your camera is showing you in the best light. Choose something with high quality that picks up on dim or insufficient lighting and corrects as well as possible. You also want to consider what type of videoconferencing the cameras will support. For one-on-one meetings, a small lens camera will suffice. For larger conference rooms, consider a wide-angle lens that can capture all of the participants at once.

Product shown is EagleEye III Camera by Polycom.

You can’t have a videoconference if the person on the other side can’t hear you. There are many different variables that can affect the audio on your side of the screen. A microphone attached to a computer may be too far away and/or pick up too much ambient sound. A microphone in front of a speaker could pick up rustling papers and is only able to cover one or two people at a time. Ceiling speakers hanging from the wall can only cover a certain amount of area. Consider the space that your videoconferencing will take place within, and choose accordingly.

Product shown is FLX UC500 Speakerphone by Revolabs.

There are solutions that cover both camera and microphone solutions in one device. Hook them up to a monitor or flat panel display to turn your device into a videoconferencing solution simply by plugging in. Consider also devices that incorporate tracking of speakers. In these cases, the camera can span an entire conference room, showing each employee on screen at once. When a single employee speaks, the device will zero in on that speaker and zoom to make the employee fill the screen. When others chime in, the camera zooms back out to show multiple speakers. This provides an immersive experience similar to watching a television program.

Product shown is TelyHD Camera by TelyLabs.

Some companies are now offering all-in-one videoconferencing solutions that you can take right out of the box and set up for use. These devices include a display screen, microphones, cameras, and speakers to cover everything that you would need to videoconference. These solutions come in different sizes that span usability from small videoconferencing suites to large conference rooms. Since there is no hardware outside of the display screen, they can be moved around and installed virtually anywhere with outlets and internet connectivity.

Product shown is MX800 by Cisco.

There are also solutions for those that need to not only see those on the other end of the screen, but need mobility in order to move throughout the office remotely and visit different areas and personnel. Mobile videoconferencing units work similarly to video games in that you use a screen and keyboard to control a virtual amalgamation of yourself in another space. The difference is that this space is reality in another part of the country or world. Be careful of running into people or objects, but these devices are helpful in establishing a presence throughout the office even remotely.

Product shown is BeamPro by Suitable Technologies.

There are many companies that offer videoconferencing services, often for a monthly or yearly fee. At this point, the only type of service you are going to want to utilize is on the cloud. These companies carry their own cloud services that ensure you will always have the proper bandwidth to keep your meetings running. Outsourcing your videoconferencing to a third party allows someone else to worry about your conferences connectivity. You will drop less calls and have a better quality of video with these services, and when things do go wrong it is up to the provider to solve the problems.

Service provider highlighted is Videxio.

There are several software solutions for videoconferencing that you can run through your own network. When you don’t have the capital or the need to spend money each month on a videoconferencing service, programs will do fine. Be careful, because the capabilities and connectivity will only go so far as your network’s bandwidth will take them. There are few frills and it won’t be the most powerful solution you can get, but they are cheap and usable for many purposes.

Software highlighted is Skype<.