Video Conferencing – Phase 2

Today I participated in a beta test of video conferencing phase 2.  It utilized audio, video, and web.  The meeting had one dedicated endpoint in a large conference room and six webcams on both Macs and PCs.  We had 11 people connected via audio only and 23 connected viewing the meeting desktop on their computers via the web.

While there are plenty of technical details to fine tune before going in to full production, the early test was a success.  Participants from all around the US were able to effectively participate in the meeting without the expense or hassel of having to travel during the Christmas season.  Online polling and chatting of questions/comments was more effective via the web than it would have been in person because people were not talking over each other, it was less time consuming, and a high percentage participated.  The Macs seemed to have better video quality than the PCs and the older webcams had very poor quality.  The audio quality was good, but I noticed that when people muted their microphones their body language appeared to show a lower level of engagement.  An opportunity for improvement was in the area of desktop sharing.  We could have shared more visual information to go along with the spoken word if all presenters and participants had been using the desktop.

When the details get worked out and this phase goes in to production, we will have capacity for the simultaneous use of 92 video ports, 220 audio ports, and 120 web ports.

Video Conferencing

This week I was in the Seattle area (Poulsbo, WA) to meet with Masterworks, a fund development consulting firm that Campus Crusade for Christ is building a relationship with.  The purpose of the meeting was to start to build a deeper relationship between the Masterworks staff and the ITG staff for the benefit of all.  The ITG participants learned about the Masterworks philosophy and methodology, and the Masterworks participants learned about the capabilities of the Connect & Care project and our application portfolio.  What made this meeting different from most though was that I was the only one who traveled.  This was a 4 hour long video conference meeting between Orlando and Poulsbo.  It utilized the Campus Crusade Cisco/Tandberg video conferencing infrastructure with Masterworks connected as a partner at the border controler utilizing the endpoint in their conference room.

The experience was good, and the meeting was productive.  My estimate is that ITG saved almost $1000 per participant that didn’t need to travel by utilizing the technology.  In addition, the meeting only took 4 hours of their time versus the nearly 3 days that it would have taken had they traveled.  It was also a great experience for me to get to be on the ‘other end’ of the video conference and compare the group dynamics of being connected via video with someone you just met versus meeting them face to face.

Some things are I learned are:

• The group size must match the room size and camera capabilities.  If anyone is ‘off screen’, the experience drops dramatically.
• Microphones must be placed around the room where everyone can be easily heard in a normal speaking voice.  They also need to be placed so that having a laptop screen open doesn’t block the speaker’s voice from the microphone.
• Big, high definition screens matter.  Through these you get to see facial expressions which is a huge boost in communication.
• Controlling network traffic is important.  I only saw two jitters during our entire conference, but when I did I was immediately reminded how we were connecting instead of concentrating on the communication.

Looking ahead, I think that we will see a HUGE increase in the utilization of video conferences versus physical travel in Campus Crusade.  I see us continuing to invest time, talent, and capital in improving the experience so that the equipment is easy to use and conferences are a high-quality experience.  Along with improving the dedicated equipment, we will need to make it easy to participate with a individual computer and camera on a Mac or PC.

This is one step closer to the ITG vision: “Connecting people together to fully live out their calling…everyone, everywhere, anytime”