Video conferencing is one of the most convenient of way communication in the 21st century. It integrates multiple communication platforms, allowing two or more users at different locations to communicate with each other in real time.
Online teachings, work from home, and meetings are some of the most common uses of video conferencing. Thanks to this technology, businesses and individuals save up to million dollars per year.
However, there’re 7 basic requirements that you must know before using video conferencing.
If you just understand and fulfill these requirements, I ensure you won’t encounter any problems. So, what exactly are those requirements? Let’s find out!
1. Video Conferencing Codec
First and foremost, the video conferencing codec is considered to be the heart of a video conferencing system.
This codec is a piece of hardware/software in charge of encoding and decoding AV (Audio/Video) signals that are sent and received during a video conference. When you send an AV signal, that transmission is encoded. As soon as it arrived on the other party, the AV signal is decoded for them to hear/see.
2. Video Conference Software
Next is to choose the right video conference software. There’re lots of softwares out there that’s available on the web browsers such as Zoom, Webex, Google Hangouts, InstaVC, etc.
Each has their benefits along with some limitations. Some provide simple features such as screen sharing to assist in innovative collaboration, while some does not.
For example, Zoom has its own live meeting analytics and intuitive live video chat but is known to be very expensive. Meanwhile, InstaVC provides easy to use and secure video conference solution over webRTC from the browser, without any downloads, but also has its own limitations.
Nevertheless, you should decide on the software that suits your need.
3. Audio
I bet each of you has experienced unclear audios or echoes during a video conference. That may have been caused by your audio input/output hardware.
Every situation varies but I would recommend getting a speakerphone with built-in noise and echo cancellation and large audio pick-up range. These speakerphones are designed for conferences and you’ll easily find one by looking it up on the internet.
4. Video Display Screen
After audio, you’ll need a display screen to project the video. You’ll need to pay attention to the size and quality of the display screen. It can be basically anything from projectors or TVs to your mobile phones.
If you’re conducting the video conference in a large meeting room, it’s best to get a projector and place them on the wall. On the other hand, if you’re video conferencing for an online class or smaller meetings, it’s more convenient to use your laptop.
5. High-Resolution Webcam
Who wouldn’t want to flaunt their skills and do their best during a video conference?
If you want to maximize your video conference experience, you’d better get a high-resolution webcam. This matters a lot because you wouldn’t want the other party to misunderstand your actions due to the blurry images.
High resolution webcam is crucial as they provide even the smallest details such as facial expressions or body languages.
Webcams come with different connectivity such as USB and Bluetooth. Remember that it’s all about your preferences, there’s no better or worse.
6. Computer Processing
Take note that HD webcams, speakerphone with echo cancellations, are all useless without a good processor.
A minimum of 2GB RAM and a quad-core processor should suffice to enjoy video conferencing without any problem. You don’t have to worry too much about this factor though, because most devices nowadays come with at least 4GB of RAM.
7. Network Bandwidth
Last but not least is the network bandwidth. In fact, this is very important. If Video Conferencing Codec is the heart of the video conferencing system, network bandwidth is the brain of it.
Network bandwidth refers to the rate of data transfer per amount of time. It determines whether the speed of your connection is slow or fast.
Video conferencing consumes around 400 Kbps to 6 Mbps of network bandwidth depending on external factors such as display resolution, frame rate, and other common factors.
To prevent slow connection during a video conference, large businesses usually conduct them over public internet and cloud services.
Conclusion
Those are the 7 basic requirements for video conferencing that you should know. Ultimately, the best video conferencing system depends on your need and budget.
Cheap hardware or software doesn’t equal poor video conferencing system and expensive ones don’t guarantee a good system. If you just understand the 7 requirements listed above, you’ll be able to balance what you need and don’t need.