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Table of Contents » Linktivity WebDemo » Video Conferencing
Video Conferencing
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Linktivity WebDemo offers a video conferencing feature that allows the presenter and the participants to see each other during a meeting. In the WebDemo online user guide this feature is called Broadcast Video.
Review Overview
This review discusses the following aspects of the video conferencing feature available within Linktivity WebDemo:
Enabling Video Conferencing
When participants enter a WebDemo meeting, they cannot see each other immediately. The meeting host needs to turn the video conferencing capability on by clicking on the video chat icon in the top toolbar of the host control panel. However, this action only turns on the video of the meeting host. Attendees may broadcast live images from their own camera after the meeting host grants them that right.
Enabling video conferencing
Granting Attendees Video Broadcast Rights
To grant attendees the right to broadcast live images from their video camera, the meeting host needs to first select one or more names from the attendee list and then click on the button with the camera icon at the bottom of the host control panel.
Granting attendees the right to broadcast live video images
Excluding Participants from a Video Conference
The presenter/moderator may exclude selected participants from a video conference session by right-clicking in the attendee list and choosing the desired option from the context menu. Through this menu the presenter/moderator may determine whether attendees receive any video or audio broadcast and whether they themselves may transmit video and audio broadcasts to the other attendees in the conference.
Setting meeting attendees' audio/video rights
Operating the Video Conferencing Window
As soon as video is enabled, a new window is opened on the screen of every attendee attending the video conference. In addition to the main part for the live video images this "Video Conferencing" window contains a toolbar, a menubar and several other controls to adjust video behavior and performance. The meeting host's microphone is automatically turned on.
Toolbar Options
Immediately after the video conference session has been initiated by the meeting host, video capture is still deliberately off. In this stage the meeting attendees see a large, black area in the video conferencing panel. Meanwhile the meeting host may make any adjustments to the video configuration, preview the live video images by pressing the Preview Local Video button on the top-left toolbar and actually start the video broadcast with the playback button.
A WebDemo video conferencing session
By clicking on the AVI button on the top-right toolbar the meeting host may select an AVI file from the local system and broadcast this to the meeting participants. Video capture is moved back to the meeting host's camera again with a click on the CAM button.
Menubar Options
The menubar allows the user to:
- open an existing AVI file for playback
- set viewer size (176 x 144 or 352 x 288)
- set frames per second (from 1/5 to 30 frames per second). Together with the video quality and video format settings the frame rate option allows the host and the attendees to find the right balance between available bandwidth, hardware equipment and desired performance.
- set video quality(Good, Better and Best)
- set video source, to switch to a different camera or video input source attached to the computer
- set video format
- set mute audio (mute speakers - mute mic).
- set audio source, determining whether audio should be coming from the microphone (mic), from sounds that Windows is playing, like an audio CD (wav) or from sounds that enter into the computer through the line-in port of the sound card (line-in)
- switch from full display mode to compact mode. With this option the live images of only one attendee are displayed, determined by the setting of the drop down box next to the Compact/Full button.
Bandwidth, Hardware Requirements and Performance
Besides a working webcam or video camera no additional hardware or software needs to be installed or configured in order to have a reliable video conferencing session in WebDemo. The Guide test team used a Sony DCR-PC105E and a Trust 120 Spacecam without any problems. The Linktivity website has a relevant knowledge base article listing several other cameras that work well with WebDemo. The article also contains troubleshooting information.
Cons
- After the meeting host initiates a WebDemo video conferencing session, the participants cannot see any live images immediately. Instead they see a black rectangular area in the video conferencing panel. Although this behavior is intentional and allows the meeting host to adjust video settings, it is confusing for the participants why they do not see any video images straight away. An easy solution is a simple message informing the participants why their video conferencing screen is still black.
Conclusion
It is extremely easy to fine-tune the Linktivity WebDemo video conferencing feature for optimal performance. It works reliably and there is nothing to install, download or upload. Users just need to have their webcam connected and turned on.
To see how the video conferencing option in Linktivity WebDemo compares to the one offered by other tools reviewed in the Guide, consult the Video Conferencing Comparison Table.
« Audio Conferencing - VoIP | Main | Desktop - Application Sharing »
Posted on June 20, 2003 at 09:39 PM
Updated on December 20, 2004 at 04:28 PM
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