Desktop video conferencing is the cheapest and the fastest way to stay in touch. In today’s day and age where everyone is spread across the globe it is not possible to get together every year for the great family gatherings at Christmas or Easter. The elderly and aged people in the family do want to keep in touch at east at celebration times. Though the physical presence cannot be compensated by anything, it will be nice to have a family gathering even over desktop video conferencing. With desktop video conferencing the whole family can decide on a date and time and log onto the Internet through one of the many online chat programs such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail or Skype and have a desktop video conferencing program for the benefit of all the family members.

Desktop video conferencing is the most convenient way to have a family meeting of all the members of the family. The distance or the location is not a criterion for them to take part in the desktop video conferencing program and there is no need to hire the services of a video conferencing service provider either. There are many free video conferencing services available on the Internet. The only qualifying criterion is that each member who wants to take part in the desktop video conferencing program must possess a computer with the required video input as well as audio input and output hardware and of course access to the Internet through a broad band connection.

Broad band Internet connection is a must for desktop video conferencing because the technology for video compressing, though very advanced, is not good enough to compress video signals to transmit effectively over slow Internet connections. The slower connections will transmit voice and video signals in phases giving the effect of a slow motion picture movement and the voice will break up as well. The apparatus must be of reasonably good quality as well. A good 2 mega pixel web camera used as a video input device and a microphone for the audio input device coupled to a headphone or speakers to enable what everyone partaking in the desktop video conferencing program is saying.

The Internet and desktop video conferencing has definitely brought people and countries closer together. It is cheaper to partake in an international group discussion through desktop video conferencing rather than having to fly across the world and spend that much time and money. With today’s high definition desktop video conferencing, desktop video conferencing is a pleasure. The Internet has brought whole communities together and it is not only families and students who are making the most use of this technology. There are more important meetings taking place with government heads and military Generals using Desktop video conferencing to monitor training sessions and remote activities right from their desktops. So next time you are up to something you must ensure that some group of people, probably half way across the planet are not watching.