Some of you may still remember Netmeeting. It is still a component of Microsofts operating systems, but not a very well known much less popular one nowadays. It was the first mainstream method to communicate online with a web cam. It was designed as a point-to-point application and directories to find others were spread out over the internet without any central database.

Fast forward, almost ten years later. It's rarely called video conferencing now, but web cam chat. It's still the same thing, it just has a different name and has become quite a hype.

Most cam chat rooms utilize Adobes Flash for the chat front end with the Flash Application server as back end. The technology is good, but expensive, as the flash application server does not run very cheap and needs quite a bit of server power to do its job. There are several large cam chats working with that technology already, providing decent resolution real time video.

However, not long ago a new player entered the ring: Red5. Red5 is an open source flash application server much faster and more accessible than the monster created by Adobe. It is in beta state, but already is so stable that several sites have been launching self-made video chat rooms.

Once a technology becomes available to the open source community, commercial products often need to step back. Red5 proves this on one site in particular: Vagipe. Vagipe is a completely free web cam chat site allowing users to view up to five high resolution video streams at once, something unthinkable before. No cost for the application, very low resource use, and one lonely hobbyist can give away for free what needed quite a lot of money and manpower before.

Red5 is still not too well known, but it will be interesting to see what others come up with once the developer community starts to focus on this new piece of software.

A friend of mine placed a Video Camera on top of his Computer and connected it to the Internet through some freely available Software. Since then I can actually see him on my screen whenever I contact him, as long as he leaves his camera on.

This kind of communication, actually a one on one audio-visual exchange, is much richer than a phone talk and permits additional two way transmission of video information like sketches, drawings, maps, photos etc.

The uses to which this newly available capability can be put are only limited by one’s imagination and dedication to solve specific problems.

Instead of sitting together in the same room, people convene in different places of their convenience under the eyes of watchful cameras and the ears of attentive microphones. Their distant partners, similarly served by suitable equipment, are watched on screens and their voices are heard through loudspeakers.

The interactive telecommunication technology that makes these exchanges possible via two-way video and audio cable or satellite transmissions, is completely transparent and does not interfere with the spontaneous behavior of the participants.

It should not come as a surprise that Video Conferencing is enjoying rapid diffusion and that its best advantages are being put to good use in many different fields of human activity like education, medicine, business, consulting etc.

Bringing a small crowd of selected people together, irrespective of their actual location, for coordinated common hearing and seeing, absorbing and commenting, learning and taking part, is a powerful way to permit the most important interactions to occur, without being physically in the same place.

It represents the conquest of a new dimension, like the gift of ubiquity, naturally unavailable to human beings.

It is a great way of convening committees to discuss matters and to take decisionswhile saving on transportation expenses and on travel time that can be employed instead for productive endeavors. It also avoids delays and dangers, real or feared.

Although the main application of this technology is not specific for Home Surveillance, it is an extension of equipment and technology already developed for those applications.

Although still limited to large organizations capable of profiting the most by installing and operating this recent technology, Video Conference is likely to spread to a wider public and to individuals that appreciate the immediacy and wholeness of interaction experience afforded by online audio-visual exchange.

When it comes to incurring the expense of setting up and using a conference call service, the charges can vary. Most companies that provide these services will vary what they charge based on how large your meeting is and the how long the meeting will last. This can become quite pricey for something like a board meeting or stock analyst meeting which will involve several participants and may last for several hours. In order to take away some of that burden, there are some conference call service companies that are beginning to offer a flat rate for their services. They will charge a certain amount per minute of use no matter how many participants there are, how many bridges are used, and how long the conference call lasts.

When considering the costs of conference calls, it's already proven to be something much more cost effective than travel. Plane tickets, gas money, hotel stays, business dinners, are all things that can cost a company well into the thousands and that's per person sent. In comparison to conference calls, there is already large savings yet, some of the larger conference calls can get pricey as well. If they last a long time or if several participants are needed, before you know it your costs are again sky high. A flat rate conference call service can take care of this problem.

Most flat rate conference call services are reservationless. You can schedule your meeting with almost no notice and that won't be a problem. You will still have an operator available to you during your call in order to facilitate any problems that may occur with the call itself. You can have more participants in the call than most other places can offer. Everything needed to set up the call is available online and can be done instantly. You can communicate globally through a flat rate service as well as any conference call service provider.

The flat rate service provider difference is the cost effectiveness and time variable. With most conference call services, you will be charged a set up fee in addition to the fees incurred by the conference itself. The determination of the cost of the conference is based on how many participants are included in the conference as well as how long the conference lasts. For this you get a person to proctor your call and be there any time you need help with the call, the possibility of a certain amount of people calling in, a certain time period in which the phone call will take place, and the use of the company's lines to connect the call. All of this is available to you with a flat rate service provider at a per minute fee and often with no set up fee.

A flat rate service provider will assist you in your quest to cut costs for your businesses. Not only will you be saving money on the travel aspect of conferencing, but now you'll also save money by choosing the flat rate conference call option over the others. The effort you spend in finding this type of company will be well appreciated and won't be overlooked.

In the breakneck paced business world of immediate information, video conferencing is quickly becoming the leading communications tool for businesses large and small, and for good reason!

Due to the fact that offices and employees can be thousands of miles apart, getting everyone into the same room for meetings and training sessions has become decidedly impractical from a logistical and financial perspective for most companies.

WELL HELLO VIDEO CONFERENCING!!

A very intelligent and wealthy man (although fictional in nature) once told a certain young ambitious stockbroker “The most valuable commodity I know of is information.” Of course I am quoting from the movie “Wall Street.” We all know that that movie is some 20 odd years old now, but the underlying intended message of that statement is even more applicable in today’s world: Get the right information to the intended recipients in the least amount of time = MONEY!!! That is what video conferencing technology, in the business world, allows users to do. Exchange pertinent information on a very broad scale quickly, to gain a financial position or edge. The old adage “time equals money” applies in a very realistic and tangible way.

Video conferencing has been around since the early 1960s, but has honestly only gained prominence in the real world over the last ten or so years. Early systems were unnecessarily expensive and of comparatively low quality due to the fact the technologies of today were just simply not available. But due to the emergence of VoIP networks, high speed internet, Web Casting (WebEx, Go To Meeting Centra etc.), improved audio/video Codec’s (coder/decoder) and very affordable enterprise solutions, video conferencing is finally wrapping its huge arms around the corporate world today and giving it a great big bear hug!!

Conference calls can be setup using a variety of methods and fairly obviously these differ from one supplier to another. Though there may be off supplies and services you can use to set up conference calls, in the main there are just three major suppliers and their various setups.

A system known as reservation less conference call may well be the most commonly used. There is not much to set up with this type of conference call.

You simply get a number and access code, as well as a separate access code for the other people that you want to participate in the conference call. All you need to do to during the set up conference call is dial the number, enter your access code, and then have the other callers call in and use their own access code.

where the client may be slightly inexperienced and wishes a more straightforward setup they reach usually the facility to have what is known as an “operator assisted conference call” and as the phrase suggests this is when you have the assistance of an operator to ensure a setup proceed smoothly and remain on hand to assist you with any technical issues that might crop up.

Here you have to marry up the additional expense and setting up the cost against the possible ease of use of setting up the call. As is usual; the cost of this type of call varies from supplier to supplier.

Using another setup known as “Operator dialled setup conference calls will actually give you more information and interaction. Here, we'll pray to take some more proactive role, dials out the participants and adds them manually to the conference.

This is an ideal option for those who are inexperienced in making conference calls. with this type is this in the direct involvement of your prey to if you need any last minute facilities these can be arranged very quickly.

As we mentioned at the outset there are other types of conference calls that are available. Possibly the future of this type of call lies with Web conference calls and though they may appear to be more complicated to set up this is not necessary the case”. There are also small scale conference calls between two or three people that business lines can handle. Just play around with the different options and you will see what is the most advantageous to your business.

As technology advances, the world of telecommunications gets easier and cheaper. Advances in technology quite naturally mean that communications get more advanced. Nowadays we no longer just have to use the phone for conference calls as we have the Internet to bring an added online dimension. "So, what’s the big deal?" Well, the big deal is that not only will you be able to talk to each other, but you will be able to do so much more in an online conference call.

Having an online conference call, or web conference, is not just about an extra video feature during the conference. Online Conference call services offer a number of things that a regular telephone based conference can not. As with telephones conferences, you have to get your point across using only words, and that can be tough at times. However, if you were to illustrate your point, using pictures, videos, or presentations, the participants would understand your point more clearly.

A whole new world of information sharing is now possible with document's slideshows pictures and videos being shared as well as Audio. Of course, video without any audio would not be very user friendly. Luckily, there is more than one means of communication with these online conference call services. Participants will usually have the choice to talk aloud via microphone/headset, or type via an IM, instant messaging or board.

Before you make your decision about a particular service provider, you should at least try a few out. If you can arrange a free trial from as many suppliers as possible then you really have nothing to lose.