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 decisions
while 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.

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!!