Although video conferencing has been around for a long time, it was the coming-of-age of the internet that has allowed video conferencing services to gain mainstream popularity, making them a cheap and effective way of communicating between two distant locations. video conferencing over ip is achievable with IT equipment that is now considered normal, and relies just on a broadband connection.
Video conferencing was born in the 1930s but had major problems. Not the least of these was cost: with television still in its infancy, cameras, microphones and screens were expensive, and two unique connections had to be created and kept. Even as television gained currency and coverage, the technology remained costly and difficult to set up.
With the rise of the internet, users could stream audio-visual data from their own desktop or laptop computer through easily obtainable and free software. This has only really been frequent in the last few years, since the quantity of data meant that the former dial-up connections were not capable of transmitting the information needed. However, with cheap and reliable broadband, which many homes now have and which is being considered as standard by much government policy, the situation changed radically. Similarly, the necessary hardware dropped sharply in cost. From being items only affordable to the wealthiest individuals or those with specific business interests, cameras and microphones are now available for a few pounds; in fact, many laptop and even netbook computers come with them built-in at little extra cost.
For business use, dedicated systems are available, offering a distinctive advantage over the off-the-peg and lower-spec versions favoured by much of the public. These systems plug into existing IT networks and can be integrated into the company’s computer infrastructure with a minimum of disruption. Companies such as Edge Vision offer AV solutions for companies to use for video conferencing services in their boardroom meetings, enabling high-quality video conferencing with clients and partners on the other side of the world. This obviously has major benefits in terms of expenses, since it reduces the need for costly, time-consuming and polluting travel, often by aeroplane, with all the other problems this brings. video conferencing over ip has almost completely replaced actual physical, face-to-face meetings with clients in many businesses and large charities, since it enables groups of people to ‘meet’ easily and cheaply, and without the trouble of arranging so many different schedules.
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