Purpose of this item is to

1
Desktop ISDN Video conferencing

• Purpose of this item is to
• introduce/recommend/demonstrate
• desktop ISDN video conferencing equipment
• You typically need this for
• 1-to-1
• few to few
• few to big room
• Thanks in advance to
• Geoff Fayers (others on PPNCG)
• Keith Gyford (from First connections)

2
Video conferencing
Internet
ISDN Dedicated circuit (H.320)
Newer standards based (H.323)
Mbone technology based
3
1 -to 1
Conference
Need switch MCU
4

• Uses
• VIC for video
• VAT/RAT for audio
• These are the tools used for broadcast on MBONE

!! Luckily for you !! A group at CERN has taken
all the pain away

WWW interface vrvs.cern.ch Virtual Room
Software switch
5

• PPNCG has reported on this previously
• Document advertised by Hi-Phi
• Recommendations for cheap kit (300)

? Exceptionally easy to set up for use (I.e. book
a conference, join a conference...)
? Used successfully to broadcast of a lot of CERN
meetings (view only)
? Used by us for a few committee meetings with
mixed results
? Audio quality is poor, and also fiddly to get
right
? For 1-to-1 probably only for consenting adults
6

• A lot of potential ...but nothing really to say
  today...
• Different vendors kit not always compatible
• (is this still true ???)
• No switch available to us at present
• Still at the mercy of internet at present
• Lots of promise as
• (i) bandwidth increases
• (ii) QoS services appear

7
ISDN Dedicated circuit (H.320)
Uses ISDN dial up lines _at_ 128 kbits/s or 384
kbits/s
10/hour cheapskate quality
30/hour buisiness quality
Different league to Mbone technology Used
extensively in large conference room
applications Generally hardware
compression Normally would have echo
cancellation included Many 10ks of kit
8

• We already use this extensively in HEP
• UK committee meetings
• ATLAS/CMS weekly project meetings (70/hour)
• CDF, MINOS to USA (70/hour)

There is a SWITCH in Edinburgh for AC.UK use
run for JANET by Edinburgh
Studios at each participating institute must be
booked
Must be booked
9

• Drawbacks
• High probability of gt1 institute studio being
  booked
• Studios often large and inappropriate for a few
  people
• ?
• We believe that most requirements in HEP would be
  met by a much simpler desktop ISDN set up able to
  accommodate 1-3 people at a single institute
• ?
• G.Fayers has researched such kits
• Document produced (distributed today, and Hi-Phi)
• Demo units on display today?

10

• Equipment on display
• 1. Zydacron
• Z350
• ISDN H.323
• 995
• 2. VCON
• Cruiser 150
• ISDN H.323
• 995