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5-12-2010 - in this issue:
- Top Story - Tele/Presence Configuration Considerations
- Polycom's Chief Collaboration Officer Talks as Tele/Presence Expo
- SIP interoperability and coexistence with H.323 is critical to maximize TCO
- Tele/Presence Forum Expo
With Keynote Speeches from University of Wisconsin, International Digital Media Experts, Tele/Presence Visionaries and others.
- Cisco's Tim Szigeti Speaks at Expo (see topic below) and everyone gets his book "Cisco TelePresence Fundamentals."
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Welcome to Tele/Presence Forum
Simply put, Tele/Presence extends and complements Presence in Unified Communications.
Tele/Presence Forum Expo - Boulder - Sept 28-30 at the St. Julien Hotel (www.stjulien.com) with keynotes from International Tele/Presence experts, audio, video, group, room and human factors. See below for keynote and exhibitor/attendee information or check here.
WIN an Apple iPad for paid attendees at Tele/Presence Forum - must be present for drawing.
 
Click here to register.
Come see exciting solutions from:
Fontel Presents Tele/Presence Solutions
Fontel, Inc. is a wholesale distributor specializing in MCS-Microsoft Communications Server optimized end-point devices. Our GN Jabra headsets offer a seamless intuitive communication experience. Jabra has been working with Microsoft since the very first deployment. Today, Jabra offers the most extensive portfolio of headset solutions optimized for the tele/presence the market. We also offer optimized web camera's and speakerphones! Call us at 800-238-0787 -sales@fontel.com or visit our web site at www.fontel.com |
New Keynote Speech at Tele/Presence Forum Expo
"Market Dynamics Shaping the Adoption of Telepresence"
Bob Preston - Chief Collaboration Officer Polycom
· Organizational
o Global economy
o Recession reset
o Do more with less
o Efficiency of operations
o Fast ROI
· Social Trends
o Gen Y life style
o Road warriors
o Instant communications
o Virtual & remote workers
o Green / CO2
o Social media
· Technology Enablers
o Unified Communications
o Open Standards
o Real time connection from single point of access
o Presence
Presenter: Bob Preston is the Chief Collaboration Officer at Polycom, Inc. His role at the company is to help organizations understand the application and benefits of voice, video, and telepresence collaboration solutions within industries and vertical markets such as healthcare, education, government, and enterprise. Bob is an expert resource in the area of increasing productivity and efficiency through collaboration solutions. He also leads the Industry Solutions group on a global basis - a team of industry experts developing strategic initiatives in targeted industries. Bob is a blogger and frequent public speaker on the topic of business value of collaboration solutions. |
Top Story - Video Tele/Presence
Configuration Options
Here are just a few of the various types of tele/presence systems for your review and consideraton. This presentation focuses more on office and portable video tele/presence that other types of collaboration systems such as slow-scan, whiteboards, computer (wiki, blog) and others.
What I am trying to show is that most tele/presence video systems focus on people, rather than the problems the people are discussing. In my humble opinion, the focus should be on the problem, not people. There are many reasons but one of them is that most people don't feel comfortable being on video and really don't like the way they look (partially or largely due to the Aspect Ratio*). For example, I was looking for systems that show a problem such as quality control situation on a manufacturing assembly line, transportation disaster, environmental hazard, poor health conditions in food processing, or something like the situation on an oil rig and cleanup, to name but a few of the problems that businesses face. Here is a medical example, a medical diagnosis of a sick infant where bringing the "person (doctor) to the problem" is critical.
Below is a more recent example of tele-medicine, from Cisco. Please excuse the size of the imae.
Tele-consultation is more than than using the video image of the to show medical problems, yet, provide "doctors without borders" to patients anywhere. However, both Polycom and Cisco interface medical systems such as from AMD Telemedicine and others. For example, in the Polycom system allows the Polycom Practitioner Cart HDX "to easily connect to medical peripheral devices with integrated switch box and connection panel (digital in-band stethoscopes and video scopes)."
Overview of Video Tele/Presence Options The first example (below) is an overhead video system where documents, parts, objects and almost anything else can be placed and the problem discussed without ever showing a person.
In this example, the user sets up a portable video system easily and can again "bring the system to the problem."
NOTE: The following are examples of various kinds of systems. There is no bias as to which one is more useful or advanced than the others. Simply let the "function drive the features." However, I do like portable systems. Here is one from Polycom showing the user presenting in an outdoor setting.
Next, again from Polycom, we see an office desktop video situation. I liked this as it uses a large screen intended to give the "immersive-effect" of life-like images on by both parties.
This next one is a new approach. Originally, created and developed by Microsoft called Roundtable, now sold by Polycom is integrated with Microsoft Office Communicator part of Microsoft Communications Server and provides group video with 360° panoramic view of the conference room. In additon voice, and instant messaging are brought together into one seamless experience connected easily via a USB port and record the meeting using Microsoft Live Meeting.
The next one is from TelePresenceTech intended to provide for person-to-person conferencing with "eye contact." While it is often perceived that "look em in the eye" is a critical component in video conferencing, our research has indicated it is less important because one-to-one video conferences are nearly always done with people already known, even well-known to one another. That is, the vast majority of personal and small group teleconferences are done with people they have already met face-to-face. More on this issue in future newsletters.
This one is from Cisco. I selected this one as the unit moves away from the desktop opening up the system for more than one person on either end.
Here are three other options from Cisco: Wall-mounted, Free-standing single-screen and Free-standing multi-screen. I selected these as offering options as "flexible inplace" installations of video conferencing systems. That is, when the system is needed is can be installed without the cost of expensive room design and preparation. This also suggests that the "message is more important than the media."
Below from Asstra, is another variation of a free-standing unit. This unit can combined "live" broadcast video feeds from various television sources, prerecorded video feeds, including DVD and VCR, live and/or prerecorded security and surveillance video and PC-generated presentations, documents, and spreadsheets onto the presentation screen.
Next, are two of my favorite ideas, not necessarily these ones. That is, "rollabout" systems can be moved to the hospital operating room, to the assembly line, flown out to sea on a ship or oil rig and shipped almost anywhere. The first one is from TelePresenceTech.
This one is from Polycom brings the "expertise to the problem." That is, a group of subject matter experts can gather and send in the system to the problem or person for discussion, exploration and problem-solving.
Below in a portable slow-scan video system from long ago. The ease-of-use, portability and single-button use made this system for nearly all video teleconferencing situations because in most instances "nothing is moving." That is, nearly all PowerPoint presentations, business settings, crisis conditions, there is no motion, so there is no need for full-motion video.
This next set of examples moves into small group then large group. Here is an example from Cisco of a small group lecture where the presenter is live with one group and other students are remote but both groups can lecture-slides.
From TelePresenceTech, is a 3D lecturer designed with "aligned eye contact" in order for the viewers to get the "immersive-effect." While I like "immersive" video, there is little evidence, in my thirty years in this business, to suggest that it is required or even desired by the audience. We all watch TV and don't feel the need to be "immersed" with the newscaster or television program. Certainly 3D brings us closer in movies but may also have negative impacts in business meetings.
Speaking of "immersive-video," here is an example Cisco. Having used their single- and three-screen systems, it is very effective for small group meetings.
From Polycom, is another approach to "immersive-video." Both companies offer a wide range of solutions for small group (under 30, typically less than 15 people).
Here is one more example of group video teleconferencing systems (source: stock photo).
The last example is the Polycom's "cinematic video wall" with 16 feet of seemless; every participant is shown in high definition, true-to-life dimensions.
This has been a brief introduction to various video tele/presence systems (video conferencing, or teleconferencing, if you prefer). While the focus has been primarily on "room" systems including those that offer movable room-to-room systems, from my long-time experience, should give you an idea of what "car make and model" you could make a good choice to select for effective person-to-person or group meetings.
*Television suffers or rather television adds 33% more "weight" to you because of the Aspect Ratio. That is, television puts on the "pounds." The two standard Aspect Ratios are 4:3 or 1.33:1 referred to as Standard is used in home video which means the width is 33% wider than its height. The other standard Aspect Ratio is Widescreen used in HDTV-high definition television is 16:9 or 1.78:1. In other words, Widescreen nearly doubles your "weight." If you don't have a lot of experience with being on television or television production, you can understand why people don't like the way they look on it. |
NEWS - Cisco's Tim Szigeti Speaks at T/P Expo and signs his book "Cisco TelePresence Fundamentals."
Speech Title: Best Practices: TelePresence Design
- TelePresence Technologies Overview
- Simplicity, Quality & Reliability
- TelePresence "Best Practices"
- System
- Room
Tim Szigeti, CCIE#9794, is a Technical Leader in the Enterprise Systems Engineering team at Cisco Systems. His role is to design network architectures for the next wave of medianet applications, including TelePresence, IP video surveillance, digital media systems and desktop video. He has also specialized in Quality of Service technologies for the past decade, during which he has authored many technical papers, including the Enterprise QoS Design Guide and the TelePresence Design guide. He has also co-authored the Cisco Press Books: End-to-End QoS Network Design and Cisco TelePresence Fundamentals.
All paid attendees to the Tele/Presence Forum Expo will receive a copy these "green" ebooks.
624+ page ebook ebook.
&
Tele/Conferencing
Linking People Together Digitally (2010)
by
Thomas B. Cross
A humorous example of a face-to-face (F2F) meeting. People say they prefer F2F but when you consider all the issues in human communications, then consider how communication changes in a tele/presence meeting. It's not that tele/presence is that great, it's that F2F are generally not that great either. |
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Tele/Presence Forum Expo Keynote Speech
From Teleconferencing to Telepresence
Making Virtual Meetings Work For You
Hal Josephson - President of MediaSense
· A brief history -- thirty years of tele-meetings - what will meetings be like 30 years from now
· Best practices -- developing valuable tele-skills - enhancing human communications with tele/presence
· Creative techniques applied: lessons learned - what has failed and what will it take to succeed
Hal Josephson is President of MediaSense, a San Francisco firm that specializes in international business development, strategic marketing/communication and special project planning management services for high-tech businesses. Hal works extensively Pacific Rim companies focusing on assisting partnerships and alliances with Chinese companies. In addition, Hal is the annual Program Chair, Executive Producer and Host of the annual Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF) and the Cyberport Venture Capital Forum (CVCF) in Hong Kong, China.
Hal has specific industry experience in satellite communications, teleconferencing, interactive media, IP licensing, as well as conference design, event promotion and media production, with decades of experience in international business development and strategic marketing.
Hal was a co-founder of the International Teleconferencing Assn. (ITS) and has served on the Board of Directors of the Australian-American Chamber of Commerce. Hal has been an Advisor to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, The Banff New Media Institute and the City of San Jose.
Hal was a founding instructor of San Francisco State University's Multimedia Studies Program, and is co-author of the book, Careers in Multimedia: Roles and Resources. In addition, Hal has authored a variety of articles about communication and media in diverse publications including Digital Media, New Scientist, NewMedia, Information Week SMB,
Conferenza, New Zealand Business and Australia's Metro Magazine.
Hal has keynoted more than 100 industry events during his career, both nationally and internationally, and has appeared as a guest speaker at the World Congress for Information Technology, in Adelaide, Australia, at Unitec's New Zealand Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and at Calgary, Alberta's Westlink Innovation Center. Hal's presentations include: "Doing Effective Business in a Shifting World Marketplace", "Smart Marketing for Entrepreneurial Businesses" and "Business Development by Design: Strategies that Generate Results".
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Understanding and Troubleshooting Video Conferencing Networks
Presented by Gary Thom, President, Delta Information Systems &
Thomas Smith, Program Director, University of Wisconsin
· The bulk of installed systems are H.323 compliant, how can H.323 work with SIP and other standards and protocols
· How does the ITU H.323 and SIP standards support advanced audio and video features
· What are the common problems in videoconferencing networks
For more on University of Wisconsin - Department of Engineering Professional Development Programs - click here |
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SIP interoperability and coexistence with H.323
Critical to Maximizing TCO
The animated tutorial can be found here.
This tutorial shows how the SIP Proxy Server gathers routes from SIP/VoIP gateways in the provider able to build improve routing and performance. Bottom-line is SIP interoperability and coexistence with H.323 is critical to maximize Total Cost of Ownership-TCO.
The tutorial below shows: (go to the animated tutorial to see all):
1) SIP-SIP with PSTN termination,
2) SIP-SIP with IP termination and
3) H.323-H.323 PSTN-PSTN termination.
The SIP Proxy Server uses a RAS-SIP "Handshake" signaling method between the SIP proxy server and the H.323 gatekeeper using RAS-Registration, Admission and Status which includes: location request, location confirmation, and location reject messages and responses. RTP-Realtime Transport Protocol is used to transmit media between SIP endpoints and existing routing structure on H.323 gatekeepers.
The figure below shows a typical signaling call flow from a SIP endpoint to a SIP-H.323 gateway and the signaling between the SIP Proxy Server and the H.323 Gatekeeper.
Bottom-line is "standards-interoperability" is critical to any tele/presence design consideration. This means a critical and indepth understanding of the network infrastructure and routing protocols/priorities is important. |
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"The Essence of Tele/Presence" in 101 Seconds click here
Courtesy: Dialogic
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Featured Tele/Presence Expo Speaker
"The Future of Inter-Company Visual Collaboration. . . Today!"
This presentation will address:
- Building a Business Case and Modeling ROI for Tele/Presence
- The rising hard, soft, and opportunity cost of Tele/Presence
- Balancing Physical Travel Versus Tele/Presence
- Utilizing Tele/Presence for Economic Development and Global Expansion
- Enhancing and Accelerating Revenue Growth via Tele/Presence
- Integrating Tele/Presence into the Supply Chain for Improvement Channel Partner Communications Howard S. Lichtman is a productivity-focused technology futurist, author, publisher and consultant with specialties in telepresence and visual collaboration to improve organizational and personal productivity. He is the founder and president of the Human Productivity Lab, an independent consultancy and research firm that helps organizations design telepresence strategies and deploy telepresence solutions. He is the publisher of Telepresence Options, the #1 website on the Internet covering the telepresence revolution and editor of the Telepresence Options Telegraph, the world's most widely read publication covering telepresence technologies.
Mr. Lichtman is also the author and/or co-author of The Inter-Company Telepresence and Videoconferencing Handbook (2009), The Telepresence and Videoconferencing Exchange Review(2010), Telepresence, Effective Visual Collaboration and the Future of Global Business at the Speed of Light (2006), and Emerging Technologies for Teleconferencing and Telepresence (2005). He is currently working on Telepresence Options 2010. |
Top-10 International Tele/Presence Design Tips
#1-5
To date, international tele/presence aka tele/conferencing has been faced with a number of barriers that block effective implementation.
Our research points out that the principal impediment blocking frequent use of international video tele/conferencing is the end-to-end transmission costs under existing space-segment and terrestrial tariffs. Other constraints, we have found, include the following:
1 · Dependence on various types of tele/presence video (i.e., television) standards and facilities.
2 · Different video standards in various countries of the world PAL/SECAM/NTSC and the need for conversion.
3 · Lack of available international wideband video links and standardized systems between customer premises.
4 · Network priorities such as preemptibility of video conference links because they are implemented on the non-QoS-Quality of Service IP networks and worse - no/low routing priority carrying data and other transactions.
5 · Time zone differences that essentially limit intra-corporate conferences between North America and Europe to a three-to-four-hour common work period (Toronto/London) or worse Pacific Rim to US each day.
NEXT week 6-10 and your thoughts.
The purpose of this discussion is to open a dialogue in regard to these issues. Send your comments to cross@gocross.com. |
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Green House Gas Saving Calculators
Here are two calculators for your planning purposes. While green cost savings are often perceived is the principal "hard dollar" savings, other hard dollars result from reduced sales cycle, faster product-to-market, reduced communications diffusion costs, and others.
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CrossTalk Named One of the Top-10 Telecommunications Blogs
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The World's First and Largest Animated Library on Technology with more than 3,000 animated tutorials.
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Tele/Presence Forum provides education, research, and events designed to improve awareness of the benefits of tele/presence whether video, audio, computer, multi-media, web and other systems.
Among the many benefits, Tele/Presence can:
- Reduce sales cycles - and are proven to increase revenues
- Reduce business costs - travel, downtime, meeting delays, business processes
- Improve productivity - increased coordination yields improved customer communications
- Accelerates communications - faster communications means faster product cycles
- Reduce customer communications disasters - reduce impact of crisis situations |
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