Teleconferencing Options

Audio teleconferencing is voice-only communication. It links people in remote locations via ordinary phone lines. Audio systems include telephone conference calls as well as more sophisticated systems that connect many locations via a central bridge that ties all the lines together.

Although audio teleconferencing lacks a visual dimension, it has some important advantages:

• It uses a readily available and familiar technology - the telephone.

• Transmission services are widely and easily accessible.

• It is relatively inexpensive to use. And,

• It can interconnect large numbers of locations in two-way sessions.

This Primer looks at each form of audio teleconferencing from simple operator-assisted conferences to the more complex forms in which a teleconference bridge is necessary and the public switched telephone network is used. No matter what the situation, the user must have some type of station equipment (portable or semi-portable speaker/microphone equipment), or there must be a permanent teleconferencing room.

The term "audio graphics" refers to systems that use narrow-band telecommunications channels to transmit visual information - graphics, alphanumerics, documents, video pictures - as an adjunct to voice communication. Other common terms are"audio plus" or "enhanced audio."

Audio graphic systems offer two primary advantages:

• The flexibility and economy of using telephone lines or other narrow-band media. And,

• The ability to transmit written, graphic, and print information to supplement audio interaction.

Audio graphic technologies include an array of end-user devices that are employed as teleconferencing tools: personal computers, electronic tablets and boards, freeze-frame video terminals, high resolution graphics systems, facsimile machines, optical graphic scanners, videotext systems, and voice/data terminals. Additionally, computer conferencing is now typically falling under the audio graphic area, and it too will be covered in this section. Facsimile is often used to transmit documents in connection with a teleconference, however, it is considered to be a general office product and is not marketed for teleconferencing per se.

A special note here about computer conferencing which, today, is considers part of the audio graphics conferencing options. While voice communication a vital shared element in audio, audio graphic, and video systems, it is absent from computer conferencing. Computer conferencing is a means by which mar people can communicate with each other through computers that are links together. These conferences are not bounded by space or time. Users can control the pace of their communications, choosing when and to what degree they wish to participate in a conference.

The transmission services most often employed for audio graphic teleconferencing are regular dial-up telephone lines, where one line is used for audio and one line for graphics; and private full-duplex networks of either voice-grade 4 data channels. As in multi-point audio conferencing, a bridging device is also required to link multiple locations for an audio graphic teleconference.

Video conferencing combines audio and video media to provide both voice communication and full-motion video images. The displays may be of people objects, graphics, video tapes - virtually anything that can be captured by television camera or fed from another video source.

The major advantage of video conferencing, in comparison to audio or audio graphics, is the ability to display moving images. The most common application is to show pictures of people. For many users, this ability creates a social presence that resembles face-to-face meetings (in teleconferencing, this is called continuous presence) and enables conferees to see the facial expressions and physic demeanor of remote participants.

The two primary forms of video conferencing are compressed video using digital transmission circuits and full-motion video using broadband analog channels (this includes one-way broadcasts as in business television as well two-way, full-motion video).

Compressed video is most often used for long-haul communications via prim or shared satellite channels. Broadband analog video is common for business television applications and for local or regional networks that employ microwave or cable. The end-user equipment of cameras, monitors or large screen projectors, audio systems, and accessories may be installed in a permanent video conferencing room or integrated into a transportable unit called a rollabout.

Admittedly, we have just provided a thumbnail sketch of each type of teleconferencing system. The details are left for subsequent chapters where we will bring in the props, roles, scenarios, and technicians. First, however, we want to do a bit more stage setting by looking at some general applications of teleconferencing and examining major issues affecting its growth.

Teleconferencing benefits directly from advances in telecommunications and digital technologies, where the trend is clearly toward the continuing integration of digital systems and networks to support the automated office.

In the office environment, an increasing number of personal computers, word processors, electronic telephones, facsimile systems, and other advanced equipment are being used for information management and decision support. Also gaining in popularity are voice/data terminals, videotext systems, and multi-function desktop or personal workstations that handle text, data, graphics and video communications.

Within this context, teleconferencing itself is developing by incorporating new advances in digital and telecommunications technologies. We are also beginning to see how teleconferencing will be integrated into the automated office as a tool for communications, education and training, information management and decision support.

Teleconferencing is used by a variety of organizations in the United States and other countries for many types of functions. The list of organizations includes business and industry, colleges and universities, medical institutions, government agencies, associations, churches, training centers, labor unions, primary and secondary schools, and many others.

In tracing the applications of teleconferencing, educators were the first group to adopt and apply teleconferencing systems, primarily to extend educational opportunities to people in distant locations. Teleconferencing has been applied to continuing professional education, college credit instruction, general adult education, in-service training, and public service programs. Other applications revolve around meetings for administration, budget planning, committee won and so forth.

The fastest growing segment of teleconferencing activity, however, has bet in business and industry. Business interest in teleconferencing did not materialize to any great extent until the late 1970s, and the majority of private teleconferencing systems have been installed in the past five years.

Companies use teleconferencing for many purposes. The widest application for meetings,but teleconferencing runs the gamut from engineering design a budget sessions to meetings of stockholders and boards of directors to employ and customer training. Many companies use audio teleconferencing, but the newest private installations are video systems.

Teleconferencing has also penetrated government agencies - municipal, state and federal - and applications show a great deal of diversity and innovation. It is used for administrative meetings as well as legislative meetings, public hearings campaign fundraising, prisoner arraignments, depositions, court hearings, disaster intervention, and other uses that pertain to each agency's unique mission

Government involvement in teleconferencing has promoted applications in a number of ways. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been particularly active in teleconferencing since the early 1970s through support of satellite projects and its own internal applications. The Department of Defense has also been active in using teleconferencing. The U.S. Army and Force use video teleconferencing to deliver military training and military personnel. Other federal agencies as well have played important role teleconferencing applications.

There have been a number of important trends in technology, applications, attitudes that deserve to be mentioned at this point:

• There has been an increased awareness of the need for high quality audio bridging technology. This awareness and demand has brought forth addition products and services that incorporate new features and enhance applications

• There is a trend to identify teleconferencing with full-motion video but, of course, those who have labored extensively in the interactive audio and audio graphics fields know that video is only one part of the whole electronic communications technology. However, the trend toward video has some significant benefits, one being the introduction of high quality interactive audio in conjunction with video presentations.

• There is now a wider variety of audio teleconferencing equipment for various types of electronic applications. This ranges from portable equipment for small groups to equipment that satisfies medium size groups to conference rooms that have been specially treated and include microphones that do not interfere with the interactive process. There is also a trend to use various types of technology within an organization in relation to different applications. For example, Ford Motor Company uses full-motion video for special event satellite conferences to introduce new products to dealers throughout the U.S., while it uses interactive audio and freeze frame graphics for engineers to design a new car.

• There is also a trend toward using teleconferencing for more international applications. As more international services have become available, this segment has seen significant growth for teleconferencing.

• In the past, organizations have typically designed their own systems. This was due to the fact that there were not enough experienced vendors around to provide the individual design applications needed. Today, however, there are many vendor and service options available to prospective users. Vendors, service providers, and consultants are moving into turn-key systems, integration, room design, and user training areas. They will design the system and rooms, integrate the components into a total package, work with acoustic engineers and others to install the system, and provide training on how to apply the equipment. In short, there are more and more services being offered in the form of "one stop shopping" - providing equipment, program production, system development, and implementation on a total delivery basis.

Both research and user applications demonstrate that teleconferencing provides important benefits. Many of these strengths relate to its ability to interconnect distant locations quickly and efficiently.

Teleconferencing is sometimes called a substitute for travel in conducting face-to-face meetings. It is probably more germane to view it as a complementary communications and management tool. Not all face-to-face meetings an necessary or appropriate for given situations, and teleconferencing is an option with particular advantages.

Here are the major benefits that researchers and users point out:

• Teleconferencing can be as effective, or more effective, that face-to-face meetings for a variety of applications.

• Teleconferencing meetings tend to be shorter and better organized that face-to-face meetings.

• Teleconferencing can improve productivity through reduced travel time and more efficient communication.

• Teleconferencing provides faster decision-making and quick access to additional resource people; problems can be addressed as they arise.

• Teleconferencing allows for rapid follow-up meetings to put decisions into action.

• Teleconferencing can improve the quality and quantity of communication among branch office and headquarters.

• Teleconferencing can be used for at least 50-60% of all meetings to reduce travel costs.

• Teleconferencing is an efficient means of accessing and communicating information, and it can be integrated with other automated office technologies

• Teleconferencing can provide additional opportunities for professional education and training more conveniently.

• Teleconferencing can increase the participation of employees to heighten commitment to the organization.

• Teleconferencing can increase profits through new marketing opportunities, improved communication with sales people, and a better trained and motivated sales force.

• Teleconferencing can enhance the image of a company as a business leader.

Keeping in mind the benefits of teleconferencing, let us take a look at some of the key problems facing organizations today. They include:

• White collar productivity;

• Inefficient communications and information processing;

• An unstable economy and continual inflation in general;

• Increased travel and energy costs;

• A more competitive marketplace both in business and education;

• The need to update worker knowledge and skills more frequently than ever before.

All of these issues are directly related to an organization's ability to operate cost effectively. They are bottom-line factors that ultimately affect its ability to compete and survive in an ever-changing world.

Two major forces driving the teleconferencing industry are not problems but possible solutions:

• The trend toward the automated office and digital communications and information technologies, and

• Advances in teleconferencing technologies.

In looking at developments in the past two years, it is clear that options are increasing both in public and private services for all forms of teleconferencing. More choices are available today at the national and international levels for teleconference users - whether it is audio only, audio graphics, or some form of video conferencing.

New technologies and improvements to existing technologies are constantly being introduced. Standards, a long-standing issue in interactive telecommunications, are being established and accepted thereby allowing different equipment to talk to each other. Ultimately, this means that organizations with one type of equipment will be able to communicate with another organization using another type of gear.

While acceptance, technological advancements and standards are all important issues as they relate to teleconferencing, none is probably more important than ergonomics; that is, the human factors that relate to users and applications. Nothing is probably more vital to the acceptance and application of teleconferencing within an organization than this interface between technology and people.

We hope this book helps ease this marriage between technology and people by focusing on the basics of teleconferencing technologies so that appropriate decisions can be made for their application or use within an organization.