Definitions for Videoconferencing Services

The Videoconferencing Services modules provide in depth coverage of the videoconferencing services of the leading vendors in this area. This module is meant to cover pure videoconferencing service offerings and does not include other primary services that may include a videoconferencing component as an additional capability.

Videoconferencing services are designed to provide point-to-point and multipoint video meeting capabilities to individuals within and throughout various organizations, allowing multiple users to gather together for video based meetings. The basic components of a multiparty videoconference include the endpoints themselves (desktop, room, or telepresence video systems) as present within the user’s network (or as offered by the service provider through the availability of public rooms), the multipoint bridging equipment as provided by the service offerer (or by the user), the physical network to connect the endpoints and bridging equipment, and a management/scheduling system with user interface to allow access to the service (and to support features like meeting scheduling).

T3i Group’s comparative database modules provide detailed information on each vendor’s individual service offerings so all services can be viewed and compared on an equal footing. Each module includes approximately 35 fields of information, each of which is defined as follows:

Company Name: Provides the name of the videoconferencing service vendor

U.S. Headquarters Location: Lists the city and state where the vendor’s U.S. headquarters are located

Main Telephone Number: The primary telephone number at the vendor’s U.S. headquarters location

Internet Address: The vendor’s web site address

Service(s): The model or brand name for each of the vendors’ services being covered

Date Information Verified: The actual date when the product information was last checked and verified to be correct and current

Geographic Coverage: States the primary coverage area where the services are being sold to end users, which could include North America, Central and Latin America, Europe, Africa and Mid East, and Asia-Pacific, or Global (which would encompass multiple or all regions); since audioconferencing services require only a telephone (fixed or mobile) device for access, virtually all audioconferencing services are available on a global basis, however, the vendor may not be actively selling the service to users on a global basis

Number of Participants: this field could state the maximum number of participants supported by the service, the maximum number of simultaneous meetings supported, or the maximum number of participants supported per meeting

Bandwidth/Connection Speeds: states the bandwidth requirements for each conferencing participant or may state the maximum bandwidths available

Reservationless (On Demand) Service: If this capability is supported then users can set up ad hoc meetings without prior reservations or schedules; the meeting organizer (or host) just needs to inform the other attendees to dial in to a particular location

Reserved Service: If this capability is supported then users can schedule (or reserve) meeting facilities in advance (and typically be allowed to set up schedule for recurring meetings), advising meeting attendees to dial in to a particular location at some point in the future

Event Services: this offering allows users to set up special event meetings, such as for corporate announcements or large company gatherings where typically there is a primary presenter who is broadcasting information to many users; event services often include specialized services such as the ability to place all but the primary speaker’s line on mute, the ability to poll the audience members or support a question and answer session at the end of the meeting

Scheduling and Management Services: offerings in this area may include user interfaces to support the scheduling of meetings (or reservation of facilities), overall management of the videoconferencing services (which could also include the network facilities, bridging equipment and endpoints)

Support for Bridging Equipment: indicates that the service provider either offers their own multipoint bridging equipment or can support bridging equipment owned by the user

Support for Endpoint Equipment: indicates that the videoconferencing service provider can also provide support services for the video endpoints owned by the user

Support for High Definition (HD): states whether or not the service provider support high definition (HD) videoconferencing services and equipment, which may typically require properly equipped bridging systems as well as higher network bandwidths

Support for Telepresence: states whether or not the service provider can support high-end video telepresence systems which again may require properly equipped bridging systems and higher network bandwidths

Public Room Availabiity: states whether or not the vendor supports public videoconferencing equipped rooms that can be utilized (usually based on hourly rental fees for the rooms and different charges depending on equipment and bandwidth needs)

Support for IP and ISDN Endpoints: identifies those service providers that are capable of supporting both IP and ISDN connected videoconferencing endpoints; for providers offering pure IP networks, special gateway equipment may be required to offer this service

Dial-in: this capability allows users to dial in to a central location to participate in a videoconference

Dial-out to Add Participants: indicates whether or not the user (typically the meeting host) or the service provider operator can dial-out to add a meeting participant to the conference session

Operator Assistance: states whether or not the service provider offers on line assistance or technical support to users during a conference call (to answer any questions or address any technical problems that might arise during the call)

Operator Monitoring: states whether or not the service provider can provide an operator to stay on line during a videoconferencing session to monitor the quality and performance of the call, or to periodically log into the call to make sure everything is working properly

Operator Meet, Greet and Announce Participants: this feature allows for an operator to initially greet the conference participants as they dial in for the call and introduce them to the other attendees as they are added to the conference

Point to Point: indicates that the service provider supports point to point videoconferencing calls

Multipoint: indicates that the service provider supports multipoint videoconferencing calls

Continuous Presence: continuous presence refers to how the monitor looks during a videoconference when it is divided into multiple windows, where each window contains a view of the participants at the remote sites; on systems where continuous presence is offered, you can see all of the meeting participants at the same time during a multipoint meeting

Audio Add-on: this feature indicates that audio-only participants can be included in the videoconference meetings

T.120 Data: support of this capability is needed for multipoint data collaboration, including such functions as still image transfer, text chat, and more

Integrated Audio/Video/Data: states whether or not the videoconferencing service supports integration of audioconferencing and data sharing capabilities

Multiple Data Rates, Speed Matching or Transcoding: in many cases (either on a point to point or a multipoint video call) different endpoints will be accessing the network at different bandwidths; these systems can all be accommodated on videoconferencing services that support speed matching or transcoding, which allows different users to access the conference at different connection speeds, with the conference experience being maximized for each

Recording: this capability allows users to record their videoconference meetings; the recordings can then be archived and accessed for replay at a later date (for historical reference or for access by individuals who were not able to attend the original meeting)

View Multiple Images on Monitor: this capability allows endpoint monitors to display multiple images, such as a video screen and a still image or data file screen, or possibly multiple video images in a multisite conference

Additional Capabilities: lists any other features or capabilities of the videoconferencing service not already addressed in the previous list of attributes

Pricing: provides details on the list or discounted (street) pricing for the videoconferencing service offerings; these prices could be in the form of per site hourly fees, network access fees, or flat rate all you can use fees

Strengths: lists the overall strengths of the vendor or their service offerings compared to other like vendors and services available in the market

Weaknesses: lists the overall weaknesses of the vendor or their service offerings compared to other like vendors and services available in the market