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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Live Video is Worth a Million

By Ben Neeser

In previous issues of UMart, Spy Rock has shared his vision of seeing the U of M become the first "video campus" in the world. His vision includes: (1) strategically placing video cameras around campus to allow online participants to see things from their desktops as they are happening; (2) equipping campus conference rooms for video conferencing so that people can participate remotely and meetings can be made public; (3) equipping all classrooms with video capability so that students can access lectures and discussions for both live remote use and later review sessions; and (4) equipping all desktop computers on campus for video conferencing in order to better connect individuals everywhere.

How many times have you thought to yourself, "I wish I was there"? If I could have attended the Student Senate meeting, I would have learned so much more than from reading the minutes. If I could be on campus right now, I would know where the best parking spot is or how long the lines are. If I could see for myself what life is like on campus, even while I am all the way across the country, I might be more interested in the University. The video campus that Spy Rock is describing would allow individuals to transcend geographic boundaries, to "be" in many places at once, to see things for themselves.

This innovative use of video technology has the potential to completely revolutionize the way we conduct business at the University. By providing us with on-demand access to the information that we need, this technology will help us to plan our time more wisely and to be more efficient in our work. The bottom line of all of this: a win-win situation for every person on campus, as well as for the University at large.

While these visions of a video campus are yet to be realized, video technologies are not new to the University. In fact the Office of Information Technology, through the Video Network Services (VNS) group, has been supporting faculty, students, and staff for years with valuable, innovative video technologies that enable teaching, learning, and the open exchange of ideas. This article is a short summary of those technologies.

Video Conferencing: Video conferencing is when people connect two or more sites by audio and video, enabling them to interact as if they were at a single site.

Desktop video conferencing (also known as peer-to-peer conferencing) is when two computers equipped with Webcams and conferencing software are connected and the users enable conferencing. This method also allows both parties to transfer files and share documents, and it can be scheduled at any time.

Adobe Breeze is a software application that can be used to run another type of desktop conferencing. Unlike the standard desktop conferencing method described above, Breeze can be used to connect more than two locations and to Webcast an event to a large audience. Breeze also provides additional features that the other videoconferencing services do not: live chat, file sharing, the ability to display PowerPoint presentations as well as other video and graphics, a whiteboard to collaborate with text and drawing, and the ability to record meetings to be viewed at a later time.

Set Top Conferencing uses a codec (COmpressor/DECompressor) unit that sits on top of a monitor to connect two or more sites (with each site typically having less than 10 participants). The codec unit performs two main functions. First, it captures the audio and video, compresses it, and transmits it over the network. Second, it receives data from the remote site and decodes it so that it can be seen and heard. There are two different types of codec units: point-to-point codecs, which can connect only two sites, and multipoint codecs, which can connect up to eight separate sites. Set top conferencing offers many advantages: it provides for better video quality; the conference can be secured over an internal network; it is compatible with auxiliary equipment such as VCRs, document cameras, etc.; the interface is user-friendly and easy to configure; and conferences can be scheduled at any time.

Using an Interactive Television Classroom (ITV) is a good videoconferencing option for large groups: it offers interactive capabilities and the highest video quality. This method uses special classrooms that are already equipped with cameras and microphones and are integrated with the University of Minnesota's fiber and data networks. These rooms allow all participants to be seen and heard. This method offers very secure, reliable service, and no setup is required by the participants. These conferencing facilities must be scheduled ahead of time through VNS.

Video Streaming/Webcasting: Webcasting is a technology that allows placing video on a remote computer for users to access. This method is quite similar to a TV broadcast in that the source material can be pre-recorded and then accessed by thousands of users simultaneously, regardless of geographic location. VNS can provide streaming services out of any ITV room and many other locations on campus.

Satellite Services: VNS offers a service of downlinking programs that have been distributed via satellite and then distributing them across the campus video network to appropriately equipped sites on campus. In addition, VNS can create a VHS or SVHS video tape of downlinked programs.

Consulting: In addition to the technologies listed in this article, VNS staff, along with staff from other OIT units, offer technical consultation and support for video production, podcasting, campus video needs, and electronic room design and configuration.

If we are to create a fully integrated video campus as Spy Rock is suggesting, we can do so by building on all of the technologies that VNS has successfully integrated. In the recent past, accomplishing this ambitious vision would not have been possible. Today, however, we have overcome many technological constraints and are capable of building the infrastructure required to make the video campus dream a reality.

For more information on Video Network Services, please visit the VNS website at www.umn.edu/vns or contact them at vns@umn.edu.