Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Videoconferencing
Participation

Become a User

In the past, videoconferencing equipment was very expensive, only existed at limited locations, in specialized rooms, required dedicated high speed telephone lines and expensive usage costs. Consequently, their availability and use was limited. Now, that has all changed.

So, you never have used or participated in a videoconference before? Don't let this stop you. Everyone feels uncomfortable or apprehensive the first time they use a new technology. But, the more you use videoconferencing the more you feel comfortable with the new experience. You will soon realize the value of VC to your ongoing work related activities.

The more you use it,
 the more you will want to use it.

Are you confused by the apparent complexity and don't understand the technology? Don't be. Once the initial VC setup is done, usually by your local technical support person, the operation can be almost as simple as using a telephone. Give it a try.

- Videoconferencing -
Now you can be in two places at once!

Now you can attend your department faculty meeting in the morning, meet with research colleagues in Australia, attend a graduate committee meeting in Texas and be back in your office before 5, with time to spare!

Don't let your physical location limit your availability to attend meetings or teach classes. A videoconference system can be used to enable meetings that could normally not be held due to budget limitations, travel distances and time constraints. On the other hand, VC can be used when you must travel but still need to teach or attend a meeting at your primary work location.

Videoconferencing should be considered to replace physical meetings that would require leaving your office work area. Meeting schedule flexibility is gained because videoconference links can be made from your office PC, from home or when traveling. Many hotels now provide high speed Internet access in the rooms. Compatible equipment can be acquired to meet your needs that range from units for mobile, office, meeting room to conference-size facilities.

VC provides you the flexibility to be where you need to be.

If it is difficult to schedule meetings due to time or distance, consider videoconferencing for some or all of the participants. Videoconferencing is currently being used successfully for:

How can you participate?

Do you think you can't afford the equipment and operation costs? While VC equipment can certainly be expensive for large installations, entry level systems can be added to your desktop or portable PC for a minimal cost. You can use a $50 camera with the free VC software that comes with your PC's operating system. Upgrade the PC software for $100 to increase functionality. For use in group meetings,  there are table top units that can range from $3,000 to $8,000 depending on functionality. Large meeting rooms and classrooms can range in price from $10,000 and up. Any of these costs can be justified and offset by the time and travel savings as well as improved productivity. And best of all, no communications charges since it is all done across the Internet. A wide variety of options are available. Check out the recommended equipment that is already in use within IFAS.

What is available?

Videoconference resources are becoming increasingly available throughout the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). This resource is intended to facilitate the communications between or among remote individuals or groups to support distance education, collaborative research or any other type of meeting. All units are compatible with each other for basic videoconferencing functions while a few have extended capabilities for enhanced videoconference services. All utilize the Internet for H.323 connectivity. In general, there are no user connectivity costs associated with the use of these systems since they use our private network and the public Internet.

BASIC VIDEOCONFERENCING - multiple on-campus sites and many off-campus sites are available for general videoconferencing. These sites use  Polycom videoconference units located at various sites at IFAS Research Centers and county Extension offices throughout the state. They can be used for individual or group meetings and all (except most PC-based units) contain pan and zoom cameras. Those Polycom systems with a Multiport Control Unit (MCU) can support up to 4 simultaneous (3 remote + 1 local) connections (FX and VSX 7800 models). Polycom units with MCUs can be linked to support up to 10 total connections.

ENHANCED VIDEOCONFERENCING - consists of the main on-campus studio/classroom (McCarty Hall G-001) and 12 off-campus sites connected through private point-to-point T-1 data lines supporting a guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) dedicated video path. These units are scheduled and made available through the IFAS Communication Services (ICS) unit. They should be contacted to check availability of equipment for either large-scale videoconferencing or distance education use. 

A table of all IFAS sites is available with links to a list of local contact personnel. To distinguish their unique function, the enhanced videoconference sites with QoS are highlighted in yellow. 
 
The Polycom units can link to desktop PC cameras.  PC based videoconferencing is available with the use of inexpensive cameras and free software like Microsoft NetMeeting. However, the quality and functionality will be limited. Upgrading to the low cost Polycom PVX software is highly recommended to provide support for higher bandwidth connectivity speeds, better video compression and compatible functionality with all the larger Polycom videoconference systems in use throughout the Institute.

When needing to connect three or more videoconference sites several options are available. If a Polycom FX or VSX 7800 unit (provides up to 4-way connectivity) is not part of the conference, connectivity can be provided through the UF campus Radvision video Bridge/Gateway. Information about their videoconferencing and data collaboration services is available. In general, connectivity is free. Some special services do charge a small fee. Instructions are available on-line for using the MCU to register, select a service and configure your Polycom video unit.

If interested in videoconferencing with other states, a national directory of Extension Internet (H.323) videoconference sites is being developed at Texas A&M. The Video Conference Site Inventory list can be found on the web at:

http://vcsi.tamu.edu/

Additional videoconference sites can also be found at the Kansas State University Video Conferencing Resource Site. It is on the web at:

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/h323/

 

 

Additional support documentation is available from the
IFAS VideoConference Notebook
Table of Content