Avoid the biggest pitfalls with Video Conferencing

Transcription

1 Avoid the biggest pitfalls with Video Conferencing We share with you 8 points that in our experience are frequently overlooked in Video Conferencing projects A Video Conferencing Guide by Kevin Wilson & Ian Hancey Simple, easy to follow, point-by-point help for the most common mistakes made with Video Conferencing projects!

2 So, you want to know how to avoid the biggest Video Conferencing mistakes? Then you ve come to the right place we would like to share our knowledge with you about some of the things frequently overlooked in Video Conferencing projects. We want to help you avoid some of the common mistakes that result in Video Conferencing systems sitting in the corner of meeting rooms, gathering dust. We don t want you to be one of the companies who say, We ve tried Video Conferencing but it didn t work OR nobody uses it! This often happens simply because some elements of the project were overlooked the first time around. After 15 years in the industry and hundreds of successful Video Conferencing installs there s not much we haven t seen, so we ve taken the time to list some of the things we ve learnt over the years in a simple, easy to follow booklet. Some will seem like common sense, some might be new to you, but they are all worth taking a look at because they will help you get the most out of your Video Conferencing investment! It s not an exhaustive list, but if you consider these areas, we guarantee your systems will be used, used by more people and used more often. We hope it helps! Make the most out of Video Conferencing 2

3 The Equipment 4 1) Positioning & Size of Screen 4 2) Camera Positioning 4 Page The Room 5-7 3) Room Layout 5 4) Acoustics & Lighting 6/7 The Technical Stuff 8/9 5) Connectivity 8 6) Firewalls 8/9 7) Data Sharing 9 Post Installation 10 8) Training

4 The Equipment 1) Positioning & Size of Screen The positioning of the screen is really all about everyone in the room being able to see it easily, without moving, twisting or turning awkwardly. Imagine spending an hour straining to see the screen or twisting your head awkwardly - unpleasant and uncomfortable! Some rules of thumb to follow: Position the screen where everyone can see it Avoid placing the screen by a window, glass wall or door Avoid a large screen in a small room; people up close won t be able to see it Equally, avoid small screens in a large room; people at the back won t be able to see it! 2) Camera Positioning The camera view is what the people at the far site will see, so if you have to turn away from the camera to look at the screen, then the people at the other end will see the back or side of your head. Trust us, this doesn t make for a great video meeting! Position the camera at eye level. In most cases this is dead centre of the screen, which we know, without a full on Telepresence system is not achievable but you can get as close as possible. Depending on the height of your screen this could be just underneath the screen, just on top of the screen or slightly to one side. Make the most out of Video Conferencing 4

5 The Room 3) Room Layout In an ideal world the perfect environment for a Video Conference call is a dedicated room that has been built for the purpose; a virtual presence or Telepresence room, which has no windows and all the necessary equipment in the right place to optimise sound, image and lighting. We know that in most cases this is not realistic. We believe a room that works well for ordinary meetings usually works just as well for Video Conferences. Décor The best décor for your Video Conferencing room is plain and simple. Try to keep the area in the camera's field of view as uncluttered as possible. This keeps the focus of your Video Conference on the people. The best wall colour is a neutral non-white colour, such as light grey, light blue or beige. White acts as a reflective surface, not great for Video Conferencing! Furniture Most rooms have rectangular or circular tables, and these are fine for Video Conferencing. If you have a choice, select a table that can show all of your meeting participants facing the camera. For smaller rooms a trapezoid-shaped table works well. For large conference rooms, you can arrange three rectangular tables to form a U shape. 5

6 4) Acoustics & Lighting Room Acoustics In most rooms, the existing acoustics are fine for Video Conferencing. Your goal should be to create an acoustically "dead" room. Avoid the echo chamber! Sound should not easily reflect or bounce around the room causing distortion and inconsistent audio levels. A perfect illustration of this effect - you wouldn t want to make a phone call in the bathroom! Add things to the room to absorb the annoying sound reverberation. If your room has large windows install curtains, drapes or blinds. Consider installing a carpet and adding acoustic ceiling tiles, as tile floors and ceilings of hard materials can also cause sound reverberation. When choosing artwork and furniture for your room, avoid large glass framed artwork and hard, shiny surfaces. Also, is your room secluded from sources of annoying external noise, such as climate control systems, common areas like copier rooms, storage rooms, cafeteria areas and ringing telephones? You can use items like automatic gain controllers (AGCs), limiters, filters, and feedback eliminators to resolve audio problems. These are worth considering for rooms with non-optimal layouts, glass walls, and high background noise and also for large rooms. Make the most out of Video Conferencing 6

7 Lighting Some simple rules: Cameras need LOTS of light, especially High Definition ones! Cameras don t handle glare, so avoid it where possible Aim for even light levels Avoid white walls! It is important to help cameras separate background from people; this is often achieved by simply painting the background blue. Why blue? Because the lack of blue pigment in human skin helps cameras achieve separation. 7

8 The Technical Stuff 5) Connectivity To IP or not to IP, that is the question! IP is now the medium of choice. ISDN will be missed, with ISDN you know where you stand, you dial a number, connect a call and most of the time it worked. What won t be missed are the expensive line installation, rental and call rates, limited bandwidth and not to mention international call charges. So, what s so great about IP? When compared to ISDN it is cheaper and faster, you don t have call charges by the minute and everyone already has it. Whether everyone is using it for their Video Conferencing is another matter, this is largely due to firewalls and the problems that they can cause with video, which we cover next 6) Firewalls What s the problem with Firewalls? By their very nature firewalls block anything they don t recognise from entering your network and potentially causing harm, this can often include Video Conferencing traffic. If you have a Video Conference system on your network and try making a call out to someone over the Internet without making any configuration changes it will almost certainly fail. And remember, just because you ve put in the appropriate means to get past your firewall doesn t mean the person you are calling has. Make the most out of Video Conferencing 8

9 What are the options? Network Address Translation (NAT) A NAT configuration requires rules to be configured on your firewall device that stop it from blocking specific traffic to your Video Conferencing device. Your Video Conferencing system also needs its configuration modified so that it is able to make successful calls. Public IP Connection You can connect your Video Conferencing equipment directly to the Internet, this means that you re beyond its security control and can freely make calls over the Internet. Video Firewall Traversal System All the major Video Conferencing manufacturers have a firewall traversal device. These are video aware firewalls that sit parallel with your normal firewall and enable your Video Conferencing systems to bypass your firewall whilst still allowing internal calls and remaining secure. So what should I do? With a few choices that all seem to have the same result this is a very good question. Of course using a video firewall traversal system is the preferred option but not necessarily always the most viable. If you only have one or two video systems then it is probably better to put them on a Public IP connection, or set up a NAT. 7) Data Sharing Consider pc connectivity / data sharing needs. If interactivity, sharing presentations and other media are an essential part of your requirements this will have an impact on the type of systems and solution that you choose. 9

10 Post-Installation 8) Training In our experience untrained personnel are less likely to use equipment than trained ones it sounds obvious and it is If you don t train your staff, the few that get it, will use it - leaving all the technophobes behind! No one would be expected to drive a car without first having been taught and passing a test. Similarly, if a user is to gain maximum benefit from your solution then training is an essential element towards that success. Why provide your users with training? Although the basic functionality of a Video Conference system is very simple, staff need to spend time learning how to use the system and without formal training very few will find that time. Many people also find the initial experience of being on camera a little scary. User training can help overcome these hurdles and get equipment utilised faster. Why train an administrator? The introduction of 'Superusers' dramatically increases user confidence. They have the ability to see potential uses within their own small office community. They become promoters of video technologies, spreading that excitement throughout the office and have been responsible for huge increases in usage within many companies. With a Superuser on hand, user errors and minor problems can be quickly resolved. Make the most out of Video Conferencing 10

11 About the authors The Business One Kevin is passionate about Visual Communications. With over 15 years worth of knowledge and experience gained from working in the industry, Kevin has a great insight into the reasons why companies adopt Visual Communications solutions and the benefits they gain from doing so and also on the flip side, the barriers they encounter. He also understands, first hand, how the technology has changed and significantly improved over the last few years. The Techie One With over 12 years of experience of using and implementing video based solutions, it is Ian s task to bring together seemingly complex technical solutions to tackle the very human problem of corporate communications. Clarifying the issues to be addressed and proposing solutions without the technical jargon is his aim. Ian has a practical working knowledge of networks, audio, lighting and electronics and an understanding of business needs to draw on when offering advice. 11

12 So there you are, 8 tips to get the most out of Video Conferencing! AuDeo Systems Ltd First Floor, 6 Faraday Office Park, Rankine Road, Basingstoke, Hants, RG24 8QB sales@audeo.co.uk