SingTel WorldConference Multipoint Video Conference

Transcription

1 SingTel WorldConference Multipoint Video Conference FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS December 2006

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS GENERAL Can the Multipoint Video Conference bridge support different types of connections and speeds? What are the endpoints supported in Multipoint Video Conference bridge? Can Multipoint Video Conference bridge dial-out or accept calls from the endpoints? Can I choose the video display layout? Can I request for pre-conference testing prior to my scheduled conference session? What are the supported standards (Video/Audio/Transfer rates)? What information is required to connect to a video conference session if I am on ISDN, Public IP or SingTel s Private IP services?...2 IP ENDPOINT Is an IP-based video conference service available? Can the endpoint be placed behind a firewall? Can I use the normal ISP internet access for the endpoint? What minimum bandwidth is required? Must it be dedicated bandwidth? Can I use NAT behind firewall? Is it worth keeping my ISDN line since IP service is available? What components will be deployed to support SingTel Multipoint Video Conference service?..4 ISDN ENDPOINT What should I take note of when installing ISDN for video conference? How is ISDN charged? Can I connect to the SingTel Multipoint Video Conference service from other ISDN location? Who will configure the video conference equipment? What is the quality of the image for ISDN connection?...5 3G-ENABLED MOBILE PHONES What should I do if I hear a high pitch tone when dialling into the conference? Would I be able to view shared documents/applications from my 3G-enabled mobile phone? I experience video jitters and pixilation. Why is this so?...6 GLOSSARY... 7 Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. i

3 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS General 1. Can the Multipoint Video Conference bridge support different types of connections and speeds? Yes. Multipoint Video Conference bridge supports both H.323 (IP) and H.320 (ISDN) standards and speeds from room-based endpoints and web-based client. 2. What are the endpoints supported in Multipoint Video Conference bridge? Below are some endpoints for your reference. Polycom Tandberg Polycom ipower Tandberg 6000 v4.1 Polycom ipower Tandberg 880 v4.1 Polycom ipower Polycom ViaVideo VCON Polycom ViaVideo VCON Cruiser 4.6 Polycom VS EX VCON Escort 4.6 Polycom VS FX VCON Falcon IP 0301 Polycom VS VCON MC Polycom VS VCON Vigo 5.1 Polycom VSSP VCON vpoint 6.0 Polycom VSSP Polycom VSX Polycom VSX Can Multipoint Video Conference bridge dial-out or accept calls from the endpoints? Yes. It supports both dial-in and dial-out (call launching) for any mode of video conference. 4. Can I choose the video display layout? Yes. SingTel Multipoint Video Conference allows you to select either Video Switching or Continuous Presence. By default, continuous presence (single mode) will be selected if user does not opt for any viewing mode. 5. Can I request for pre-conference testing prior to my scheduled conference session? Yes. Please contact 24-hour Conference Centre to arrange for a complimentary connection test prior to the scheduled conference. Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. Page 1 of 8

4 6. What are the supported standards (Video/Audio/Transfer rates)? Video standards H.261, H.263 and H.264 for room-based endpoint conferencing Audio standards G.711, G.722, G.722.1, G.728, G and G.729 Transfer rates 128 kbps, 256 kbps, and 384 kbps 7. What information is required to connect to a video conference session if I am on ISDN, Public IP or SingTel s Private IP services? Access Mode Information Required Provided By ISDN ISDN number (for BRI, PRI orv.35/rs-449/rs- 530 capability) ISDN Service Provider Remark: Bandwidth range is from 128 kbps to 384 kbps Public IP Private IP (Meg@POP or ConnectPlus IP VPN) ISDN switch protocols Dedicated Static Public IP address SingTel Gatekeeper address (i) Dedicated Static Public IP address (ii) Extranet Service to Multipoint Video Conference platform (iii) Premium-non-realtime class SingTel Gatekeeper address Video/Audio quality is subjected to link speed. Internet Service Provider Note: Public IP address is required to be assigned to your room-based/set-top appliance to avoid incompatibility issue between your firewall with H.323 traffic. Localised network should be prepared to house roombased systems and be placed outside firewall. The other deployment mode will require careful study e.g. NAT, H.323 traffic treatment and needs further consultation with your IT department and service provider. Note: At least a bandwidth of 160 kbps (approx) is required for a 128 kbps video session and a bandwidth of 465 kbps (approx) is required for a 384 kbps video session. Video / Audio quality is subjected to internet condition and link speed Fixed at SingTel Meg@POP or ConnectPlus IP VPN Note: Meg@POP or ConnectPlus IP VPN is available on a subscription basis. Upon subscription of either Meg@POP or ConnectPlus IP VPN service, you will be provided dedicated static public IP addresses for room-based systems connectivity. To avoid incompatibility issue, localised network should be prepared to house room-based systems and be placed outside firewall. Fixed at Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. Page 2 of 8

5 IP endpoint 1. Is an IP-based video conference service available? Yes. Static public IP address is required for connection. 2. Can the endpoint be placed behind a firewall? No. Our recommendation is to put the endpoint before the firewall. In other words, connect directly to CPE router to allow the flow of H.323 traffic into SingTel Multipoint Video Conference bridge. 3. Can I use the normal ISP internet access for the endpoint? It is advisable to seek your ISP's recommendation for a plan that supports multimedia traffic. 4. What minimum bandwidth is required? You will need at least 160 kbps (approx) for a 128 kbps video session and 465 kbps (approx) for a 384 kbps video session. 5. Must it be dedicated bandwidth? Yes. The multimedia (voice and/or video) requires allocated bandwidth as this type of traffic is delay sensitive. In contrast with data traffic, multimedia traffic is sensitive to packet loss and delay. In data traffic, huge amount of data may be transmitted in smaller packets and the receiving station can re-assemble all the packets without delay. The sender station can re-transmit the packet as required. In multimedia traffic, delay and packet loss will result in incomplete pictures, voice and video jitters. Re-transmitting packet is not an option for multimedia traffic. 6. Can I use NAT behind firewall? You may do so provided the firewall supports H.323 and NAT support for H.323. However, we do not recommend this as it must be designed and tested and carefully by your IT Administrator. Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. Page 3 of 8

6 7. Is it worth keeping my ISDN line since IP service is available? We recommend that each system have at least 1 ISDN line installed as a backup to IP. ISDN is of better quality but costs more to maintain. 8. What components will be deployed to support SingTel Multipoint Video Conference service? a) Gatekeeper - this component provides call admission control, address translation (i.e. phone number to IP address), call management and tracking among other functions for IP endpoints. Video conference system will register with the gatekeeper to gain access to routing, gateway, and multipoint conference services. b) Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) - the MCU, situated at SingTel allows three or more sites to participate in a conference. Multiple screen layouts are offered to make conferences more effective. Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. Page 4 of 8

7 ISDN endpoint 1. What should I take note of when installing ISDN for video conference? When SingTel installs ISDN at a customer's premises, there are various configuration details that can be set. Some of these can affect the quality and reliability of the ISDN line, and hence the quality and availability of video conference from that location. Ensure the ISDN numbers are configured correctly according to the physical lines. 2. How is ISDN charged? Like 'normal' telephone calls, the cost of ISDN calls comprises fixed-cost line rental and price-per-minute for each call made. The actual charges will depend on the supplier of telecoms services. ISDN calls are normally charged by per channel. The cost of each channel is normally equivalent to one telephone line. For example, for an ISDN-6 (384 kbps) call, the charges are therefore six times the cost of a 'normal' telephone call. 3. Can I connect to the SingTel Multipoint Video Conference service from other ISDN location? You should be able to connect to the service if the location has equipment that supports H.320 standard, and has at least a 128 kbps connection. 4. Who will configure the video conference equipment? ISDN line number will be provided by the ISDN service provider. The supplier of the equipment will be able to assist in the configuration of the ISDN settings. 5. What is the quality of the image for ISDN connection? At 128 kbps (ISDN-2), the quality of the image is about 15 fps. For 384 kbps (ISDN-6), quality can be achieved up to 30 fps. Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. Page 5 of 8

8 3G-enabled mobile phones 1. What should I do if I hear a high pitch tone when dialling into the conference? This happens when you have selected audio call instead of video call from your handset. Always ensure that you make a video call when dialling in for video conference. 2. Would I be able to view shared documents/applications from my 3Genabled mobile phone? No. As most 3G handsets have relatively small screen, data collaboration and sharing is not possible. Despite that, you are able to see and hear your conferencing parties and engage in highly mobile video conferencing anytime, anywhere. 3. I experience video jitters and pixilation. Why is this so? Typically, a quality video conference requires a minimum bandwidth of 512 kbps. However 3G technology is unable to meet this requirement. As such, images will appear pixilated. Motion may also take up additional bandwidth and result in video jitters. Hence, avoid excessive movement for better and clearer images. Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. Page 6 of 8

9 Glossary CODEC CODEC is a video system that encodes both audio and video from an analogue source and decodes the digital signal back to analogue at receiving ends. ConnectPlus IP VPN ConnectPlus IP VPN is a high quality, fully managed and secured networking service offered by SingTel. Continuous Presence Continuous presence is a viewing mode whereby all participants may be viewed in a customised layout. Dial-in Dial-in means that everyone, Moderator and Participants, will call a dedicated conference number to join a conference. Dial-out When specified by the Moderator to do a Dial-out, the system will call out to the selected conferencing parties. Dial-out parties will be automatically connected to the conference when call is answered. Endpoint Endpoint is often referred to as room-based video conference equipment. Far End Represents the party you are conferencing with. Gatekeeper A Gatekeeper is a Network Administrator that supervises the network traffic passing through it. It manages functions such as address resolution, bandwidth control, admission control, etc. H.320 A standard for video conference over digital networks such as ISDN. H.323 A standard for video conference over packet-switched networks such as LAN and Internet. Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. Page 7 of 8

10 is a domestic IP VPN service offered by SingTel. Meet and Greet A conference feature where when selected, Participants would not join the conference immediately after they have keyed in the Conference Code. Instead, the Conference Coordinator would greet the participant, assisting them to join conference. Multipoint Video Conference Multipoint Video Conference is defined when more than 2 video endpoints are connected to a video conference session. The session can be a mixture of connection protocols and speeds. Multipoint Video Conference bridge The bridge is used to connect more than 2 video endpoints at a time into a video conference session. The session can be a mixture of audio and video endpoints with difference connection protocols. NAT Indicates Network Address Translation. NAT devices can translate IP addresses so that users on private network can view the public network. However, public network users are not able to view private network users. Near End Represents your current site/location. Roll Call A conference feature that will announce the name of Participants when they enter the conference. Video Conference Video conference allows two or more people from different sites to communicate and see each other at the same time. Video Switching Video switching is a mode of viewing whereby only the speaker will be seen by all participants in the session. For video switching, please note that everyone in the session needs to connect with the same bandwidth. Copyright 2006 Singapore Telecommunications Limited (CRN: D). All rights reserved. Page 8 of 8