Glossary of Terms
- Bandwidth
- The amount of data that is actually being sent down the telephone/isdn/network line. This is measured in KBPS
- Bridge/External Bridge
- See MCU
- Camera Presets
- Allows predefined camera angles to be programmed into a videoconferencing system
- CODEC
- Coder Decoder for video signals. Converts analogue video signals to digital signals for transmission over digital circuits, and then converts the digital signals back to analogue signals for display
- Continuous Presence
- Conference where multiple sites are seen on the screen simultaneously for the entire conference
- Document camera
- A specialised camera for taking pictures of still images (pictures, graphics, text pages) to be sent as part of a videoconference
- Echo Cancellation
- Process of eliminating acoustic echo in a videoconferening room. Critical component, if echo is not suppressed, the speaker hears their own audio coming back from the far site after a small time delay
- H.239 standard
- A protocol for document sharing, system dependent and not available from all videoconferencing units
- H.323 standard
- A video compression standard that allows a wide variety of systems to communicate
- Interactive Whiteboard (IWB)
- An interactive whiteboard is a device that interprets a projected two dimensional surface that interacts with a computer's desktop. The software mimics the computer's mouse and keyboard. Used to send whiteboard interactions as part of a videoconference
- IP (Internet Protocol)
- The computer networking protocol used on the internet
- IP address
- Internet Protocol Address - a computer network address
- ISDN
- Integrated Services Digital Network - telephone network system designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires
- KBPS
- Kilobytes per second
- KLDC
- Kwong Lee Dow Centre
- Lecture mode
- A conference where a single site (the presenter) is viewed by all other sites. The presenter sees the other sites in Continuous Presence mode
- MCU
- Multiple Control Unit - (Bridge) a unit that supports videoconferencing with multiple users at the same time. In videoconferencing, a bridge connects three or more sites so that they can simultaneously pass data, voice or video
- People + Content
- Polycom proprietry presentation protocol
- Picture-in Picture (PIP)
- A small window on the monitor that displays the image from a video source superimposed on the image being displayed on the full screen
- Roll Call
- Videoconference administrator conducts a roll call of all connected sites before proceeding with the conference
- Transmission Speed
- The speed at which the hardware used for conference connects 128Kbps, 256Kbps, 384Kbps
- Videoconference
- Communication across a network with video and audio contact that may also include data exchange
- Voice Switched
- A conference where the view switches to the site that is talking (or loudest)