Abstract.

Video Conferencing (VC) is the use of interactive multimedia and live telecommunications for exchange of ideas, the delivery of information and management of organizations. iv. Whilst VC is used mainly by large organizations (e.g. corporate business, government, etc), the number of small organizations and individual users are increasing.

The cost of high-end VC systems tend to limit their use to large organizations that can afford the latest and best technology to deliver effective and efficient VC communications. Until recently smaller organizations were less inclined to adopt a VC system, as the lower-end systems can not delivery the quality of the more expensive systems. Desktop VC systems are decreasing in cost and improving in quality, thus becoming a viable, cost-efficient VC solution for small organizations.

This report examines VC from the perspectives of;

  1. Large organizations (e.g. corporate business / government, etc)
  2. Small organizations (e.g. small businesses / home).

Primarily the Internet was used as a source of information for this report. Various organizations were researched, including; manufacturers and vendors, business, government and educational institutions, commercial and public interest organizations. From our investigations we were able to identify the types of users of VC systems, as well as common types of hardware and software.

In keeping with the spirit of the internet, hyperlinks have been included where appropriate, allowing (on-line) readers to visit the source of the linked information. Bold typeface indicates that a concept or phrase is included in the glossary of terms (Appendix D), which is located at the end of the report.

This report has been compiled collectively by Norizham Abdul Razak, Lai Keen Cheong, Wong Wei Jun and Sheik Shahril Reza, using the Internet as the only method of communication (Appendix E: Communication Transactions Log). The report and its attachments represent their final assignment (#2) for ITC125; The Information Superhighway as part of their studies at Charles Sturt University. v.

All products mentioned in this report are covered by local and international copyright laws and, where possible, acknowledgement has been given to the respective owners.

1