Video conferencing solutions have evolved from simple technologies in the past. Quality has improved significantly, while integration with other devices and systems is also possible under the IoT framework.
The first video conferencing solution emerged in the late 1960s. Since then, a lot of progress has been made. To start with, quality has been made better thanks to more advanced hardware as well as better network infrastructure. “4K video will be a new direction, providing a life-like experience,” said Lorry Hu, Product Engineer at
Dahua Technology.
“Quality has improved to enable people to see each other face-to-face, wherever they are located around the globe, and for an increasingly global workforce, this is vital,” said Emily Shimell, Head of Customer Communications at
VideoCentric.
Integrative capabilities
Through integration with other applications, video conference participants can do more than just seeing and talking to each other. Sharing of documents, files and other information is also possible, enabling further collaboration.
“Integration used to be a little ad-hoc and more of a marketing phrase than what was actually seen on the ground, but now integration of many tools works and is happening everywhere,” Shimell said. “We’re seeing chat, persistent workspaces, video, voice, data, webinars, recording, file transfer … all the collaboration tools people use being brought together into single applications.”
Beyond integration with other applications, video conferencing solutions can integrate with other systems to enhance the user experience. This is now possible thanks to the Internet of Things where different devices and systems can now be brought together. “Under the IoT framework, integrating video conferencing system with CCTV system enables users to view real-time monitoring images during the video conferencing,” Hu said.
“There is forward movement in the integration of video conferencing and other systems, such as IoT and building automation, though the process is still in its early stages. For example, a tech PR firm has an office with automated lighting, temperature, and audio with Control4, which includes our Mondopad in the conference room. When users walk into the room, they press one button to power on the lights and start up the video conferencing display,” said Loren Shaw, VP of Marketing at
InFocus. “Other settings might optimize lighting levels for a video conference or for an in-person presentation. The combination of IoT and video conferencing display in this application means less time spent on meeting preparation and set-up, and a more tailored presentation experience.”
“A meeting room is not only for holding a meeting, but for emergency command. Under the IoT framework, the video conference system can be integrated with the paging/IP broadcasting system. As any incident or emergent condition occurs, the decision-makers who are just in the meeting room can hold the emergency meeting and give instructions to each area of the site via the conference microphone. It helps grasp the golden time of command and problem-solving,” said Jerry Hung, GM of
BXB Electronics.
Migration to the cloud
More and more, video conferencing is moving towards cloud-based solutions due to their benefits, such as reduced spending on on-premise equipment. In fact, a recent
report by Transparency Market Research notes that cloud is expected to drive video conferencing solutions in the years to come. “The compounded annual growth rate of the software segment (of the video conferencing market) is high owing to factors such as rising demand for cloud-based video conferencing solutions across the world. The shift toward cloud-based video conferencing solutions is currently low. However, it is expected to rise substantially in the coming years,” the report said.
Shimell corroborates this trend. “Although some providers are still offering on-premise solutions, most businesses are now far more confident in security, resilience and robustness of a cloud based communications platform. It enables communications platforms to be kept up-to-date more efficiently, the initial ‘big spend’ is no longer needed, and businesses can scale up and down as they need to, adding features needed as and when they grow,” she said. “VideoCentric are implementing many cloud solutions into organizations who previously would have been very resistant to them, that is into the NHS, into financial organisations, among others, and it’s exciting to see this shift, knowing the benefits the cloud can bring."
Telepresence robots
Telepresence robots take video conferencing a step further by providing a robot whereby people interacting with the robot can view and hear its operator and the operator can simultaneously view what the robot is seeing and hearing. “We have been working with several large automobile manufacturers who use Beam to collaborate with their colleagues on the factory floor,” said Bo Preising, SVP for Engineering at
Suitable Technologies, which offers telepresence robot models under the Beam brand. “OAC Services is an example of a company in architectural design and construction that uses the telepresence technology of Beam to optimize teamwork and collaboration amongst disparate teams, saving money by using Beams to virtually connect across offices rather than allocate time and money to travel.”