Video conferencing systems
The quality of a video conference is decided by the audio, not the picture. A meeting where participants cannot be heard is not rescued by camera resolution or screen size.
A video conferencing setup is built around a codec or a software platform. A camera, a microphone subsystem and loudspeakers connect to it, along with content sources for sharing material. Mid-sized rooms use cameras that track the active speaker; large rooms use several cameras switched by the active microphone.
Microphones are chosen for the geometry of the room: ceiling arrays for open layouts, table units where participants sit in fixed places. The chain is tuned for echo and noise cancellation, otherwise the far end hears its own voice on a delay.
Compatibility is handled separately. Clients usually already run a corporate platform or a departmental communications system, and the room equipment has to join it natively rather than through workarounds. Compatibility is verified during design, before anything is bought.
What the system consists of
- Video conferencing codec or a software platform on a dedicated computer
- Cameras that track the active speaker
- Microphone arrays: ceiling, table or lapel
- Audio chain with echo and noise cancellation
- Display: one or two screens, the far end and the content
- Control panel for calls and layouts
What the work covers
- Choosing a design for the room size and the client's corporate platform
- Verifying compatibility with the existing communications infrastructure
- Supply, installation and connection
- Tuning the audio chain, echo cancellation and camera tracking
- Test sessions with remote sites
- Staff training and support
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