T
ELESKILL
V
IDEO
C
ONFERENCE
L
IVE
Professional
Interactive
On-line
Video communication
Teleskill Video Conference Live
Synchronous interactive audiovisual communication amongst several remote users
TVClive rapidly and easily allows you to organise online videoconferences, interactive multimedia meetings, seminars and video-lessons by connecting the participants to enable them to share their screen, images, documents and applications in order to effectively save time and the related costs.
Teleskill offers a service on the internet as an Application Service Provider (ASP), without requiring the user to invest in specific hardware and software. The system can also be adopted for independent supply of the service within a company’s internal network (VPN, intranet…).
TVClive – developed with Adobe Macromedia Flash technology – is immediately accessible with a web browser and a web cam, headphones and a microphone for interactive audiovisual participation.
The service can be used on any operating system (PC Windows, Mac OS, or Linux) without having to install extra software.
Areas of application
– Communication within a company – Long distance teaching and training – Marketing and sales
General characteristics
Communication is established directly through use of a microphone, with an optional web cam, connected to a Personal Computer. The service is based on state of the art VOIP technology capable of carrying audio sounds/video images/data on TCP/IP networks.
The service allows the conference manager to communicate with all the participants in real time using audio and video, showing them his/her screen (screen sharing), demonstrating slides and images, sharing files, writing and drawing free-hand (whiteboard), and asking for prospective feed-back from the users (polling, chat…)
At the same time the other users can communicate their own status and can ask to join in. Depending on the specific conference goal (Video-meeting, Virtual classroom, WebSeminar…) the conference manager can integrate his/her own audio/video with the remote audiovisual interventions of the other participants (up to a maximum of 8 audio-video concurrent participants in full-duplex).
A list of all the users who are taking part in the live event, can be made visible in the appropriate section with their relative status.
Availble functions
Video/Audio multipoint full-duplex
This allows the active participation in full-duplex of up to 8 remote concurrent users, selected by the conference manager from the list of participants. The users connected in audio/video can listen and talk simultaneously amongst themselves, as in a normal conversation. The rest of the audience can see the connected users and listen to them live.
Screen Sharing
This function enables the meeting administrator to show all the participants, in real time, the current content of his/her PC screen, including: presentations, slides, images, internet navigation, documents, software applications etc.
Synchronous presentation of slides and images
This allows the rapid sharing of slides and images whilst occupying minimal bandwidth. Files in MS-PowerPoint format and general graphics (gif, png, jpeg…) can be pre-positioned on the central server where they are converted into Macromedia Flash format to be visible on request, back to back, during a long-distance meeting or seminar.
File sharing
The system allows files to be shared in real time, allowing the participants to upload and download any file of common interest from the central server, at any stage of the meeting.
Interactive whiteboard
An interactive tool which allows the administrator, and potentially the participants, to write and draw free-hand on an appropriate common space, emulating an electronic whiteboard.
Chat
This function enables each remote user to interact with the conference manager, by means of a public text (visible to the rest of the audience) or a private one (visible only to the CM).
Question! (raise hand)
The participant can ask for clarification and/or ask to intervene by clicking on his own status.
Application scenarios
The format of the general communication window with the users can be organised by changing the functions depending on the type of event required (meeting, seminar, long-distance lessons…). Each box, corresponding to a specific function (for example, video, chat, screen-sharing) can be positioned in such a way to make the specific function more or less visible to the user. TVClive also offers a collective base format, suitable for the most frequently used options, shown below.
Virtual Classroom
Scenario
Supplying long-distance classroom lessons with the active participation of remote students (for e.g. 30 students with nominal access).
Format
Video of the lecturer, video of the student when granted access to intervene (questions, answers). Lecturer screen sharing. Whiteboard. Public chat. Nominal list of students and ‘raise your hand’ function.
Communication
Audio/video + screen sharing/white board: lecturer è students Raising your hand, Chat (Audio/Video option.): students è lecturer
Web Seminar
Scenario
Transmission of meetings and seminars via the web, held by one or more speakers (panel, interview). Numerous remote users can listen (for e.g. 400 non nominal users) and can send comments via the Private Chat function.
Format:
Video of one or more speakers participating in the panel. Screen sharing of the presentations. Private Chat.
Communication:
Audio/Video+Screen Sharing: speakers è listeners Private chat for comments: listeners è speakers
Multi-video conference
Scenario
Interactive full-duplex audiovisual conference for more remote users. Nominal participation of up to 8 people at a time.
Screen sharing, presentation of slides and images. File sharing.
Format:
Simultaneous audio & video for all participants. Screen Sharing/slides & images for the conference manager. File sharing for everyone.
Communication:
Audio/Video/FileSharing: “Full Duplex - Many to Many”. Screen Sharing: conference manager è other participants.
WebTV
Scenario
Transmission of any video signal (recorded or live). Ability of many remote users to listen (for e.g. 500 non nominal users) that can send comments via Private Chat (only in the case of live transmission).
Format:
Box Video. Optional private chat.
Communication:
Audio: origin è listeners
Hardware, software and network minimal requirements
For all options (excluding screen sharing)
- PC or multimedia Mac (Intel Pentium III 800 Mhz -128 MB RAM Windows 2000/XP or latest version /MAC OSX 10.2.8 or latest version)
- Full duplex sound card - 1024 x 768 screen resolution with web-browser (Internet Explorer 6.x, Netscape-Mozilla 7.x, Opera 6.x, Safari,…equipped with Macromedia Flash 8 plug in or later version)
- Headphones, microphone, possibly a web cam for video participation. The use of speakers is permitted only for users in passive videoconferencing, (for those that are attending but not intervening in the audio) or in a multimedia classroom equipped with sound amplification systems and proximity microphones (which limit the Larsen effect).
- Necessary bandwidth: average of 150kbps for upload and download to or from the server (typically bandwidth with a generic ADSL connection)
- Access via Firewall and Proxy: TVClive uses an HTTP Tunnelling system (to/from port 80) and guarantees the compatibility of the audio/video transmission with the majority of firewalls. However there should be no proxy system between each user and the central server.
For the “screen sharing” option:
- Multimedia PC (Intel Pentium > 2Ghz - > 512 MB RAM Windows 2000/XP)
- Full duplex sound card - 1024 x 768 screen resolution with web-browser (Internet Explorer 6.x, Netscape-Mozilla 7.x, Opera 6.x, Safari,…equipped with Macromedia Flash 8 plug in or later version)
- A “dual head” configuration is suggested in order to improve ergonomy - Necessary bandwidth: 300kbps for upload and download to or from the server
- Access via Firewall and Proxy: TVClive uses an HTTP Tunnelling system (to/from port 80) and guarantees the compatibility of the audio/video transmission with the majority of firewalls. However there should be no proxy system between each user and the central server.
Level of service
The TVClive service is supplied by Teleskill from a server Farm situated at an Internet Data Center of National importance, equipped with a logical and physical protection structure as well as back-up and disaster recovery systems.
The system availability (internet access, firewalling, internal LAN and facility management) and the software application is greater than 99.9% on a yearly basis.
Dedicated solution for private internal networks (VPN, intranet…)
The TVClive system can be made available, on demand, as a stand-alone solution to provide videoconferencing services on a private internal network.
Teleskill offers an integrated VMware Virtual-Appliance solution (http://www.vmware.com/appliances/) installable on a server situated on the client’s intranet. (min. req.: P4> 3.0 Ghz - RAM 2Gb – HD>10Gb, MS-Windows/ Linux)
TVClive © 2006 Teleskill Italia S.r.l.
Viale Bruno Buozzi, 102 - 00198 Roma Tel. +39 06 6017888 Fax. +39 06 66042652
e-mail: [email protected] http://www.teleskill.net
