The audio element of a video conference is actually more important than
the video. It is widely accepted that loss of video quality during a
conference is less damaging than loss of audio quality.
There are three main types of audio input suitable for video conferencing
applications:
Built in microphone
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- Many video conferencing cameras, and laptops, have built in microphones
of various quality.
- There are no additional costs involved in these systems, however
quality, performance and flexibility can be varied.
- Generally this is only appropriate for one or two people sharing
a small camera.
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External microphone
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- Many systems have external microphone units, for example that
can be placed on a table a few metres away from the main unit attached
by a lead.
- These may use standard connectors, in turn allowing the use of
any audio capture equipment such as radio microphones, or may use
proprietary leads.
- The quality of these microphones is generally excellent. However
in a classroom environment be careful of trailing leads.
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Line-in
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- Some systems support an industry standard line-in connection.
This will accept audio connections via a mixer from all kinds of
sources.
- This allows maximum flexibility, but the required additional
audio equipment can be expensive.
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