Learn about Video Conferencing produced by WMnet

A video conference involves two or more cameras, yet each participant only has one monitor to view on.

If there are only two participants then it is simple - each participant views the other camera, perhaps with a small, inset picture that shows the picture being sent by the camera at the near end. Being able to view the near end camera is essential to check positioning and zoom. This is most important when a camera has been moved as it can be embarrassing to be talking while the camera is showing just the top of your head.

If there are multiple cameras in a conference then there must be some management to ensure that the right participant can be seen at the right time.

There are two common methods to achieve this, these are:

Voice Activated

In this arrangement the centrral system detects microphone activity and switches the focus of the camera to that participant

This makes good microphone practice, such as turning microphones off when they are not being used, very important

Chairman Controlled

In this case a nominated individual has control over the video signal

The chairman controls which camera's picture is seen by all the others

This gives great flexibility and control, but does require continuous attention

Take a look at this interactive below to see examples of voice activated and chairman controlled conferences in action.

There is also a third option and this is:

Continuous Presence

It is possible to arrange the video conference so that many screens are displayed at reduced size simultaneously

Different systems may be restricted in the number of sites that can be involved in such a video conference

In addition to being a matter of taste, the content of the video conference should be considered when choosing a mode of operation. For example a lecture, where the majority of the conference is given by a single speaker, would be suitable for Chairman control.

Picture-in-Picture, showing the incoming and outgoing images on the same screen, is a function of the local video conferencing system, not the actual conference itself.

Most systems have this option.