Different Levels of Quality

Video conferences can be transmitted at different quality level s, depending on the band width available and the limitations of the equipment.

The bandwidth avail able is based on the amount of use of the network and the maximum size of the connection. Most schools in England will have at least 2mbps (2000kbps). To allow for other network traffic it is suggested that allowing 768 kbps for video conferencing is a realistic maximum. If the link is full of traffic then it risks quality loss.

Different equipment has different maximum rates. For example lower-end equipment might not be able to function at more than 384kbps. This maximum speed of operation helps differentiate between equipment.

Linked from this page are a number of sample conferences, showing what the use of different speeds and different equipment actually means in practice.

128kbps is suggested as a practical minimum for a one-to-one conference and 384kbps for a group conference.