Video Communication Trials and DemonstrationThis report from the EC supported WIDEBEAM project concludes that video communication provides substantial cost benefits for small to medium businesses. Video Conferencing trials were conducted using the Internet between Leslie Group, Isomatic Lab and the Spanish partners. Successful results were obtained at times of low traffic on the Internet, i.e. in the European mornings. The Leslie Group successfully implemented point to point video communication between its two sites using ISDN connections.
Author Peter Burton gratefully acknowledges the financial support from the Integration in Manufacturing Group within DGIII of the European Commission. Without that support, this work would never have been undertaken. The author also acknowledges contributions from David Brooks (Leslie Group), Philip Purslow (Cimmedia), Angel Melcon (APIF) and Dimitar Kojarov (Isomatic Lab.).
The purpose of the Video Conferencing trials was to assess the feasibility of using the Internet for this purpose with access via ISDN and also using 28.8kbit/s modems over voice lines. Success would overcome the reluctance to use this technology that engineering and manufacturing SMEs have shown.
The technical requirements are listed below and the equipment shown in the following picture:
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The following five items of software were downloaded from the Internet for trials:
1. Microsoft NetMeeting 2.1 (free download from www.microsoft.com)
After the poor stability of earlier versions NetMeeting is showing the potential to be a powerful video conferencing package for use over the Internet. The compression which is used to achieve this was quite impressive, although not up to the standards of the latest developments discussed in Technologies and Standards. NetMeeting was found to be complex to configure, especially where the user’s hardware and software is not ‘ultra-compatible’.
Once the software had been configured, the next problem was connecting with a directory server, which usually took about five attempts before a satisfactory login was achieved. The next problem was making contact with the recipient. The directory server, time of meeting and E-mail name all needed to be pre-arranged, as well as an arrangement for both parties to try and call each other alternately, as sometimes the system would only connect in one direction. Once contact was made, sound and video quality were acceptable at Internet ‘quiet’ times, i.e. in the European morning. Even with Bulgaria a satisfactory link was usually established.
The advantage of NetMeeting over other conferencing packages is its ability to share applications over a link. For example, a CAD package can be launched by a party, then modified by both themselves and the remote party. This feature is hampered by the fact that when an application is launched, the speed of communication slows to such a point as to make it useless.
2. Web phone (free trial download from www.shareware.com)
A shareware version of this software was used. No directory server is needed, the system simply searches for other logged on users. The search can be narrowed by country and, as the package is not as widely used as NetMeeting, the user can usually be located easily. Communication speeds are similar to NetMeeting, yet the link is easily established, and configuration/set-up simpler. However there is no ability to share applications, and communication is limited to one party at a time. Multiple users can be on-line with each other but the situation is analogous to a traditional phone call, talking to one person at a time, people on the other lines being kept waiting or on hold.
3. ICQ Miriabilis ICQ (‘I seek you’; free trial download from web.icq.com)
ICQ is produced by Miriabilis in Israel. It is a program for conferencing from the keyboard that finds the other conference members online in real time. A Contact List is created for ‘chat’ sessions and members can also be sent messages or files. ICQ can be configured to work with external applications, e.g. video conferencing.
Adding users to a contact list is simple. The ICQ Network offers seven different options for adding or finding other ICQ users. The various search engines of the ICQ Network can help find specific chat partners, specific chat groups, E-mail addresses or a particular phone number.
ICQ was invaluable during trials for communicating with other conference members when the connection had been made but video communication was absent or of poor quality. Two partners highly recommended its use for all forms of conferencing via the Internet.
4. Video Mail (Smit Micro Software — VideoLink Mail Pro)
Once video facilities are available, low cost software such as video mail attachments to E-mail messages become viable as another low cost form of communication. Trials of the package were successful for all partners.
5. Video Conferencing (Gearhouse Sony Trinicom 5000)
Leslie Group installed video conferencing between their two factory locations (50 km apart across the city) to reduce visit costs by management to resolve technical and quality problems both of which depended on visual data to resolve them. Installation costs were 6000 ECUs for equipment with a further 4000 euro for ISDN line costs over two years. An example of a screen shot from a quality discussion is shown below.
When used at an appropriate time Video conferencing offers significant benefits to many businesses. E-mail, fax and telephone (including conference calls) cover most day-to-day activities but are totally inadequate whenever there is a need for a ‘live’ discussion with the parties looking at a product, process or document. Without video conferencing it is necessary for the parties from all but one of the sites involved to travel.
The cost in time and cost per company is unlikely to be less than 0.5 person day even for a local visit. At the other extreme, a visit to the far East is so expensive that inferior practices will be used to avoid it. Within the WIDEBEAM consortium, this has already resulted in unsuitable products being sent to Taiwan, losing two months of potential business for three partners. The loss of revenue for just this one example is estimated at 85000 euro.
Another recent example within the WIDEBEAM consortium is where units supposed to be faulty were returned for repair and found by the development team to be working. The cost for a visit between UK and Bulgaria for two people to understand the problem will be around 5000 euro in labour and expenses. The delay in placing orders while this visit is convened will lose one month’s future full production revenue for the product, estimated at 14000 euro. A video conference with the final testing displayed on the screen while the development engineers comment could save this.
Direct ISDN video conferencing has saved Leslie Group nearly 20000 euro per annum in management travel time for technical meetings at a sister factory.
Installation of PC-based video conferencing should be considered in all its forms (mail, conference, white board) in order to gain maximum return.
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