Zoom Kit

The theory's the same, the transmission has changed In the earlier days of video conferencing, T1, ATM and ISDN lines were used almost exclusively but were really only practical for room-based video conferencing systems. Point to point video conferencing Point to point video conferencing is just what it sounds like - a link between two different points on the planet, or two different video conferencing terminals. Some common types of video transmission for video conferencing include:

Continuous Presence video conferencing, which allows up to four conference sites to be seen simultaneously on split screens. This is usually used if you have a small group or individuals in separate locations and will primarily be seeing close-up shots.
Universal Control video conferencing is controlled by the initiating conference site. The primary site determines who sees what at all other sites.
Voice Activated video conferencing is by far the most common type used today. The image with these systems shifts to the site that is currently activating the microphone so that you can always see whoever is speaking. If there is a good deal of background noise participants should mute their microphones when they aren't talking in order to avoid the image jumping about needlessly.
Overcoming the language barrier Obviously, communicating through video conferencing can't be achieved unless both ends of the conference are "speaking the same language." That is, whatever is being transmitted electronically will need to be reassembled properly and heard and seen clearly at the other end. If both ends aren't using the same virtual language to interpret the signals, the Codec system (Coder-Decoder) is useless. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) developed a set of standards in 1996 dubbed H. 323 to outline specific guidelines for Video Conferencing standards and protocols so that compliance and support across networks would be easier to maintain and achieve. Since then, many manufacturers and developers of video conferencing tools have adopted the H. 323 guidelines as their own. Web conferencing solutions such as Click to Meet, Lotus's SameTime, and WebEx also offer corporate solutions that are based on Internet video conferencing. These systems have shared protocols that can be downloaded and used anywhere at any location for subscribers through the Internet. These are becoming more popular with companies who like the convenience and user-friendliness. They will no doubt become more and more refined over time, vying with and perhaps surpassing the H. 323 standards. Overcoming firewall issues There are, of course, obstacles to overcome when you take a look at how video conferencing works. After all, you're sending vast amounts of translated data either directly or through a gatekeeper system (the MCU) that is switching and transferring information between a variety of computers. Just about any business these days has a firewall system to provide security and protect the system from potential viruses. Trouble is, many firewalls also block the transmission of data for video conferencing. Recent innovations have largely circumvented these problems by designing firewall solutions that recognize video conferencing signaling requests and allow the information packets to bypass the firewall or router without disabling the firewall protection for other traffic. Even with this, however, there may be occasions when packets are dropped because of heavy traffic on the system, so investing in a firewall system that can handle substantial traffic is essential to quality video conferencing performance. How video conferencing works will certainly evolve over time and improve in the coming years, but a basic understanding of what it is and how it works now will help you make the best choice for you when you're ready to begin using video conferencing yourself. This article on the "How high definition video conference cameras (Highly recommended Reading) Conferencing Works" reprinted with permission