Emergence of videophones and SIP protocol with proven age-old protocol H.323 enables to design new video conferencing networks in LAN and WAN.

In the recent years, the videoconferencing market has witnessed a huge change in terms of video and voice quality at an affordable cost. Years ago, videoconferencing systems were located only in the boardrooms of corporate houses and signified as a luxurious gadget. The journey of videoconferencing system from initial days leading to current day solutions with IP&ISDN, based on H.264 codec supporting H.320/H.323/SIP protocols, is remarkable. We have seen continuous technological changes in television technology from the days of black and white sets to modern LCD TVs and the mobile telephone industry has grown from pagers and simple mobile phones to feature-rich 3G and 4G service enabled mobiles today. At the same time, the videoconferencing systems too have kept a reasonably good pace of development, embracing several new features. Video conferencing systems are no longer high priced equipment found in the board rooms of corporate houses, but are now also seen in several meeting rooms of government offices as a standard gadget.

When we look at the technologies that are supported in the video conferencing systems today, the first aspect is the ‘bandwidth saving high quality codec H.264. In my view, this advancement -- a good quality video and voice at a reasonably low bandwidth -- has lead to a large demand in day-to-day video conferencing in government and private sectors. The second aspect is the ability of a single system to support ISDN and IP, which made various markets quickly embrace videoconferencing solutions to save the time and money spent on travel and to maximize the profits.

The support of built-in multi conferencing unit (MCU) and stand-alone MCU added another flavor to the way many of us conduct meetings with our team. The support of power point presentations in a video conferencing unit, even in entry level units has made the team leaders of various projects adopt this technology. Emergence of videophones and SIP protocol with proven age old protocol H.323 is enabling us to design new video conferencing networks in LAN and WAN. The adoption of improved echo cancellation, precise lip syncs, high quality built-in microphone, voice and motion tracking, and streaming features available in the systems today make video conferencing session lively and effective.

While such new features are keeping the large pool of entry level users happy, the industry is supporting the corporate users with high end tele-presence solutions. What is most satisfying for me is the ability of multiple vendors offering wide variety of solutions, depending upon the user's budget. In some sectors where the interoperability of multi-vendor system is a Herculean task to achieve, the video conferencing industry has proved to be a trend setter in consistently demonstrating interoperable systems.

Large communications infrastructure in satellite and terrestrial has been rapidly deployed in India and the last mile connectivity is improving day by day. High bandwidth connectivity to educational institutions and hospitals is envisaged in the National Knowledge Network. The availability of such backbone infrastructure with high bandwidth leads to a manifold increase in demand for videoconference solutions. As a result, we see increased adoption of videoconferencing solutions in several segments like telemedicine, e-governance, off-shore activities, disaster management, etc. Growth opportunities are very significant in new areas of application. A few universities in India started conducting CET counseling at multiple locations through video conferencing. The trend has just started and much more is in store for these technologies.

Going by the current trends and the planned communication backbone in India, I am sure the desktop videoconferencing will be a reality in both the government and the private sectors. In my view, videoconferencing has a bright future and is likely to enter the consumer electronic market in the next five years.