Video Conferencing - My Initial Skepticsim But Now...

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What’s the difference between Video Conferencing and Telepresence?

Telepresence picks up where video conferencing left off. Telepresence IS real time, full-high-definition, immersible sound and vision. Telepresence IS most importantly: the feeling of being “there” when you’re “here”. Telepresence is lifelike, video conferencing is not. Telepresence is that hi-line Mercedes AMG, video conferencing is a Ford Escort - Period.

Why Telepresence now?

Video conferencing has been around a while now but has always lacked the feeling we spoke about above. Jumpy computer screens, broken audio and poor lighting add to the impersonal touches of video conferencing (ie slow motion camcorder on top of your computer monitor). Finally, technology, bandwidth, vision and sound have all converged on video conferencing to create the telepresence experience. It’s about time! Crystal clear surround sound and real-time full-high-definition visual effects enhance the feeling of being there – thus telepresence. That nervous twitch, roll of the eyes, sniffle, tap of the foot – things you see when you’re present and sitting across a conference room table – things you don’t see or feel from video conferencing, but do with telepresence.

Today, what “real” uses are there for Telepresence?

There is no short answer even possible here. We’ll name a few, more like we’ll put your imagination to work. Imagine a single specialist doctor in Canada treating patients in Haiti via telepresence. Robots in space doing the actual work while the telepresence operator dons his telepresence helmet and gloves at his workstation in Texas. Meeting your Russian company vice president while you’re in the executive telepresence room at the office in Denver. Just a few…

What are “real” savings of Telepresence?

Your imagination still working on the last answer? Don’t let up yet! What carbon footprint? Don’t need that airplane ticket to go check on your staff in Russia now do you? What lost life in the Iraqi war? Unmanned drones and soldiers via telepresence. Military and combat cost savings? Immeasurable. Less travel costs, airline frustration, fuel, lost time, carbon emissions, etc. Those are tangible, real savings to name just a very limited few.

You starting to see what telepresence can do that video conferencing can’t? We hope you see what we’re seeing! Telepresence – its time has arrived!

Check out the video thread in Section 8 of the Telepresence Forum where you can watch some Telepresence YouTube videos! If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million!

Ride on the "Next Plane of Existence" TM

Way back then, I had my own share of doubts with web video conferencing, particularly when business was concerned.

The first time I ever got to see an online video conference session, I wasn?t exactly impressed. My boss though, who owned a shop, was very much all praise for it, but then again, he?s always been easy to impress when it came to gadgets and gizmos. My sentiments for video conferencing were not the same.

We used a video conference setup in coordinating and communicating with other shop branches across the nation. We were in the heating and cooling industry, and had a number of branches scattered in various locations. Through video conference sessions, we got to see just what?s going on in our sister branches.

One would think, ?how could you find that to be a problem?? Well, truth be told, because of video conferencing, the pressures of work were raised, as it intimidated a number of employees. We were in the area of sales, and, truth be told, our training wasn?t exactly that great. We had enough troubles as it were then.

With a video conferencing system up and about, the pressure level just rose. Oh, and this: after every session, the equipment would just breakdown. I just felt that it just wasn?t worth it. Considering all the resulting factors, I felt web video conference was just a lot of hot air.

Years later, when I finally managed to setup a business of my own, one of my own business partners, suggested we implement a video conference setup to facilitate our communications with our clients who were too far away for physical meetings and such.

Considering my experience with video conferencing, I was against it, yet diplomatic in telling my partner my non-interest in it. I explained to him that what difference would video conferencing impact, when what I have to say I could easily say through email.

The other concern I had was the bandwidth we would need. Originally our office was just using a DSL line but I knew eventually we had to increase our bandwidth to a T1 and run voice t1 and data over the same lines as our business grew. It was just me thinking short term over the initial cost but I had to really think of it as an investment and know this would help our company grow and become more efficient.

He insisted and insisted that it would be a huge benefit for us, and soon enough, we had a video conference session set up in our meeting room. He of course spent for the equipment himself, confident that seeing what video conferencing has become now would surely change my mind over my sentiments of it in the past. After a session, I realized how wrongly placed my sentiments for video conferencing were.

Looking back now, I feel somewhat funny over how adamant I was against video conferencing. It does have its line of benefits, as well as its breed of convenience. Today, I?m actually much more open to the idea of it, but not exactly open enough to trade it for the more traditional means of communication.

Article by Van Theodorou, learn how you can slash your business long distance expenses by 43% and more.