Must Have Video Conferencing Features

By Sheila Shanker
Updated: August 15, 2011

Video conferencing is no longer a mysterious and difficult process. Many businesses, small and large, have been taking advantage of video conferencing systems to conduct training and meetings, while saving a lot in travel expenses. The quality of modern video systems has improved dramatically over the years, allowing for real-time communications using video phones or conference-rooms using Internet technology. Virtual meetings are part of day-to-day business in many firms.

Many users of video conferences have their must-have, favorite features that make a virtual meeting a pleasant, effective experience. Below are some examples of these features:

Quality Equipment

The better the quality of your equipment, the better video and audio you will have. For instance, an HD monitor is standard for video meetings using a conferencing room these days, reflecting the current quality standards. Purchase the best system you can afford, and you are likely to get a very successful video conferencing experience. Select equipment by well-known vendors, such as Polycom and TANDBERG. These vendors provide video products for simple and highly complex video conferencing situations.

Proper bandwidth and connections

Before you use video conferencing, be sure that your Internet connection has the bandwidth required to carry both video and audio data. You don’t want to interrupt the video conference because other employees need to use their phones. It’s advised to have about 256kbps upload at each end for proper Internet connection, and to have a dedicated, separate bandwidth line. An ISDN connection with at least two channels and point-to-point connection offers the best chances for a successful virtual meeting. For a conference using a room, the ISDN connection should have at least six channels, requiring a broader Internet setup.

Desktop sharing

This feature is very useful when presentations and collaborations are involved. It involves a participant sharing his computer with other members during the virtual meeting. It can be used to show Power Point presentations and other work in real-time. If a person is having a problem with an application, for example, he or she can show the problem in the conference and get it resolved. Usually, when a meeting involves a few participants, a moderator controls the desk sharing function, so that it doesn’t get out of control.

Video conferencing is nothing new, but it has become very popular now because of advances in technology, improving the quality of the experience. Many individuals have become used to Skype, for instance, and they are not hesitant to participate in a video conferencing situation. The must-have video conferencing features helps in making a virtual meeting effective in the work place.