|
Videophones have existed since the early 60s and, despite capturing public attention, have met with very limited commercial success. Today there is a resurgence of interest in video communication, due largely to the emerging "multimedia" marketplace. But have things really changed, or is the videophone still the proverbial solution looking for a problem? This paper will cover some of the recent advances in network and video communications and look at the likely implications for collaborative systems.Desktop video conferencing (DVC) is the latest innovation in multimedia communication technology. it epitomises the integration of computer and communications. However, although there have been many technical advances in both network and video communications, little is understood about the non-technical issues involved in the limited impact of the current generation of video conferencing.
This paper outlines some of the recent technical advances and reviews some of the non-technical issues involved in video conferencing technology. The paper concludes that the major issues in the successful development of desktop video conferencing systems will be the design of multi-user interfaces and the effective evaluation of such systems.
| Author: Stephen Gale, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Filton Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS12 6QZ. Email: srg@hpl.hP.co.uk or srg@otter.hpl.hp.com
Please cite as: Gale, S. (1992). Recent advances in network and video communications. In Promaco Conventions (Ed.), Proceedings of the International Interactive Multimedia Symposium, 335. Perth, Western Australia, 27-31 January. Promaco Conventions. http://www.aset.org.au/confs/iims/1992/gale.html |