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Videoconferencing Is the Next Best Thing to Being There With the Lab's travel budget currently under review and subject to future limitations, coupled with the rising cost of travel overall, some Lab divisions are rethinking how they can continue important collaborations. One proven, fast-expanding alternative is videoconferencing, which offers virtual "in person" collaboration at a fraction of the cost of travel. The Lab's Video Conferencing group manages special communications resources, including three fully equipped videoconference rooms. Using dialup ISDN lines, the Lab's videoconferencing equipment can communicate across the world and frequently makes contact with international research sites in Japan and Switzerland. Such facilities are especially appropriate for large groups in need of long-distance collaboration. They are also ideal for "attending" distant lectures and seminars. The concept of videoconferencing has been around for over a decade, but has only recently become technologically and financially practical. Data transmission and compression have steadily progressed, improving the quality of videoconferencing while letting costs fall through the floor. Smarter technology also offers expanded multimedia possibilities, allowing transmissions of web-style interfaces and Power Point presentations along with real-time, face-to-face video and audio. Although the technology continues to evolve, and its costs are no longer a prohibiting factor in establishing videoconferencing as a mainstream communication tool. Rather, it seems that the actual experience of using cameras and monitors to interact face-to-face takes some getting used to. And as videoconferencing quickly becomes better, faster, and cheaper, it is only a matter of time before it sees widespread use as a tool for research and business applications. For more information on the Lab's videoconferencing resources and how to hook up with other research sites, contact Ed Ritenour at ERRitenour@lbl.gov or 5754. You can also contact Video Conferencing Services through email at video_conf@lbl.gov or call x6767. |
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