Jerky Pictures and Sound Are History. Videoconferencing Is All Grown Up. (original) (raw)
Business|Jerky Pictures and Sound Are History. Videoconferencing Is All Grown Up.
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BASICS
- June 16, 2005
When Kevin Callahan started offering classical guitar lessons over an Internet video link, he wanted the sound to be as close as possible to being in the same room. After experimenting, he built a system that channeled three guitars, a microphone, and an orchestral synthesizer through a professional mixing board to his Macintosh. From there, he blended the sound with Apple's GarageBand software before sending it out over the Internet.
"It's not necessary," he explained a bit nonchalantly, "but it gives me quite a bit of flexibility."
Now, he sits in his studio in Seattle and teaches students in Florida, California, Massachusetts and Spain. Some of his local students even use the system when time or illness keeps them from traveling to his house.
More and more people are exploring the options Mr. Callahan has, as videoconferencing grows up. Faster computers and Internet connections make it possible to replace the pixelated, jerky pictures the size of a postage stamp with a full-screen image that updates as gracefully as a movie. Better microphones and sound-mixing tools offer richer and more realistic sound.
This higher quality, alas, also exposes more aesthetic flaws and gives rise to an arms race to improve the quality of the sound, the lighting and the picture. Special software packages that enhance the image quality are appearing, and dedicated hardware is becoming common. Some businesses are even building special studios for videoconferences.
Practically every part of the video chatting experience can be enhanced, but it helps to begin with a good camera. There are a number of adequate ones on the market at prices lower than 50,butmanyrelyonlow−gradesensorsusingC.M.O.S.technology(forcomplementarymetaloxidesemiconductor)thatofferlowerresolutionsandsendfewerframesasecond.FromLogitech(www.logitech.com),forexample,thelow−endQuickCamfornotebookshasa50, but many rely on low-grade sensors using C.M.O.S. technology (for complementary metal oxide semiconductor) that offer lower resolutions and send fewer frames a second. From Logitech (www.logitech.com), for example, the low-end QuickCam for notebooks has a 50,butmanyrelyonlow−gradesensorsusingC.M.O.S.technology(forcomplementarymetaloxidesemiconductor)thatofferlowerresolutionsandsendfewerframesasecond.FromLogitech(www.logitech.com),forexample,thelow−endQuickCamfornotebookshasa39.99 list price and delivers 15 frames a second at a maximum resolution of 640 by 480 pixels.
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