Telepresence is Lifelike HD Video Conferencing

A recent advertisement for HD contact lenses set a new standard for marketing hubris and brought into focus the growing confusion over the meaning of “High Definition.” Regrettably, HD is becoming a catch-all term for “better video,” whether or not it actually meets accepted technical standards for HD image quality. In the video space, where specifications should truly mean something, HD apparently refers to the number of pixels that are sent to a video monitor, regardless of the quality of the information in those pixels.

Nowhere is a precise, technical meaning of HD more important than in the growing field of life-like videoconferencing, where large amounts of information must be transmitted in real time and utilized interactively. Because life-like videoconferencing – also known as telepresence solutions – is designed to replicate an in-person meeting experience with great clarity and precision, it requires large bandwidth to achieve high quality results.

For example, DreamWorks Animation interconnects multiple HD-caliber videoconferencing, story board and editing suites so that creative teams can collaborate in the production of films. As recently described in Wired and BusinessWeek, the stream of video and audio information between each DreamWorks location consumes over 20 megs of high quality bandwidth. This enormous requirement can be visualized by imagining a home furnace that must be fed by a giant oil pipeline in order to provide sufficient fuel to heat a house.

Most companies, of course, are not in the film animation business and are therefore unwilling to pay for this extraordinary quantity of broadband. Providing these enterprises with a high quality videoconferencing capability requires a different approach – the use of sophisticated compression technology that reduces video information by 80% or more before it is transmitted, and then restores the data stream at the other end. The job becomes particularly tricky when HD-caliber videoconferencing is desired. The technology behind telepresence enables this process.

With the exception of “pure HD,” as implemented by DreamWorks, videoconferencing – as a practical, cost effective service for businesses – is technically incapable of replicating the HD technical standards associated with broadcast television. Too much information needs to be removed/restored via the compression process to replicate broadcast quality HD, which employs cameras, recording devices and transmission equipment that far exceed what a typical corporation could afford.

Thus, a new specification for HD videoconferencing should be established – one based on the amount and quality of the source information – rather than simply the pixels – delivered to an end-point. Such a specification would level the playing field for vendors, eliminate hubristic marketing claims and, most importantly, help buyers make informed decisions about the systems they purchase.

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The potential for innovations in telepresence technology manifested itself in the extension of both the breadth and depth of the early products. The first commercial telepresence system, designed by Teliris Telepresence in 1999 for the executive boardroom of a leading financial services firm, has four screens, a long mahogany table and walls that cover the screens when they are not in use. The range of current solutions run from custom telepresence rooms with six screens and seating for 14 participants at a single table, to new Personal Telepresence solutions designed for single participants, and a host of solutions in between. Likewise, telepresence depth has increased with the advent of interoperability between different telepresence solutions and with traditional videoconferencing systems, the introduction of immersive collaboration tools that allow people to act as if they are in the same room (e.g., writing on a virtual flipchart, passing paper across the meeting table, etc.), and managed services to guarantee the reliability of telepresence meetings.

The term ‘ telepresence’ has often been used, misused, and abused. Some vendors have attempted to reposition their traditional videoconferencing products, codec vendors and desktop videoconferencing providers have adopted the term, and even telepresence providers differ on the definition.

Personal Telepresence, when deployed correctly, is quickly becoming intrinsic to multi-office and multinational business processes as a result of its lower cost and flexible model. All the major vendors have introduced a version over the past year and claim to deliver what videoconferencing never could - hard dollar savings to companies of all sizes. In order to achieve this, solutions must maintain the crucial immersiveness that defines telepresence.

Through focusing on the host of Personal Telepresence solutions introduced over the past year, the definition of telepresence as a separate and distinct market from traditional videoconferencing becomes clear. Personal Telepresence is not a marketing gimmick or a spin for improved desktop videoconferencing, but if executed correctly rather incorporates all the major features of ‘boardroom’ class telepresence solutions. Personal Telepresence is an effort by telepresence vendors to extend their portfolios to include a single-participant solution.

The first commercial Telepresence system was launched in 1999. The objective of this deployment was to make participants from multiple locations feel as if they were in the same room. During the ensuing 10 years, additional vendors joined in to to define a market separate and distinct from traditional videoconferencing. This period may be characterized, as is so typical of emerging high-technology markets, by constant innovation, the virtuous leveraging of Moore’s Law, significant competition from agile start-ups to established companies, and liberal use of the term employed to describe the market.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, it is estimated that clothes dryers are associated with up to 15,600 fires each year, resulting in 20 deaths and 370 injuries. Fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint can block the flow of air, cause excessive heat build- up, and result in a fire.

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Employing a special system during cleaning to inspect for leaks, cracks and other problems is standard procedure for each dryer vent cleaning project. By utilizing a specialized vacuum, the system pulls the dust and debris from duct work into a self-contained compartment for proper disposal.

Dryer vent cleaning services are not a passing fad and should be prioritized. Given the rather low cost associated with the service, it shouldn’t be a difficult decision.