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Videoconferencing (also known as videoteleconferencing) uses audio and video to bring people at different sites together for meetings. This can be as simple as a conversation between two people in private offices (point-to-point) or involve several sites (multi-point) with more than one person in large rooms at different sites. Besides the audio and visual transmission of meeting activities, videoconferencing can be used to share documents, computer-displayed information, and whiteboards.

The convenience feature videoconferencing offers busy businessmen and clients alike has made it a popular solution. Due to the increasing demand for high-quality video conferencing solutions, anyone with an Internet connection and a browser can take part in or host a web or video conference.

There are basically two kinds of videoconferencing systems:

1.Dedicated systems have all required components packaged into a single piece of equipment, usually a console with a high quality remote controlled video camera. These cameras can be controlled at a distance, and allow users to pan right, left, up, down, zoom in, or zoom out. The console contains all electrical interfaces, the control computer, and the software or hardware. Omni-directional microphones are connected to the console as well as a TV monitor with loudspeakers and/or a video projector.

There are several types of dedicated videoconferencing devices:

• Large group – are non-portable, large, more expensive devices used for large rooms and auditoriums.
• Small group – are non-portable or portable, smaller, less expensive devices used for small meeting rooms.
• Individual – are usually portable devices, meant for single users, have fixed cameras, microphones, and loudspeakers integrated into the console.

2.Desktop systems are add-ons – usually hardware boards – to normal PCs, transforming them into videoconferencing devices. A range of different cameras and microphones can be used with the board. Videoconferences carried out via dispersed PCs are also known as e-meetings.

Multipoint Control Unit (MCU)

The Multipoint Control Unit allows for simultaneous videoconferencing among three or more remote points, and serves as a bridge that interconnects calls from several sources. There are MCU bridges for IP and ISDN-based videoconferencing, and there are MCUs composed of pure software, or a combination of software and hardware. A Multipoint Control Unit is characterized based on the number of simultaneous calls it can handle, its ability to conduct transposing of data rates and protocols, and features such as Continuous Presence, where multiple parties can be seen onscreen simultaneously. MCUs can be stand-alone hardware devices, or embedded into dedicated videoconferencing units.