Video Conferencing Gaining Popularity

By THOMAS LAWLOR

Law offices and courts across the county are divided over their view of video teleconferencing. Most love it. Some hate it.

The reason to love teleconferencing is its cost effectiveness, and its reduction of security issues, particularly for depositions, arraignments, testimonies, and basic meetings. In addition, it increases efficiency, as no one has to travel. The reason teleconferencing is hated is the basic fear of technology. Other reasons include it sometimes fails, and many times people appear unnatural, either with jerky motions or unnaturally lit. Some organizations are reluctant to invest the initial start up cost.

Video teleconferencing has come a long way in the last few years as standards were established and quality has improved. However, our understanding of how it works has not kept pace. While audio teleconferencing is a phone call, video teleconferencing allows you see what the other person looks like, see their facial expressions, and witness their body language. Although it cannot take the place of all face to face meetings, it does eliminate some. How does a video teleconference work? First, an individual or group gathers in a room with a video teleconferencing system. A camera shoots the participants. The image is converted and the signal divided so it can go over ISDN video lines or parts of a main communication trunk or a T-1 line. On the other end, it is reconfigured and shown on a television set, or other display device. The greater the number of lines or bandwidth you have, the better the image. Plus, the "stop action" effect decreases. Right now most installations use part of a T-1 phone line or ISDN lines. However as speed and bandwidth increases, the Internet is playing a larger role in video teleconferencing. Most room systems now have an IP component.

Installation cost

The starting price to install a system in a law office or a courtroom is around $5,000 per location and can run as high as $40,000. Often, the systems can be incorporated into a room's video projector and control system.

Lighting

There are many other considerations to take into account when installing a video teleconferencing system in a law office or a courthouse. Lighting is the biggest factor that many people overlook. I always recommend envisioning a video teleconferencing system as a mini television studio. In TV studios, the lighting is crucial to the clarity of the camera. As a general rule, the more light the better the image. All lights used should contain the same type of bulbs. For example, incandescent (light bulbs) and fluorescent give off different shades of light. Therefore, only one type of bulb should be used. Incandescent bulbs are easier to dim and angle but fluorescents are more economical to operate. Either way, placing the lights directly in front and angled down toward the participants will eliminate the raccoon eye effect that is common with direct overhead lighting. And if multiple lights from different angles are used, shadows can be eliminated. The choice of patterns on clothing is another issue. No tight patterns (such as pinstripes or herringbones) and no white shirts should be worn as the camera picks these colors and patterns up as a rainbow pattern. Light-blue clothing is the best option. A light-bluish-gray background works the best behind the participants. It is no coincidence that the president stands in front of a non-busy blue background.

Microphones

The second major thing that is overlooked is microphones. Video teleconferencing is designed to be interactive. Continuing the metaphor of the television studio, the anchor of a news program has microphones pinned to his tie about six to ten inches away from his mouth. If you don't sit next to the microphone, the people at the other end will hear an echoing hollow voice that is hard to understand. In addition to moving the microphone closer to people, install floor or wall treatments that are designed to absorb noise, such as carpet and drapes to further improve the sound within the law offices or the courtroom. This will cut down on echo.

Maintenance and training

There is nothing worse than having a lot of high priced people standing around waiting because of equipment failure or operator error. Training is important, and lines must be checked periodically. We recommend testing a system one hour before you are using it, by calling up the remote site.

Add-ons

Add-ons to the basic teleconferencing unit include a camera on a stand, called a document camera. It allows the sending of pictures from transparencies or a solid object. These can allow people to see the same things such as spreadsheets or solid documents. A scan converter that converts a computer signal to video and allows it to be sent over the lines can also be added. While teleconferencing will not eliminate the need for all travel, law offices and courtrooms are recognizing both the cost and the time-savings of using teleconferencing.