After the videoconferece system had arrived and sat there still for a month, the mobile stand has finally come and installed. We have replaced the TV set and the TV stand in the original order 'cause they don't fit in our interior. The TV set was replaced by a 30" LCD TV, and the stand was replaced by a custom-designed aluminum rolling stand. It looks very hi-tech and should be good enough for everybody's picky eyes. The only problem so far is security, we need to find a way to secure the whole thing and prevent people from removing cables and the VC console. For the time being we will keep it in a mild-secured place, such as a faculty office, and managed by a dedicated personnel.System configuration is:
- Polycom VS4000: a top-of-the-line video/audio conference system.
- SONY PTZ camera
- 5 camera positioing remote controls
- 30" LCD TV
- Custom-designed aluminum rack + rolling stand
Total cost of the system is less than $550,000NTD. I remember a couple of years ago when people only knows WhitePine's CUSeeMe (it is now a paid service), a complete high-end VC system would tops more than $1,500,000NTD which only international companies in Fortune 100 could afford one. Since 1998 improvements of network bandwidth and traffic management plus the impact of 911, VC is getting popular as TV in 1950s. Since it uses H.323 and other fundamental video/audio conferencing standards, any VC equipment or software supporting same standards can communicate with it, including MSN video chat and NetMeeting.
