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Video Conference Calls: Equipment & Software Requirements

April 30, 2008

Video conference calls are quickly becoming an alternative to travel for businesses. They are cheaper and more flexible thereby lowering costs and allowing for a smaller travel budget. In addition, improved technology has incorporated multi-user conferences for conference call services.

The quality of the equipment is important in order for any conference to be able to convey information to the participants. Equipment such as camera, PC system, audio controls and software are all essential to conduct a video conference call. The monitors are connected to the PC system.

Operating systems for Windows and Macintosh run video conferencing programs. iChat AV is for Macintosh users and NetMeeting is for Windows operating systems are the most popular to make video conference calls. Other free software packages can be downloaded from the Internet that is compatible with Windows and Macintosh.

Systems that are meant solely to provide conference call utilities are also available, and make the process more efficient by combining all of the necessary audio, visual and network systems into a single device. Portable devices are available for purchase by individual users while larger, less portable systems are also available to meet the needs of larger companies. It is not unheard of for large companies to designate entire rooms as video conferencing rooms that will not be used for any other purpose.

When it comes to choosing a conference call services that is right for you, be assured that there are so many options available today. You can get a basic web-cam for only a hundred dollars that would work for the average consumer or the larger businesses would need something more expensive that costs somewhere in the range of fifteen thousand dollars.

Dedicated desktop-based hardware is popular amongst individuals and the price range is between six hundred to three thousand dollars. There are also software-based headsets which are usually priced at a hundred dollars each, and they are great for personalized calls and are also known to reduce echoes when on a conference call.

Small conferences may be linked with a PC-based system and the price can be from six to fourteen thousand dollars. An IP or ISDN connectivity is quite expensive and the range is anywhere from three to twelve thousand dollars although they are considered to be very simple to set up.

For meetings involving large groups of people, the equipment required for conference calls is expensive and may cost upwards of ten thousand dollars. Such conferences, which include video conferencing seminars or classes, typically require expensive multi-directional microphones. Often, directional microphones are placed at key locations in the room along with high-resolution cameras. Reliable microphone systems can cost as much as eight thousand dollars while each camera can cost up to two hundred dollars.

If anyone is intending to make use of conference call services, reliability, ease of use, connectivity and compatibility are all of the utmost importance. Purchase equipment that is reliable and can withstand frequent usage. Also, when purchasing your equipment and software, ensure that updates and maintenance services are readily available and can be easily obtained.

Interested in knowing how to conduct conference calls? Go to www.aboutconferencecallservices.com and learn about web-based conference calls and other related subjects.

Posted by Felicitas Tan · Filed Under Video Conferencing 

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