Controlling the Video Conference
In past Design Notes, General Projection has presented articles both by our own engineers as well as consultants and vendors relating to video conferencing issues as they relate to the facility design, lighting and some of the technologies being utilized today.

A focus of every video conferencing system is the control system. This system can be as simple as the remote control provided with the video conferencing product. Some manufacturers (as well as General Projection) provide custom AMX-made panels for their various equipment lines. Some go so far as to have an “onboard” AMX remote control system at its heart! PictureTel provides a sophisticated version of the more familiar handheld remote control with discreet buttons and camera positioning “rocker” joystick. Similarly, Panasonic and other lines provide portable infrared controls to be used with their systems.

The Need for Flexibility

While these controls work well in standalone video conferencing systems, they are seldom enough for conference room-based systems or any “multi-use” capability where the customer desires the flexibility of using their technology for local presentations meetings as well the intended video conferencing uses.

Using experiences gained during such projects as the Salomon Brothers video conference network, City College of San Francisco, Bechtel Corporation, the Veteran’s Administration Hospitals in Tampa and the Women’s Tennis Association, General Projection has developed the ability to interface and control similar systems through an external remote control system such as AMX.

Local Versus Far End Control

In the case of local control over systems, the AV community has gained much experience and expertise. Most specifications we see today include the capability to control both the local presentation capability AND the video conferencing system with complete transparency to the end user. This way, the end user becomes accustomed to one control “front end” such as an AMX color touch panel.

Salomon Brother's Worldwide Video Conferencing Network includes their facilities at the World Trade Center.

Design Opportunities

The area of less concentration on the part of the design community, yet where we believe there is much opportunity and growth in the near future, is the ability for these “headquarters” systems to control the other end of the video conference. While this is a common feature now of the remote control provided by the video conferencing product vendor, it is an unusual innovation in the turnkey environment. Often, this is simply due to a lack of understanding of the protocols necessary to implement control over the other end of the video conference (e.g. remote camera control).

The addition of the codes and buttons to allow the local user to assume control over the “far end” (as it is known) can be handled through skillful programming and a general understanding of not only the protocols involved but what is available at the far end. An area of experimentation for General Projection that should be considered by any consultant designing video conferencing facilities is to offer far end control over dissimilar brands of video conferencing systems. As often as not today, the customer is likely to have a mix of brands in their own system; certainly, as they video conference with their customers and vendors those systems will often be of a different brand.

Again, through proper coding and some research on the part of the consultant and contractor, a variety of far end controls can be made available to the customer.

Getting Creative...

This can be expanded to include far end control over many of the features of the far end system! A creative Veteran’s Administration allowed us to experiment with such things as turning system power on and off at the far end, controlling the lights in the far end presentation area, controlling the far end video router and so on. In this way, the VA can run a conference at two hospitals with an operator only at the originating hospital!

With some thought and research, the possibilities and automation of all recipients of a video conference are virtually limitless.

For more information regarding the control aspects of video conferencing, email Solutions@genproj.com or fill out our Information Request form.