Monday 25 April 2016

The history of video conferencing



Video conferencing is a business tool that we’ve learned to take for granted over the last few decades, but it may surprise you to know that it has its origins in the 1870’s, around one hundred years before we realised its full potential.
In the 1870’s, video as a new concept was tested as an addition to audio devices and it took over fifty years before further developments were made in video telephone technology by the AT&T company, Bell Labs, which utilised the expertise of John Logie Baird.
The Germans experimented with video conferencing towards the end of the 1930’s. Their method comprised video technology in the form of image telephones that sent photographs, so non-moving data, over telephone lines.
Again, there was another long wait before further progress. AT&T initiated its picture-phone service in the early 1970’s. This was video conferencing with moving images, much more recognisable to modern users. And then the 1980’s arrived and this really was the advent of a new era in communications, computing and technological growth. Video data components were designed and built, including video codecs.
Comell University developed CU-SeeMe software for video conferencing for Mac and Windows in 1992 and 1994, respectively, and these were released commercially in 1995. This facilitated the birth of internet radio stations.
Another university invention was the webcam. The first commercial webcam product was released in August 1994. The QuickCam was compatible with Mac and a personal computer version went on sale the following year.  This product was hailed as one of the best computer devices ever invented, by Time Magazine in 2010.
2004 in particular, was a landmark year for video conferencing. The rise of ISDN – integrated service digital networks – and the widespread adoption of mobile phones for personal and business use accelerated the popularity of video conferencing and made it available to all, whether they were stationary or mobile. Communication was in real time, convenient and cost effective which made it an essential business tool.
Video conferencing is a perfect device for building websites, collecting data, developing software and presenting demonstrations. Today, Skype is a commonly used form of video conferencing, although its capabilities are limited for business users and Skype’s insistence on a really broad bandwidth has rendered it unpopular with some in the business sector, it is a free cross platform service to customers. In 2011, Microsoft took ownership of the video chat services that Ebay and previous investors had held since 2003.
Interactive online trade shows are a fantastic way to save on travel expenses, while being able to market your products around the globe and within a company. Meetings can be held wherever participants are based, without the need to travel into the same office to connect. It makes communication easier and more personal, simply and effectively.
If you aren’t using your video conferencing to its full potential, it’s probable that you’re costing your business money, so why not investigate it, it’s come a long way since 1870!
If you would like to find out more about how you can take advantage of video conferencing technology, contact Midland Networks today. We specialise in the supply, installation and maintenance of business telephone systems across Birmingham and the surrounding areas.  

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