Benefits Of Multipoint Video Conferencing

Multipoint video conferencing is advantageous for a variety of reasons. Many of these advantages stem from the simple fact that multipoint video conferencing has the power to display live video to a number of parties simultaneously.

With jet-fuel prices on the rise, and corporate budgets being reined in, face-to-face conferences are becoming less frequent in the business world.

Video conferencing allows individuals in far off locations to participate in meetings, on short notice. They also help to save both time and money. The fact that multipoint video conferencing allows for such low-cost face-to-face business meetings without leaving the desk, is especially beneficial for businesses with many offices across the country or world.

Multipoint video conferences can also be used for telecommuting, allowing employees to work from home or distant locations. This type of conferencing could also be used leverage geographic differences in wages. Employers could hire distant workers at a lower price, and still be able to communicate with them visually. And because multipoint video conferencing allows multiple parties to participate, the telecommuter can communicate with colleagues, team members and superiors simultaneously.

Other substitutes for in-person meetings fall short in providing a realistic, productive meeting experience. Audio conferences, for example, are useful, but do not allow participates to make eye contact with the other in the meeting. Eye contact is a very important component of human interaction, and synchronized video can provide this feature.

Multipoint video conferencing is also good in that it can utilize a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU). This MCU serves as a kind of hub, which allows three or more points to video conference simultaneously. And because the MCU can be either hardware- or software-based, multipoint video conferencing can accommodate a very large number of parties. The MCU can also be made to automatically call the parties one by one, thereby reducing possible delays from call-in tardiness. Multipoint video conferencing can also be done entirely over the Internet, which avoids expensive telephone charges.

Even if the parties prefer a decentralized way of communicating, multipoint video conferencing is possible, and highly functional, without an MCU. In lieu of the MCU, the conference can also be set-up with a "decentralized multipoint," in which each party exchanges video and audio directly with the other parties, without a hub or central point. The fact that the audio and video are not relayed through a central hub often yields superior video and audio quality. Another advantage to this setup is that participants can make multipoint calls on the fly, without worrying about the availability or control of a central hub.

Multipoint video conferencing is also advantageous because it allows people with various handicaps, such as those without the ability to hear, to participate.

In sum, multipoint video conferencing is a fast, affordable, and legitimate alternative for meetings that cannot be had in person.