Video conferencing is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for businesses of all sizes and across industries.
Whether you want to connect with your remote employees, clients, partners, or prospects, video conferencing can help you communicate effectively, collaborate efficiently and build trust and rapport.
But how do you choose the right video conferencing AV solution for your business? What are the different elements of a video conferencing system and how do they work together? What factors should you consider before making a purchase decision?
In this blog, we’ll answer all these questions and more. Before that, however, let’s take a brief look at how these video collaboration systems have evolved over the years.
Video Collaboration Through the Years
Video conferencing has come a long way since its inception in the 1960s. Back then, video conferencing was expensive, complex and unreliable. It required dedicated rooms, specialised equipment and high-bandwidth connections. Only large corporations and government agencies could afford it.
Over the years, video collaboration systems have improved significantly, thanks to the advancements in hardware, software and network infrastructure. Today, video conferencing is accessible, affordable and user-friendly. It can be done from any device, any location and any platform. It can support high-definition video and audio, as well as interactive features such as screen sharing, whiteboarding and chat.
Video conferencing is also becoming more intelligent, thanks to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). AI and ML can enhance the video conferencing experience by providing features such as noise cancellation, background blur, facial recognition, transcription, translation and analytics.
Let’s take a closer look at the four main factors of video collaboration systems that affect their quality in the next section.
Elements of a Contemporary Video Collaboration System
A video conferencing AV solution is supported by four main elements: video, audio, display and network. Video quality is the most important element of a video conferencing solution, as it allows you to see the faces and expressions of the participants. Video quality depends on several factors, such as the resolution, frame rate, lighting and camera angle.
Audio quality is another crucial element of a video conferencing solution, as it allows you to hear the voices and tones of the participants. Audio quality depends on several factors, such as volume, continuity, clarity, echo and noise. Even good video fails to deliver a good experience when it is not accompanied by good audio.
The display is the third element of a video conferencing solution, as it allows you to view the video and other content on the screen with clarity. Display quality depends on several factors, such as the size, resolution, aspect ratio and refresh rate.
The network is the fourth and final element impacting the performance of a video conferencing solution, as it allows you to smoothly transmit and receive video and audio data over the internet. Network quality depends on several factors, such as bandwidth, latency, jitter and packet loss.
In the next section, we look at some of the questions to ask and consider when trying to choose the right video collaboration solution for your enterprise.
What to Consider When Investing in a VC Solution
Now that you know the elements of a video conferencing AV solution and how they work together, how do you choose the right one for your business?
- Assess your needs and goals. What is the purpose and scope of your video conferencing? Who are the participants and where are they located? How often and how long do you plan to use video conferencing? What features and functionalities do you need and want?
- Soft codec/cloud platform or hardware codec? A soft codec is a software-based application that runs on a computer or a mobile device, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. A hard codec is a hardware-based device that encodes and decodes audio and video signals, such as a Cisco system. A soft codec is usually cheaper and more flexible, as it can work with different devices and platforms and does not require additional equipment. However, a soft codec also requires more bandwidth and internet connection and may be more vulnerable to security risks and performance issues. A hard codec is usually more expensive and less flexible, as it requires dedicated equipment and infrastructure and may not be compatible with other systems. However, it also offers higher quality and reliability, as it does not depend on an internet connection and has more advanced features and capabilities.
- Compare the options and costs. What are the different types and models of video conferencing AV solutions available in the market? What are their pros and cons, features and specifications and prices and warranties? How do they fit your budget and expectations?
- Test and evaluate the performance and quality. How do the video conferencing AV solutions perform in real-world scenarios? How is the video and audio quality, display quality and network quality? How is the user experience, ease of use and reliability?
- Choose the best fit and value. Based on your assessment, comparison and evaluation, which video conferencing AV solution meets your needs and goals, offers the best performance and quality and provides the best fit and value for your business?
Consulting a trusted AV solutions provider can help alleviate a lot of the initial confusion and put you on the right track. Video conferencing is a powerful and versatile tool that can help you achieve your business goals and objectives. However, to get the most out of video conferencing, you need to choose the right video conferencing AV solution for your business.
Once you have chosen the right video conferencing AV solution for your business, you need to set it up correctly by installing and configuring the hardware and software, testing and troubleshooting the system, alongside training and educating the users on the system.
Choosing the right video collaboration solution for your business can reap many benefits, such as improved communication and collaboration, reduced costs and time, increased productivity and efficiency, enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty and competitive advantage and growth.
