All things related to multicast

[Bob Riddle <>]

Perhaps we should do a group test of the ConferenceXP stuff. It's from 
Microsoft Research - so having a Windows platform is a necessity - but 
it uses a PC, multicast, provides software echo cancellation if you need 
it, will use whatever camera you can plug into your Windows box, the 
video is better than the H.261 video used by VRVS, AG, and ... it allows 
you to share your Powerpoint slides, your Word document, your 
"whiteboard" - by share I mean "share" in the sense that someone else 
can alter, erase, annotate what is one your "whiteboard".  It does this 
using multicast for the shared app.  It also allows for a point-2-point 
unicast conference.

Of course, things like VRVS, Wave3, H.323, and the AG will also support 
such sharing in different ways,  you don't need a "node operator" to run 
ConfXP - assuming you can munge your way through most Windows applications.

Bill Owens wrote:

> On Thu, May 13, 2004 at 08:54:48AM -0700, Russ Hobby wrote:
>  
>
> > Hi Bill,
> >
> > Good question.  I think that using the network for phone calls and using 
> > multicast are related but separate issues.  
> >    
>
> Definitely; I should have been more clear in my note but I eventually did get on the conference bridge so I had to pay attention to the meeting ;) I didn't really intend to propose that we do VoIP to SIP or H.323 conference servers as a replacement for a bridge. That's arguably a step in the right direction - at least we'd be using our own networks - but I was actually hoping that we could do better. 
>
> For example, on the MAN LAN call we sometimes discuss network topology. It 
> would be really nice to have a shared whiteboard or desktop now and again. 
> There are times when I have trouble figuring out who's talking in a 
> conference, and seeing their face would help. And there are times I suspect 
> they're giving me the hairy eyeball but I can't tell without video ;)
>
> I have never liked the room-to-room videoconference thing, because the video is always crummy and you can't see anything, and because nobody ever uses the more advanced tools (not even document cameras or presentation servers). But we're all geeks, we could do cool things! If we wanted to, we could run MPEG video and 256k audio. 
>
>  
>
> > For conference calls, since the 
> > Internet2 edial system supports SIP calls, I usually do my conference calls 
> > over the network with a SIP softphone.  
> >    
>
> Ben sent me the secret instructions, so if I can get a softphone working I'll 
> try it. I'm really lame in the VoIP area, I've tried a couple of clients but 
> never actually made a call work.
>
>  
>
> > I don't know what the answer is other than make it so easy they would not 
> > think other than using multicast.
> >    
>
> Ease of use is definitely an issue, but like I said - we're geeks, we should 
> have some pride in being able to do this. And how can we expect other people 
> to make use of these network capabilities if we don't even do it? Everyone I 
> talk to is a network person, and they ought to have multicast on their LAN. 
> If they don't we ought to shame them into it!
>
> Bill. 
>
>
>  

--
Bob Riddle 
()
    Technologist,Internet2
3025 Boardwalk, Suite 100         Ann Arbor, Michigan  48108
Business Phone: 734.913.4257      Fax Number:  734.913.4255

"Math illiteracy affects 7 out of every 5 people"