Houston - Networks On-Line, a regional Internet service provider is introducing a new videoconferencing over the 'Net service at low service rates, but the reduced price tag may not be enough to woo business customers.
Networks On-Line, Inc., a subsidiary of Comtech Consolidation Group, Inc. that serves the Houston area, announced its Vmeeting videoconferencing over the Internet service that lets users set-up videoconferencing sessions without deploying expensive hardware, software or dedicated high bandwidth Internet access connections at each site.
Networks On-Line has deployed White Pine Software, Inc.'s and MeetingPoint videoconferencing servers at two of its point-of-presence locations. When Vmeeting users order the service Networks On-Line sets up a virtual videoconference room for that customer.
Because Vmeeting users dial in to a MeetingPoint server using a standard 28.8 or 56K bit/sec modem the need to deploy a server at each site with a dedicated connection is eliminated. Vmeeting users are required to deploy H.323 International Telecommunications Union compliant videoconference client software such as WhitePine's CU-SeeMe, Microsoft Corp.'s NetMeeting, Intel's Proshare on their PC in order to support the service.
But one analyst questions the quality of videoconferencing when using an analog dial-up modem. "When using a modem to connect to a videoconference the best performance would be 30 frames per second and most of the time your lucky to get even 15 frames per second which is very choppy quality," said Greg Howard, senior analyst at Infonetics Research.
"This may be a better service for consumers, because business users won't make the investment," Howard said.
"People use videoconferencing in business meetings to give participants more of a sense of responsibility as well as increasing their ability to communicate," Howard explained. "If the voice delayed and the image is jumpy then business users will not use this service," he said.
But based on compression algorithms in the MeetingPoint servers, Networks On-Line portends users will see optimal performance. In fact the ISP said both U.S. Teletricity and North Forest School District are both using the service, but neither organization could be reached at press time.
Vmeeting is available now for $5 to $10 per hour depending on the number of participants or for $1,000 to $2,000 per month that offers users a videoconference room 24x7.
Networks On-Line: (713) 467-7100.
RELATED LINKS
Contact Senior Editor Denise Pappalardo
Vmeeting overview
From Networks On-Line.
Review of White Pine's MeetingPoint
White It serves up videoconferencing for CU-SeeMe clients, but don't plan a big rollout just yet. Network World, 3/16/98.
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