As video conferencing becomes more mainstream and loses its (undeserved) novelty
status, developers are releasing newer and sleeker models, designed to work faster with
higher quality over narrower bandwidths. Microsoft’s NetMeeting is fast becoming an
industry standard; therefore, most video conferencing products are built to work with it.
Array’s VideoONE Communicator is a NetMeeting hardware accelerator, PCI Plug-N-Play
card for corporate desktop video conferencing over H.323-compliant LAN/WAN networks.
The simplicity of NetMeeting makes VideoONE and similar products easy to use. VideoONE
takes advantage of that ease of use and has designed a product that combines several
interesting features with plug-and-play installation. Even non-technical users should have
no difficulty configuring and operating it. VideoONE Communicator combines high quality
and ease of use into a product that works over low bandwidths. Smaller than a baseball,
VideoONE’s camera has a neat, unobtrusive appearance (Philips is the OEM). The
built-in microphone means fewer wires to clutter up the work area.
INSTALLATION
VideoONE Communicator requires Windows 95 or 98. (A version for NT will be available in
the near future.) We installed the software on a 366-MHz Pentium II PC, with 128 MB of
RAM, running Windows 98, which far exceeded the minimum requirements. A high-end PC is
required for any video importing from outside sources. An S-Video jack is included on the
card for importing video from a laser disc or DVD, an option that gives users more
functionality from their purchase.
The VideoONE Communicator deluxe model consists of the software, a PCI board, a video
camera with a built-in microphone, and a set of headphones. The standard package includes
only the PCI video board and the software. In the lab, we had a combination
headset/microphone and a standalone microphone, which we would use to test configurations
other than the hardware supplied with VideoONE. Array’s software was a simple CD-ROM
installation, with no choices except for the version of Microsoft’s that we were to
use: V. 2.11 or 3.01. We chose V. 3.01. Guided by the wizard, we installed the software,
keeping most of the defaults and electing to install the other two options (DirectX and
DxMedia) along with NetMeeting and the VideoONE software.
Manufacturers are now designing software and hardware that can be installed quickly and
easily, even by users who are not technically savvy. With VideoONE, Array is no exception.
Quickly installing the PCI board and plugging in the peripherals is the extent of the
hardware portion. As mentioned earlier, the software portion gets no more complicated than
following a wizard. The process should be complete in under 20 minutes, including the time
spent opening the computer to install the board, launching the software, and all the
associated shutting down and starting up. This technology is definitely aimed at the
non-technical user, and should pose no difficulty to anyone installing VideoONE.
DOCUMENTATION
The hardcopy documentation for VideoONE is minimal. Two manuals are included: one deals
with installing both the hardware and software, and the other is dedicated to the video
camera. The former consists of two 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper, folded in half to
make an eight-page booklet. It lists the minimum system requirements and the instructions
for installing the hardware and software. The second manual is dedicated to the desktop
video camera, and covers several models. It is helpful with installation, configuration,
and troubleshooting, but offers no tips for obtaining higher quality video.
The online help, however, is far superior to both. The help icon launches the file that
opens the contents page. The index and contents are useful and well organized, and the
topics in the document are complete. While the hyperlinks to other pages of the document
work, the links to the Internet do not launch Explorer, therefore it’s necessary to
copy and paste the URLs into a browser. The navigation buttons on top of the page
(Contents, Index, Back, and Print) are helpful, and that’s another small area where
the software designers made a good call. Many help files on other programs lack anything
as simple and useful.
FEATURES
The product delivers high-quality video over LAN/WAN networks using MPEG-1 encoding, so
that it may allow high-end conferencing over H.323-compliant networks. Array’s
hardware provides audio acceleration during Internet use, which reduces the host PC’s
CPU utilization, improving NetMeeting’s whiteboard and data collaboration (T.120)
performance.
In addition, VideoONE is compatible with camcorders, VCRs, desktop cameras, laser
discs, and DVD players to bring high-quality video to the desktop. These can manipulated
by third-party editing and streaming software. Based on Array’s proprietary VideoFLOW
H.261 codec chip technology, VideoONE delivers video in CIF, QCIF, and SQCIF resolutions.
There is also a chat feature included with VideoONE. Much like AOL handles its chat
feature, Array puts the text from both parties in the same box, which is the easiest way
to read it. Other features include:
- User-friendly GUI.
- Enhanced audio/video.
- Up to 30 frames/sec video.
- Still-frame capture (JPEG and MS bitmap SIF resolution).
- Optional picture-in-picture video.
- Ability to save chat.
OPERATIONAL TESTING
The VideoOne deluxe model comes complete with everything needed to turn a PC into a video
workstation: a camera, PCI board, a pair of powered speakers, software, and headphones.
The camera has a built-in microphone (a fairly new innovation), and Array includes
headphones with an extremely long cable. (In the scaled-down model, the user has to supply
a compatible camera, as well as speakers and microphone, or a headset.) The option to use
a headset or standalone microphone with VideoONE is attractive, as the built-in microphone
is farther away from the user than a headset or stand-alone microphone would be.
The window that Array’s software launches is excellent, particularly for a
non-technical user. It is a vertical window, with four icons (Launch NetMeeting,
NetMeeting Options, VideoONE Recorder, and Help), all easily identifiable. The lower third
of the window has IP info: the computer name and the IP address. This is a nice touch;
however, an experienced user probably would not want to waste desktop space on a window
that primarily serves as a shortcut in a window for NetMeeting. Although it’s but a
small detail, we tip our hats to the engineer for coming up with such a cool feature for a
novice user. However, its usefulness in the long term is questionable.
We launched the VideoONE software, and saw ourselves on the screen. The quality was
outstanding and very smooth, much more so than standard video packages at a similar price.
We then launched NetMeeting and connected to another PC on the network. The quality of the
video from the networked computer was slightly lower than the “self view”
directly on the computer, but the overall quality was still very high.
The video conference was very high quality, and there were no surprises. As mentioned
earlier, the audio quality was lowest when we used the camera microphone, better with the
external microphone, and the highest when we used the headset. Because we used NetMeeting
for our conferences, and not proprietary software, we didn’t have any compatibility
issues or problems.
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
The Array VideoONE Communicator is a high-quality product that delivers
better-than-average video quality. There are only a few items that could use improvement,
as there is nothing wrong with most of the product. The internal microphone doesn’t
deliver as high a quality of audio as the headset does. Configuring the hardware to
minimize the number of wires and connections at the back of the computer is a great idea.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t deliver as high a quality of sound as a headset or a
standalone microphone.
The shortcut window, as mentioned earlier, takes up valuable desktop space. A novice
who has no other way of knowing his PC name or IP number might find this feature useful,
but most experienced users wouldn’t want to have an entire window dedicated to having
an easy way to launch NetMeeting.
The camera provided by Array is actually a Philips camera, with an Array Microsystems
sticker on the front. It is separate from the stand, but is held steady by the weight of
the camera and the rubber stand. However, it can easily be knocked out of place,
especially if the wire attaching it to the PC is taut. Also, the physical controls
(including the power) are on the back of the camera, and are not easily configured from
the front.
Other than these minor complaints, the only item missing from VideoONE is a headset
microphone unit. Our tests of this and similar products have found that the headset
microphone units deliver the best audio, with minimal distortion or echo.
CONCLUSION
VideoONE Communicator impressed us, not only with the quality and ease of use, but with
the features and overall value. Besides offering users a quality video conferencing unit,
VideoONE also gives users the ability to record, play, and edit video from high-quality
sources, including DVD. It is an excellent choice for those looking for a easy-to-use
video conferencing system based on the popular Microsoft NetMeeting. Overall, Array’s
VideoONE Communicator delivers a better-than-average picture quality, with high quality
sound, something generally found in packages costing several times more. |
Internet Telephony Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
CUSTOMER 
Cloud Computing Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
IoT EVOLUTION MAGAZINE
