Catalog of Services
Video Network Services

Video Network Services (VNS) supports point-to-point and multipoint conferences through dedicated access via lines provisioned through VNS or dial access via user-provided ISDN services (billed through OTM).

OTM offers Video Network Services through a contract with BellSouth, providing the switching and distribution processes required for interactive multipoint and point-to-point video conferencing. It enables the user to schedule/modify a video conference online for all video bit rates available. Both dial and dedicated access rates are offered at various speeds, depending your application.

What is Video Conferencing
A typical meeting brings people face-to-face to discuss a need, a problem, or a plan. People come from various locations to one place to conduct a meeting. These people normally work in the same building or, more likely, in a distant location and must travel to participate in the meeting. Video conferencing enables a face-to-face meeting to be conducted without all the players having to leave their place of business. Video conferencing can be looked at as an electronic meeting where participants interact with other participants through the use of various pieces of video equipment.

With a typical video conference, pictures and sound from one location are transmitted to one or more other locations by a camera and microphone. These images are fed through a coder/decoder (or codec). A codec is a specialized piece of equipment that compresses and converts the video signal from analog to digital and sends it over specific phone lines to the other video conferencing sites. The codec on the receiving end decompresses the incoming digitized images and converts them to their original form. The amazing thing about this process is that it occurs in real time, immediately, without any hesitation.

There are two types of video conferencing available:

• Point-to-Point--This type of conference connects two locations for the video conference.
• Multipoint Conference--This type of conference connects three or more locations for the video conference.

Access Types
When images are transported from location to location, they are transmitted over a medium known as the network. Access to the network can be over a variety of methods and bandwidths or transmission speeds which affect the picture quality as well as the cost of the video conference. The higher the speed or bandwidth, the better the quality and the higher the cost. Most video conferences today are conducted at 384 kilobits per second (kbps), but other speeds are available from 112 kbps, 786 kbps, up to a full T-1 (1.544 megabits per second or mbps).

There are two methods to access the network for video conferencing: dedicated and dial. Dedicated access utilizes a channelized T-1 circuit via lines provisioned through VNS at speeds ranging from 384 kbps, 768 kbps, up to 1.544 mbps (T1). Dial access treats a video call very much like a normal voice telephone call. A video call always travels through the local telephone company central office and is routed to the long distance network or LINC if long distance transport is required. An ISDN Basic Rate Interface (ISDN-BRI) is used most frequently for dial video conferences at 384 kbps. Lower speeds are available at 128 kbps and 256 kbps. ISDN subscribers have no geographic limitations and thus have global accessibility anywhere ISDN is provided.

There are advantages to both types of access:

Video Conferencing Equipment
Video conferencing equipment includes cameras, monitors, microphones, and the codec.    The type of equipment used and how it is placed depends on how the video conference system will be used and who will be using it. There are three basic types of equipment setups which must be H.320 standards compliant, that are used depending upon the type and size conference.

• Room Systems are designed for video conferences where a large number of people will be viewing or participating (for example, training sessions, group meetings, etc.). Rooms are dedicated for video conferencing with multiple monitors and cameras usually built in to the walls. These rooms are usually custom-designed specifically for this application.
• Roll-About Units are best adaptable for smaller group meetings or conferences. These units consist of one or two monitors, contained in a cart which houses the codec, camera, and any other peripheral equipment. This setup can be placed in an existing conference room with network access as its only limitation.
• Desktop Systems enable personal computers to be equipped with a camera and microphone as well as software and boards in order to conduct a video conference from an existing personal computer. The PC can be connected with one or many sites, but it is best suited for one-on-one conferences.

Video Conferencing Modes
There are four types of viewing modes:

1. Automatic, Voice Activated Mode--In this mode, automatic switching between the sites is activated by the predominant audio site. Endpoint locations view the location currently speaking. The speaking location views the previous talking location. All locations continue to hear the conference at all times.
2. Chair Control Mode--In this mode, the "conference chair" determines which location will be viewed by all the other locations and at what time during the course of the conference. This is helpful when a moderator is conducting a conference and wishes to target particular locations for a question or response.
3. Broadcast/Presentation Mode--This mode provides for a single endpoint location (the broadcaster or presenter) to continuously be viewed and heard by all other endpoint locations throughout the duration of the conference. In this mode, switching among sites will not occur. A good application for this mode is the presentation of a report or an announcement to employees.
4. Continuous Presence--To utilize this mode, all participating sites must subscribe to the feature. Up to four sites may be viewed on the monitor simultaneously. A good application for using this mode is a meeting/class involving multiple sites.

Using the Service

FAQs

Troubleshooting

Site Information

Billing Rates

How to Order
To order Video Services, the agency TC should complete Video Network Services Order Form (OTM-17). For assistance in completing the form, contact Video Network Services at 225-342-8827 or susie.pace@la.gov.

If an agency is a local school board, K-12, or rural hospital and it qualifies for E-rate discounts, the agency should contact its local BellSouth account executive to establish services. The name and telephone number of a BellSouth account executive can be obtained by calling 225-930-7700. Services will be billed directly to the agency by BellSouth at actual contract rates less E-rate discounts, not at the OTM Video Network Services rates. Information about the Universal Service administrative company can be found at www.universalservice.org/default.aspx.

 Forms 
OTM-17 Video Network Services Order Form
OTM-29 Web Scheduler Security Access Request Form
OTM-27 Backup Schedule Form for "ADHOC" Sessions
OTM-28 Backup Schedule Form for "REGULARLY SCHEDULED" Sessions