Can you really afford two days for a two hour meeting? That's the asking price today for many people who have to travel to distant locations for a meeting that lasts less than half a day. Your time and your staff's time is valuable, not only to Yale, but to you as well. The uncertainty and frustration of business related travel makes it difficult to manage costs, productivity and personal energy. Videoconfer-encing offers an effective and efficient solution to these problems.
Getting everyone together for a meeting can be an expensive and time consuming process if it involves people from different locations. Videoconferencing helps bring everyone together without leaving the city, and maybe even the building where they work. Important decisions can now be made quickly with all the key players present. Videoconferencing will provide information exchange and problem solving without the normal burdens of travel. Staff and faculty will be able reduce travel time and expenses by conducting meetings via video without leaving the campus.
The benefits of videoconferencing are not restricted to typical business applications. Yale students will be able to arrange to be interviewed by prospective employers without having to leave the campus. Videocon-ferencing is becoming important as a learning tool. Interactive video eliminates the physical boundaries of the classroom by connecting an instructor in a central place to students located in one or more remote locations. Videoconferencing can be used to offer classroom instruction, on the job training, continuing education, and special lectures and seminars. Distance learning is also impacting traditional public education systems by linking together elementary and secondary schools and connecting them to valuable university resources.
Thanks to the assistance of MCI, Compression Labs, Inc. (CLI) has agreed to provide the University with an Eclipse, a full motion videoconferencing system. The Telecommunications Department acquired the system on a trial basis for the next three months and is now in a position to offer videoconferencing services to the Yale community. This trial will provide us with an opportunity to evaluate the quality of the current technology and its value to Yale. We will also determine whether a business case can be developed for the use of videoconferencing technology by the Yale community.
The Eclipse system includes a 27 inch color monitor, an auto focus wide angle camera, a video CODEC, a VCR, a still-image document camera and an auxiliary camera. A wireless remote control with a graphical user interface makes the system as easy to use as a television. The VCR and document cameras allow you to share videotapes and documents as part of the conference. The VCR can also be used for recording the conference.
The cost of a videoconference may seem high at first glance, but it is inexpensive when compared to the cost of a typical business trip. All conferences are billed in 15 minute increments and are subject to a 30 minute minimum. As a basis for comparison, public videoconferencing service companies charge an average of $150 - $200 per hour for use of the room and equipment in addition to the network usage charges. In Yale's case during the trial period the charge is $90 per hour plus network usage charges.
The videoconferencing service is available Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Special arrangements can be made for conferences that need to take place at other times. The Telecommunications Department will assist you in all aspects of the videoconference, including helping find a public videoconferencing room for the other participants.
Videoconference Service Rates During Trial Period:
If the network connection is originated by Yale: Domestic/International
*$1.50/minute ($90/hour), plus the network usage charges
*Minimum billing is 30 minutes per conference ($45), plus the network usage charges
*Beyond 30 minutes, conferences are billed in 15 minute ($22.50) increments, plus the network usage charges.
*Domestic network usage charges can range from $.20 per minute to $.50 per minute. International network usage charges can range from $2.44 per minute (United Kingdom) to $11.70 per minute (China).
If the network connection is originated by distant end: Domestic/International
*$1.50/minute ($90/hour)
*Minimum billing is 30 minutes per conference ($45)
*Beyond 30 minutes, conferences are billed in 15 minute ($22.50) increments
For additional information about the services available contact Jeff Euben, Manager-Network Services at 2-7040. To make a reservation please contact the Telecommunications Department TMO at 2-2001.