Video Conferencing, is a communications technology the uses both video and audio to allow people to communicate from anywhere in the world.  Using this technology 

allows participants the feeling of being face to face for more intimate and personal communication.  Within recent years video conferencing has become a popular alternative to both business and personal travel.  The introduction of relatively low cost, high capacity broadband telecommunication services coupled with video compression techniques has allowed video conferencing to become a powerful and efficient means of communication in business, education, medicine and media.  

Today's increasing cost for travel has created a demand for an alternate means of communication.  Video conferencing is the answer.  Eliminating the need for travel not only reduces costs but also contributes to a reduction in carbon emissions and our overall global footprint.  This makes video conferencing not only a great way to save your time and money, but also an excellent way to save our environment.

There are two general types of video conferences that are in use today.  The first type is called point-to-point in which two VTC end units establish a direct connection.  This is the more commonly used of the two because of it's simplicity and ease of use.   The second type is a multi-point video conference in which several sites participant in the same conference using a multi-point control unit (MCU) which is commonly referred to as a VTC bridge.  This has become a more popular conferencing type in recent years due to the development of more robust VTC CODECs and network infrastructures which allow for higher bandwidth and high quality video and audio.

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There are several different communication technologies that are in use today.  VTC communication primarily uses either an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or Internet Protocol (IP).  These two network types can be integrated using gateways.  Gateways are a great asset for those in need of video conferencing capability using multiple types of media such as smart phones, desktop terminals, and even starndard analog phones.  Below are a few diagrams that can help provide a better visual representation of how these video conferencing networks can come together.