Electronic Conferencing (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE ICT)
Revision Note
Written by: Robert Hampton
Reviewed by: James Woodhouse
Video-Conferencing
What is video-conferencing?
Video-conferencing is a way of enabling real-time audio and visual communication between geographically separated parties
Video-conferencing is ideal for small groups of users to create an engaging meeting experience
Video-conferencing is typically used for:
Staff meetings
Presentations
To successfully host a video-conference, the following hardware is required:
Webcam
Large output display (projector, screen, TV etc.)
Microphone
Speakers
Specialist software is also required, such as:
Drivers to control the output of the webcam
A codec to encode (compress) and decode (decompress) data being transmitted
Advantages and disadvantages of video-conferencing
Advantages | Disadvantages |
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Audio-Conferencing
What is audio-conferencing?
Audio-conferencing is a way of enabling real-time audio only communication between geographically separated parties
Audio-conferencing uses standard phone lines
To host an audio-conference, the host must be given a personal PIN and a participant PIN by the phone company
The host starts the conference using their personal PIN and participants dial in and join using their participant PIN
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can be used on computers to hold audio-conferences
Advantages and disadvantages of audio-conferencing
Advantages | Disadvantages |
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Web-Conferencing
What is web-conferencing?
Web-conferencing is a way of enabling real-time audio and visual communication between geographically separated parties on the internet
Web-conferencing is ideal for large groups of users to create an engaging meeting experience
Web-conferencing is typically used for:
Webinars
Lectures
Presentations
To host a web-conference the emphasis is placed on a high-speed, stable internet connection
Advantages | Disadvantages |
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Examiner Tips and Tricks
Web-conferencing and video-conferencing are very similar however, the key differences are:
Video conferencing has a focus on face to face communication
Web conferencing has a focus on interaction and collaboration such as document sharing, whiteboards etc
Worked Example
A motor car company has some designers based in London and some in Beijing.
The cost of travel between the two cities is very high, so when they wish to meet to discuss new products they use video-conferencing.
The designers all have PCs with a keyboard and a mouse in order to take part in video-conferencing.
a. Name three other devices used to input or output data which would be needed to take part in the video-conference.
[3]
b. Describe three potential problems of the designers using video-conferencing systems rather than meeting in either London or Beijing.
[3]
Answers
a. Three of:
Webcam / video camera [1]
Speakers / headset / headphones [1]
Large monitor / television / data projector [1]
Microphone [1]
b. Three from:
Time lag / lip sync caused by the image not being synchronised with the sound [1]
Poor picture quality caused by the speed of connection / quality of the hardware [1]
More likely to have poorer sound quality caused by the quality of the hardware / connection [1]
Confidential material about the new cars may have to be signed / viewed in person [1]
The new car may have to be viewed in person [1]
Hardware breakdown stops the conference taking place [1]
Communication breakdown stops the conference taking place [1]
Different time zones will mean the conference has to take place at inconvenient times [1]
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