The video conference solution from Swisscom Tips & Tricks
Contents 1 Conducting efficient video conferences with Vidia 3 2 Optimising picture and sound quality 4 2.1 Picture quality 4 2.1.1 Camera 4 2.1.2 Light conditions 5 2.1.3 Bandwidth 5 2.1.4 Your computer s performance 6 2.2 Sound quality 6 3 Using Vidia in a meeting room 7 4 Setting up desktop and application sharing correctly 9 2
1 Conducting efficient video conferences with Vidia The following tips will help you to use Vidia efficiently: > > The same considerations apply to a video conference as to any normal meeting: you need to prepare an agenda for every meeting and set objectives at the beginning of the meeting. > > Choose a suitable place for the video conference where you won t be disturbed and you won t disturb others. Ensure that no other people are visible in the background of your screen. Movements in the background are distracting for the other participants. > > Ensure optimum picture and sound quality. The meeting experience is disrupted if the other participants have problems seeing and hearing you. The same applies if you cannot understand others well. For more information on this, read the section on Optimising sound and picture quality. > > Background noises are also very distracting for the other participants in the meeting. If you are in an environment with background noise, mute the microphone when you are not speaking. If you are in your own Vidia room, as room owner you can switch individuals or all participants to mute. > > Connect the charger for your computer or your mobile device to prevent the battery running down during the conference. > > Pay attention to your surroundings whether you are at home or in an open plan office, you need to consider what is in your camera s field of vision. The Beauty Screen shows you what is visible to other participants before you enter the meeting. > > Clothes maketh the man, as the saying goes clothes with bright colours or complex patterns (stripes, fine checks etc.) will tire the eyes after a while. > > Pastels or pale colours are easier on the eye in front of a camera. > > Set up your camera so that you appear in most of the image, not the desk or the ceiling. 3
2 Optimising picture and sound quality Vidia provides video conferencing in HD picture and sound quality. The following tips will help you to achieve the best quality. 2.1 Picture quality The quality of the picture seen by the other participants depends on the following factors: > > the quality of your camera > > the light conditions > > the bandwidth available > > your computer s performance The last two factors also influence how well you see the other participants. 2.1.1 Camera External webcams usually produce better results than the cameras integrated into notebooks. We recommend the following cameras: > > For normal use at your workplace: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 > > For use in a small meeting room: Logitech HD Business Webcam C930e (this camera has a wide-angle lens which can include several people on the screen at once). Always connect the camera straight to the computer (do not use external or screen-integrated USB hubs). Smartphones and tablets have one or several built-in cameras. External cameras cannot be connected. You can improve the quality of your own picture by ensuring good light conditions and sufficient bandwidth (see below). 4
2.1.2 Light conditions You would be amazed at how much the quality of your own picture is affected by light conditions. Good lighting is therefore fundamental for video conferencing. Ideally, the light source should be behind the camera and at eye level. If you are in a room with windows, you need to be positioned with the window in front of you. If this is not possible, it might be helpful to close the curtains and turn on the light. If you are in a room with artificial light, try to set it up so that any bright sources of light are in front of you and do not fall on the screen. It is often helpful to tilt the camera (or the screen, if the camera is built into its edge) slightly forwards so that less ceiling light falls on the screen area. You can improve a room with poor light conditions by setting up a floor lamp behind your screen, for instance. Beauty Screen before you enter the Vidia room you can check the lighting effects in the preview. 2.1.3 Bandwidth Video conferencing requires significantly more bandwidth than Internet telephony, for instance. So always use the best connection type available, in the following order: > > Ethernet cable > > WLAN > > 4G/3G For optimum picture quality you should have a bandwidth of 1.5 Mbit/s (up and down). If in doubt you should also deactivate programs that require bandwidth in the background. This bandwidth is then available for your video conference. Dropbox is an example of one such application. It synchronises your local data continuously with the Internet whenever there are changes. 5
2.1.4 Your computer s performance Video conferencing requires a lot of computing power. The performance of a notebook is often reduced if it is running in battery mode, so connect the power cable to obtain the best performance and to prevent the battery running out during a video conference. In the energy options, select the energy plan High Performance to get the best out of your computer. Note that this leads to a shorter battery life in battery mode. If you get the impression that your computer is slow, we recommend that you close applications that are not currently required. 2.2 Sound quality Sound quality is just as important as picture quality for an efficient and enjoyable meeting experience. The loud speakers and microphones built into computers often provide substandard sound quality. External audio devices provide significantly better results. We recommend that you use a USB or Bluetooth headset from Logitech or Plantronics. If several people want to take part in the conference with the same computer, we recommend a USB speakerphone from Jabra (Jabra Speak 410). Make sure that there are no objects, such as a coffee cup, in the immediate proximity of the speakerphone. This might lead to an echo effect for the other participants. If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can use the headset supplied with the device (if there is one). You can also use a Bluetooth headset. 6
3 Using Vidia in a meeting room Using Vidia and the appropriate peripheral devices you can turn any meeting room into the perfect video conference room and take part in a Vidia meeting with several participants. Connect an external screen or television to your computer to get a bigger picture. Alternatively, you can use a projector (but this needs to be bright so that you do not need to darken the room because this reduces the picture quality of your camera). You can also use two screens: If another participant is sharing a desktop or an application, click on the shared content to show it in an individual window. You can then move it to the second screen this lets you see the other participants and the shared content simultaneously. Taking part in a video conference in twos and threes Use a wide-angle webcam such as Logitech HD Business Webcam C930e so that all the participants fit on screen. Position the camera directly on the screen or under it so that you can maintain eye contact with the other participants. The audio device that we recommend is a speakerphone from Jabra (Jabra Speak 410). Alternatively, you can use a system such as the Logitech ConferenceCam BCC950. This has a camera that can rotate and zoom by remote control as well as a built-in loud speaker and a microphone. Connect the system to your computer with a USB connection and select the corresponding camera and audio devices before you enter the Vidia room. 7
Participate in a video conference in a small group To participate in a video conference with three to five people in the same room, we recommend that you use the Logitech ConferenceCam Connect system. The ConferenceCam Connect is a portable all-in-one video conferencing solution with a built-in full-hd camera and speakerphone. You can operate the digital zoom using a remote control. Connect the system to your computer with a USB connection and select the corresponding camera and audio devices before you enter the Vidia room. Participate in a video conference in a larger group We recommend using the Logitech ConferenceCam CC3000e system if more than five people are taking part in a Vidia conference in the same room. This has a professional camera with a 10x optical zoom, which can be positioned by remote control. The system also incorporates a speakerphone designed for larger groups. Please note: When several people in the same meeting room enter the same Vidia room, all the participants have to set their loudspeakers and microphones to mute, except for the person who has connected the speakerphone to their computer. This can lead to an echo or a whistling sound otherwise. 8
4 Setting up desktop and application sharing correctly If you want to share your entire desktop, click on the icon for desktop and application sharing and select Share desktop from the list. Then minimise the Vidia application to avoid a mirror effect. When you share an application, check that the window for this application is not minimised. Otherwise the other participants will not see it. If another participant is sharing a desktop or an application, click on the shared content to show it in an individual window. You can change the size of this window or view it in full-screen mode. If you have two monitors you can move the shared window to the second screen so that you can see the other participants and the shared content at the same time. To share a PowerPoint presentation, we recommend the following setting under Slide Show menu > Set Up Slide Show The presentation is then shown in the main PowerPoint window, which can be shared in Vidia. Open the presentation or document you want to share before the start of the Vidia conference. This avoids interrupting the discussion. 9