| Up | Japanese | H.323 | Created : 2003-02-08 Updated: 2003-02-08 |
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H.323 Protocol: Conferencing for One and All
In the realm of technology you are constantly hearing the word "Protocol." What does it mean and why is it important? When you say protocol immediately users that are beginners will shy away afraid that the topic will be over their head and that it will require too much thought to comprehend. In actuality the word "protocol" only means an agreed on format for transferring data between two devices. It's a common language between those two devices. It can be something that is either hardware or software related. This means that those two devices can relate to networking, instant messaging, videoconferencing, and much more. Today we are going to focus on the standard protocol for videoconferencing. Why is a standard protocol important when it comes to videoconferencing? There are actually several reasons. Once you have finished reading this article you will have an understanding and an appreciation for the standard videoconferencing protocol. The standard protocol for videoconferencing is commonly known as the H.323 Protocol. H.323 is an International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standard that provides specification for computers, equipment, and services for multimedia communication over networks. It is the standard protocol for all types of audiovisual conferencing. The data that is transmitted across the network can be videoconferencing or audio conferencing data. The audiovisual type is not of importance. Why is the H.323 protocol important when it comes to Internet Conferencing? The answer is very simple. Lets take a look at some different scenarios in which the H.323 Protocol could come into play and assist us in solving common conferencing problems. For example: Two people who would like to conferencing but one is using a Macintosh Computer application and the other a Windows Applications. How can they conference with each other? Two people wish to conferencing with each other and they are using the same operating system but each person is using a different software program. How can they conference with one another? The H.323 protocol provides a solution for both scenarios that I mentioned above. If both parties are using an application that uses the standard H.323 protocol they should be able to conference with one another by dialing the other persons IP Address. Sound complicated? It's not. I promise. Depending on the application that you are using you should be able to dial into someone else's IP address. This can be done with Microsoft NetMeeting, CuSee Me, Intel Video Phone, and many more. The key is that the software application must be using the standard H.323 protocol. How do you know if it is using the H.323 protocol? You can usual find out by reading the specs of the program and/or viewing the developers website. The majority of the popular conferencing programs that are being developed today do abide by the protocol therefore making conferencing easier for all. As you can see H.323 Protocol has made the most significant advancement toward interoperability with both video and audio conferencing applications. Because of this it doesn't matter if you are a Mac user, a Windows user or if you are a Microsoft Netmeeting fan or partial to CuSeeMe you can still conference with one another. This protocol has made the possibility of interoperability of audiovisual conferencing as perfect as it can be in a not so perfect world. |