The fact is, for us, Video Calls, "took off' quite some time ago, but
they have a particular time, place and function: We have a weekly
video conference with my parents, who are on the opposite coast from
my wife and I. We have a large screen, good speakers and fast,
relatively reliable Internet speed. We use iChat AV and the quality is
superb - most of the time the session is full-screen with little or no
delay, so, we sit down with coffee and chat with them as if they were
across the living room coffee table.
Like many communication mediums, there is a time and place. We've
found over the years that video calls are perfect for a weekly chat
that is more social in nature. Now that we can share photos and even
screens at times, we've also used it to update them on what we did
during the week, and I sometimes can help in a technical issue for my
father. I think that this scheduled, emotion-centric weekly 'reunion'
makes more sense than using videoconferencing for an ad hoc, quick
business call with a stranger.
As Wittgenstein said, "Don't ask for the meaning, ask for the use."
-David D.
On 30-May-08, at 10:02 AM, Alexander Baxevanis wrote:
Well, that's only partly correct. It adds little to the value of
communication if the quality is bad, but in most cases it has been
proven that visual cues are a significant back channel of human
communication.
I believe the second scenario (broadcasting what you see) is actually
now implemented in most 3G mobiles, i.e. you can switch between the
fron-facing & the back-facing camera. I'm sure of course that the
option is deeply hidden in some menu ;-)
Another thing I forgot to mention is that there is little support for
the "negotiation phase". If you look at things like Skype, you can
negotiate in advance via IM if you want to do a video call and each
party can enable or disable their video feed independently during the
call. Also, you can elect to show if you have a camera (& thus can do
video calls). On a mobile, you can't be sure if the other party is
capable or willing to engage in a video call, and I'm not sure if
there's a seamless way to hand over between video & voice-only calls.
Cheers,
Alex
On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 5:46 PM, Nancy Broden
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Add to these the fact that simply seeing the other person on the
other end
of the line adds very little to the communication. Now, if I were
to see
what you see, instead of just seeing you....
On May 30, 2008, at 9:34 AM, Peyush Agarwal wrote:
Alexander,
I'm not sure I agree with the notion of 'greedy interface' as the
problem.
I mean, it's the whole point when you do video calls, no?
I think rather that there are 3 general issues with video phoning -
1. Technology - they are bandwidth heavy, and unreliable in terms of
quality. Sometimes it's good other times choppy etc. It has to
work like tv
all the time from any location. Sort of how audio phoning works.
2. Logistics - maybe this is also technological, but it's too much
hassle
to sit in the right place, have the right lighting etc. to make it
worthwhile. I remember when I first used webcams (low res, choppy
etc.) the
excitement of seeing someone from another part of the world was
quickly
overcome by constantly wanting to 'place' them such that I could
be 'eye to
eye' with them, and be able to see their face properly etc.
Typically,
lights behind the person that work fine as local ambient light are
terrible
for the person on the other end of the call - all they see is a
silhouette.
3. Privacy - I think it would be just terrible if you HAD to use
videoconferencing - I don't have to pat down my cowlick in order
to speak
over the phone today, or put on a tie etc.
--------------------------------
Nancy Broden
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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