A videoconferencing system that gives meeting participants in different locations the illusion that they are just across the table from each other has been developed by US company HP (Hewlett Packard).
Each Halo Studio contains three large plasma screens fitted into the wall opposite a large conference table. A fourth screen hangs above these and can be used to display presentations to everyone simultaneously.
The studios are connected via a dedicated fibre-optic line capable of transmitting 45 megabits of audio and video per second, meaning a video delay of just a couple of hundredths of a second at each end.
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The screens are positioned to create the illusion that those on the other end of the video line are sitting just across the conference table. Each room also has matching decor, lighting and furniture. Video cameras are positioned just above each screen to minimise discrepancies when participants try to make eye contact.
Hyper-realism
Bill Wickes, research and development manager for the project at HP, says the system provides a highly realistic videoconferencing experience. 鈥淲e want them to forget about the technology and focus on the other people involved,鈥� he told 快猫短视频. 鈥淵ou want to remove any distractions.鈥�
But this hyper-realism does not come cheap. Each Halo Studio costs $500,000 to build and a further $18,000 per month to maintain.
Jon Martin Denstadli, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Transport Economics, who has studied Norwegian businesses鈥� use of videoconferencing, says such technology can be effective.
A survey conducted by him in 2000 showed that videoconferencing had replaced 2-4% of routine business travel. But videoconferencing tools may be less suitable for some types of meeting, Denstadli concedes.
鈥淚t is ok for routine meetings within a company,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut for an important meeting, with customers for example, you may want a more personal touch.鈥�