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Videotelephony
Abstract
Today it seems everyone has a cell phone. In fact, cell phones may eventually send landlines the way of the dinosaur. As we rely more and more on our cell phones, we want to do more than just talk -- we want to send text messages, e-mail, surf the Internet. And if video conferencing is an option -- well, we'll probably take it.
Imagine being on the phone and being able to watch the other person's facial expressions and body language. Sometimes just a smile or a disinterested look can speak volumes. Video conferencing promises that ability, and the feature isn't far from mainstream grasp. It most likely will become commonplace as cell phone companies embrace 3G technology. 3G, which refers to the third generation of cellular technology, means improved cell phone networks and more advanced features, including video conferencing. Prior cell phone generations -- 1G and 2G -- used analog and digital technology, respectively.
People aren't usually satisfied with just sound or just image. It only took a few decades for sound to be added to movies, making "talkies" the norm. Oddly, however, the telephone didn't follow suit. Though it's been around for over a century, video feeds linked up to sound aren't standard for the telephone. You'd think by now, with all our technological ingenuity, we'd be George Jetson, taking videophone calls at work.
So, what's been the hold up? Why didn't video telephony catch on in the past and what will make it standard now?
Introduction
An upscale Videotelephony system in use.
Videotelephony comprises the technologies for the reception and transmission of audio-video signals by users at different locations, for communication between people in real-time.
At the dawn of the technology, videotelephony also included image phones which would exchange still images between units every few seconds over conventional POTS-type telephone lines, essentially the same as slow scan TV systems.
Currently videotelephony is particularly useful to the deaf and speech-impaired who can use them with sign language and also with a video relay service, and well as to those with mobility issues or those who are located in distant places and are in need of telemedical or tele-educational services.
It is also used in commercial and corporate settings to facilitate meetings and conferences, typically between parties that already have established relationships.
Early history
The concept of videotelephony was first popularized in the late 1880s in both the United States and Europe, although the sciences to permit its very earliest trials would take nearly a half century to be discovered. These evolved from studies and experimentation in the fields of electrical telegraphy,telephony, radio and television.
The development of video and television transmission technologies in the United States and the United Kingdom started in the latter half of the 1920s, spurred notably by AT&T, occurred in part to serve as an adjunct to the use of the telephone. A number of organizations believed that videotelephony would be superior to plain voice telecommunication. However video technology was to be deployed as television broadcasting long before it could become practical in videotelephony.