There is always the level of confusion between the terms video conferencing and telepresence
. As web conferencing technology continues to hit the market, the lines of distinction get blurred and so it is easy for the inexperienced persons to get confused with the various collaborative technologies. There are numerous factors that must be explored for a balanced assessment such as image resolution, bandwidth requirements and connection stability.
Which is Better?
Telepresence had been introduced in the year 2006 and started gaining its momentum in the communications field. It seeks to create a more immersive experience than that offered by video conferencing or web conferencing solutions. Most of the business people prefer video conferencing than telepresence since they consider it as the highly evolved technology. Participants are presented life sized with the help of large screens. Video conferencing is the combination of both video and audio communications between two or more end users.
Ultimately selecting one over the other depends on the end users requirements. There is wisdom in using webinar solutions that grow as the company grows, hence the popularity of web or video conferencing. For smaller companies the cost of telepresence technology is not at all affordable. There are efforts underway to develop reasonably priced options to capture all segments of the market.
For people who consider the immersive aspect vital to the success of a meeting, telepresence might be the best option. People who choose video conferencing are generally happy with their choice, notwithstanding the possibility of connectivity and image quality issues.
The only real option that successfully combines the best of both worlds is web conferencing. Often the two options are seen as appealing to different sectors of the market. The fact is they both serve the same online meeting demands, albeit a bit differently. Web conferencing not only allows interactive collaboration, it enhances it with a number of useful features such as:
Remote access and remote support
Application sharing
Whiteboards
Meeting recording
While companies like RHUB Communications have helped to define the communications landscape, some end users still have questions. This company and other providers have delivered quality web conference solutions that are easy to use, reliable and help to cut costs.