Many of the resources that are available on the topic of videoconferencing applications and platforms are manufacturer-specific and focused on how to support or implement their various products in your environment. We have gathered together some of the more relevant sources of information for these products, and have also gathered links to websites that discuss or review videoconferencing solutions.
General Information and Links
http://www.speedtest.net/ and http://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/ both provide a way for consumers to check the speed of their internet connection. These can be useful tools when assessing whether or not a patient or employee working from home have sufficient bandwidth for videoconferencing applications.
Videoconferencing Test Sites
These sites provide dialing information for publicly-accessible endpoints that you can use to test your VTC system. Additionally, one can often find links to specific addresses for testing purposes through Google searches for “VTC Test Site.”
Polycom offers a clear listing of their testing sites on this page, with a range of options for both IP and ISDN network interfaces at various bandwidths and frame rates.
Manufacturer-Specific Links
8×8
http://www.8×8.com/Support/BusinessSupport.aspx links to 8×8’s business support center pages, which contain information that may be relevant to those interested in using their product in telehealth.
Apple
http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/docs/iChat_Service_Admin_v10.6.pdf provides information for administrators interested in setting up iChat for their own organization.
Blue Jeans
http://bluejeans.com/support offers information on implementing their cloud-based solution either as a standalone system or in conjunction with other VTC products.
Cisco
Cisco provides links to a range of their “Maintain and Operate” guides for Jabber (previously Movi). Documents are available at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps11328/prod_maintenance_guides_list.html. Their support pages, located at http://www.cisco.com/cisco/web/support/index.html, are presently somewhat complex and difficult to navigate if you do not already know what product you need assistance with.
Polycom
http://support.polycom.com/PolycomService/home/home.htm offers a range of documents and guides for the Polycom products.
LifeSize
An introduction to videoconferencing platforms, explained from the perspective of the LifeSize team, can be found at http://www.lifesize.com/en/get-started, and their support pages are located at http://www.lifesize.com/en/support.
Skype for Business
Skype for Business is offered in the Microsoft Office family of products. https://www.skype.com/en/business/ while https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA34551/what-s-the-difference-between-skype-skype-meetings-and-skype-for-business describes the differences between the various Skype offerings.
Vidyo
http://www.vidyo.com/services-support/technical-support/product-documentation/ links to Vidyo’s support center.
Zoom
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us links to the support pages for Zoom, which includes an explanation of their product as a standalone platform or as an integrated part of existing VTC solutions.
Other Resources
“What You Should Know about The H.265 Video Codec – Tested.com.” Tested RSS. http://www.tested.com/tech/web/453188-what-you-should-know-about-h265-video/ (accessed May 1, 2014).
ITU-T Publications. “H.265 : High efficiency video coding.” H.265 : High efficiency video coding. http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-H.265 (accessed May 1, 2014).
Wiegand, Thomas, Detlev Marpe, Heiko Schwarz, Sebastian Bosse, Benjamin Bross, Philipp Helle, Tobias Hinz, Heiner Kirchhoffer, Haricharan Lakshman, Simon Oudin, Tung Nguyen, Mischa Siekmann, Karsten Suhring, and Martin Winken. “Video Compression Using Nested Quadtree Structures, Leaf Merging, and Improved Techniques for Motion Representation and Entropy Coding.” IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology.
Pantziaris, M.. “Open-Source Telemedicine Platform for Wireless Medical Video Communication.” International journal of telemedicine and applications 2013. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23573082?report=docsum (accessed May 1, 2014).
Yaffe, K., R. Morris, J. Rothlind, and C. Barton. “Video-Telemedicine in a Memory Disorders Clinic: Evaluation and Management of Rural Elders with Cognitive Impairment.” Telemedicine and e-Health 17: 789-793. (accessed May 1, 2014).
Kowalke, Mae. “Partnerships a Trend Among Global IP Communications Firms.” (accessed May 2, 2014).
Brecht, Daniel. “Cold But Connected: Videoconferencing Aids Education, Mental Health In Arctic Circle.” (accessed May 2, 2014).
Anderson, Steve. “Study Sees Market Gains for Videoconferencing, Telepresence Equipment.” (accessed May 2, 2014).