This article is in part to debunk some of thepopular myths about the usefulness of videoconferencing and in part tosound a upbeat about those very same myths. In most business situations,a conference is held between more than one person and just for that reasonthe popular use for videoconferencing will also require it to communicatebetween more than two people. This is where the multipoint control unit(MCU) comes into play. Without this handy equipment your videoconferencingequipment is still virtually in the stone age, since all you are able todo is communicate between two people without being able to add the muchgreater functionality of adding many other conferencees.

The MCU is a bridge that connects with threeor more users, interprets their audio and video signals and sends backan audio and video data stream. For eg, VideoServer sells its entry-level,four user MCS Series 2000 Model 2007 system (expandle to eight users)for $22,550. As you can see the cost is still prohibitively high and onlylarge companies with substantial traffic requiring video conferencing canafford this software. Upgrades for this system include a continuous presencemodule (which lets you see all participants at once), an audioconferencingmodule (same thing) and a premise switching module (lets you switch views).Other technologies like MultiLink, Lucent Technologies and Precept Softwareare also entering the market with their versions of the MCS linkup.

The overall trend in this industry seems to bethe "ease of use" factor. All three main companies mentionedearlier are trying to eliminate the middleman i.e. technical support staffwho currently handle the teleconferencing details and who generally havespecialized training. The new wave will have conference management viathe participants themselves who will mange the much easier technical detailsthrough their computer console or telephone touchtone. The 1997 TeleconferencingMarkets and Strategies report says that revenue from the sales of MCUsalone (not including services) will climb to $250 million by the year 2000.This is good news in an baby industry which still has to rely on the inflexiblenature of the Internet, as far as videoconferencing is concerned, and whereneither setup nor configuration is for the faint of heart.