Radvision Scopia Desktop Review

Please go to my new Blog location for this review.

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Please visit the new location for this Blog.

Hopefully, that location will serve us all well.

Tutoring Help via YouTube

If you need (or someone you know needs) help with Math, Physics, SAT Preparation....visit the Khan Academy on YouTube.

An example video is included below.  I picked Pre-Algebra since that is the class I long term subbed in for two months this year....I like that he says almost the same thing I told my class:The best way tto learn math is to Practice, Practice, Practice.

Comcast Tracy, CA Upgrades HDTV Channels, Part 2

Please visit this blog entry at it's new location.



I was breezing through the HD channels a couple of nights ago, and found new channels. Interesting that I never seem to be aware that this is going to happen...is it just me?

Fourteen new HD channels have been added and we lost MOJO....but, if you ever watched MOJO you may agree that that is no loss.

I do hear that our rates are going to increase in Jan 09...so I suppose this is a good move on Comcasts part. Now we have more HDTV to watch for the extra $$ we will be paying.

I'm not complaining...I love HD!

Here is the current list:

903--KCRA NBC
904--KQCA My58
906--KVIE PBS
908--KTXL Fox
910--KXTV ABC
912--KMAX CW31
913--KOVR CBS
914--HGTV
915--NGCHD (National Geographic)
916--HISHD (The History Channel)
917--NFL (Need to pay extra)
918--A&E
920--CSNHD (Bay Area sports, mostly blue screen logo) Comcast Sportsnet
921--GOLFD (Golf and other sports)
922--HDT Discovery HD Theater
923--ESPND (ESPN)
924--ES2HD (ESPN2)
926--TNTHD (TNT HD)
927--UHD (Universal)
928--PLDHD (Palladia High Def Music...they have Country too)
930--HBO (Need to pay extra)
931--ENC1H (Encore HD) NEW
932--MXHDW (Need to pay extra)
933--HALLD (Hallmark Movies HD) NEW
934--SZ1HW (Starz) (Need to pay extra)

935--BRVOD (Bravo HD) NEW
936--SHO HD (Need to pay extra)
937--USA HD
938--DSCHD (The Discovery Channel)
939--SCIHD (Science HD)

940--E!HD NEW
941--FOODD (Food HD)
942--SFHD (SciFi Channel)
943--APHD (Animal Planet HD)
944--TLCHD (TLC)
945--AMCHD (AMC)
946--CNNHD (CNN)

947--CNBCD (CNBC HD) NEW
948--FAMHD (Family Channel HD)
949--DISHD (Disney Channel)

950--TOOND (Cartoon Network) NEW

953--TBSHD NEW

954--QVCHD NEW

957--FNCHD (Fox News) NEW

958--FBNHD (Fox Business) NEW

960--FXHD NEW

965--SPDHD (Paid Programming) NEW

966--VRSHD (Outdoor stuff) NEW

995--HDMUS (HD Music??? it says it is "coming soon") NEW

So not bad....we get about 12 new watchable channels, not including the reality based very depressing financial channels.

Tracy, CA continues to reach to the future. Even if it is a Triangle...

Videoconferencing 101, Chapter 1

This Blog has moved....pleae read this Chapter (and Chapter 2) here.  

I will start new series where I will try to make videoconferencing, collaboration, streaming, and related technologies easy to understand for “Everyone”.

Taking advantage of the Blog format, I will be able to add to this entry as new information appears, and make changes as needed (a living document). Hopefully, in a few months I will be able to provide an entire "course" for people to refer to.

Lets get started and see how this works out...let me know!

Basic Terms You Will Need To Know

H.320—is an umbrella standard (meaning it covers video, audio, and signaling standards) developed in the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) that defines how voice and video content is processed and transmitted over an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) telephone call. This standard was developed in the late 1980’s and first used in videoconferencing equipment in the early 1990’s.

H.320 is still in use but is rapidly falling by the wayside with the emergence of high speed Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity. Truthfully, a 384 kbps IP call is better than ISDN and cheaper.

H.323—is an umbrella standard that defines how voice and video content is processed and transmitted over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This standard was ratified in late 1996, and, now, in 2008 is widely used and reliable. To use H.323, you need an H.323 client and an IP network.

SIP--Session Initiation Protocol is a signaling protocol for the use of video and audio over IP networks. This protocol appeared several years ago and is widely used in Voice Over IP (VoIP) calls but not so much for video. In fact, when I first learned about SIP, it was expected to overtake H.323 very rapidly. That never happened. We will see what the future holds. SIP controls the registration, call establishment, and take down but uses the same protocols for video and audio transfer as H.323 (we will get into these later).

T.120—defines how data collaboration takes place between two or more end users. This standard defines such data collaboration tasks such as: white-boarding, file transfer, application sharing, etc. Many new Internet based application provide much of the functionality of T.120 but are proprietary.

MCU—a multipoint control unit (MCU) allows three or more endpoints to meet at a central location. MCUs exist for audio-conferencing, H.320 videoconferencing, H.323 videoconferencing, and for all three together. An MCU can be hardware based or software based. In H.323, an MCU is optional.

Figure 1: Polycom MCU

Gatekeeper—this device allows the registration of H.323 devices and controls the call set-up and take-down of H.323 calls. It also provides a way for H.323 units to easily call each other using either an E.164 (a fancy word for a telephone like) number or H.323 alias.The E.164 number can be a simple multi-digit telephone number(like 3456 or 30987) while the H.323 alias can be a persons email address (like mike@telbitconsulting.com), name, or other alphanumeric designation. In H.323, a gatekeeper is optional.

Gatekepers can be: Software on a Windows or Linux / Unix based server (example: Radvision, Open323), software on a router (example: Cisco), or a dedicated Linux box (example: Tandberg). The system you choose depends on a number of factors including expertise in house, cost, and features / capabilities.

Figure 2: Tandberg Gatekeeper

Gateway—the gateway allows H.323 and H.320 systems to communicate with each other. One side of the gateway is attached to the IP network while the other side of the gateway connects to ISDN. A person using a cell phone can attend a meeting by calling into a gateway. In H.323, a gateway is optional.

Figure 3: Codian / Tandberg Gateway

See the video below for an example of H.323 videoconferencing. This call was made from our home using a DSL connection to San Diego, CA. We did not use a gatekeeper in this particular call preferring to call using on the Professor's IP address (a number assigned to his system by his Internet service provider) of his videoconferencing endpoint.

Comcast HDTV Cable Box Installation

This Blog has moved....please visit this entry here.  

As many of you know, I had a cable card installed in my Sony HDTV. That card has given me very good service for the past 4 years, but, in the past year or so, I have periodically lost signal to many stations we watch. To get those stations back, I have to call Comcast and ask them to "reboot" my cable card. Luckily, nine time out of ten, I get someone at Comcast who helps fix the problem immediately. Great service from Comcast.

The last time this happened (Dec 1, 2008), I asked one particularly knowledgeable person (Eric in the Livermore, CA call center) what I could do to avoid these "reboots". He told me I could get a cable box for free. Hmmmm, I know the cable box cost extra four years ago, and, a few months ago, I went to the Comcast office in Tracy, CA and again they told me I would have to pay (starving blogger remember), so I kept the card.

I went to the Comcast office again (with Eric's name in hand) and asked again. To my great surprise, I ended up bringing home a FREE cable box (Motorola) to hook up (and the promise I would bring in the cable card the next day when I knew everything worked ok).

Hooking up the cable box, I ran into some problems. The most glaring problem was lack of HDTV service, with an additional audio issue on the non HD channels. Interesting. After struggling a bit (mostly to make sure I was not doing something stupid), I called Comcast and was told that they rebooted the box and to wait 15 minutes for it to take effect. I waited...and waited...no change. So I called again and the next person looked at my cable box and said "You do not have an HD Box". Ah....that explains some of it. I put my cable card back in and he reset it so I could watch TV until I get a new box.

Back to Comcast in Tracy, CA to get an HD capable box.

The High Def box is about 4 times as large as the standard box.   Really quickly...it is working fine...here is what I did:

1. Took out the cable card from the TV

2. Connected the Cable into the cable box

3. Connected the RF Out to the Cable in (a coax) to my TV

4. Turned it on and saw channels but did not hear audio

5. Pondered what to do then connected the fiber audio cable from the cable box to my Bose.  This worked great...I now had audio....BUT....

6. The picture was not taking up the entire screen...arrrghhh.

7. Pondered what to do then connected the HDMI from the cable box to my TV's one and only HDMI port on input #7.  Worked great! 

8. Worked and pondered a bit more and finally came up with a new scheme for watching recorded video (House and Fringe), DVD's (our VUDU trial time ran out and I'm a starving blogger with no $$), and watch HDTV.  

Summary

First of all I have to give kudos to Comcast support.  I almost always get a friendly (even when I'm not) helpful person who has the ability to reboot or advise me what to do.  Also, for the bit of trouble I had getting HD Comcast gave me StarZ for a year, for free.  I need to call them however because I also have every other premium movie channel as well...and I do not want to be charged (starving blogger).  

The picture quality is every bit as good as the cable card and I seem to have picked up a few channels that the card did not.  Good stuff.  

I am a happy Comcast customer...we will see over time if the need to periodically "reboot" is a thing of the past.  

Blockbuster OnDemand Streaming Video Player

This Blog has moved...please read this entry here.  

Blockbuster has announced a streaming video player made by 2Wire.   This article in Information Week says it competes with Apple TV and NetFlix, but, unfortunately, it completely leaves out the one participant in this space that TelBitConsulting.com uses and loves:  VUDU.  

No matter what, the future is clear:  Watching movies via the Internet will happen and may happen, in a big way, faster than I had originally thought.  

Gathering some information on the new 2Wire player it looks like it does support HD.  Neither NetFlix nor AppleTV (as far as I understand...can support HD).   It works via a built-in wireless or wired Internet connection.  

Here are some specs I grabbed from 2Wire's Press Release:

Technical Details 
In the Box

• 2Wire MediaPoint Digital Media Player (8" x 8" x 1")
• Quick Installation Guide
• Power Adapter
• Composite A/V cable (supports SD viewing)
• Remote Control
• AAA Batteries

Video and Audio Connections

• Composite
• Component*
• HDMI*
• Stereo Audio
• Toslink (digital optical audio)*

Network Connections

• Ethernet*
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)

*cable must be purchased separately

UPDATE:  TelBitConsulting.com asked 2Wire a few questions (thank you to 2Wire for their prompt reply):

1. What size hard drives are available?

The built-in 8GB of flash memory can store approximately 5 SD or one HD and an assortment of SD movies at a time, depending on the length of the movies.

2. Can you connect an external hard drive to add capacity?

This is not currently an option.

3. Can a person purchase a movie?  If so will it be stored on the person local hard drive?  Is there a backup or archive capability to save the movies in case the hard drive dies?

At this time, you can not purchase movies through the MediaPoint digital media player.

4. Will Blockbuster make HD movies available?  How many movies are currently on the list?  How many are HD?

There are currently over 2,000 movies available through the ONDEMAND service, including a small but growing selection of HD movies. Blockbuster continues to add SD and HD movies to the ONDEMAND library.

5. Does your unit support 1080p?

Not at this time. The 2Wire MediaPoint digital media player currently supports the following: High Definition - 1080i, High Definition - 720p, Standard Definition - 480p, and Standard Definition - 480i.

6. Does your unit support 5.1 or 7.1 audio?

The 2Wire MediaPoint digital media player delivers stereo sound and supports 5.1.

7. If I want to watch an SD movie, how long do I have to wait before it starts?  HD? 

This depends on factors that include the speed of your Internet connection and the length of the movie. For example, with a 3 mbps connection, you could begin watching a standard-length SD movie within 30 seconds to one minute after beginning download.

8. What is the size of your unit?

The dimensions of MediaPoint are 8 in. x 8 in. x 1 in - about the size of a box of movie candy.

9. Do you support HDMI out put to the TV?

A composite A/V cable is provided with purchase. The player does support HDMI output, but the cable must be purchased separately. The HDMI Digital A/V output jack provides digital audio and video signals to a compatible HDTV or HD monitor.

10. Are any currently in use?  Can you tell me how many?  (If not, that is ok)

We are very pleased with the sales figures since the launch, but cannot divulge specific numbers.

11. How is the streaming handled?  From a central location only?  Peer-to-Peer?  Other?

Unlike media players that stream movies over the Internet, the 2Wire MediaPoint uses progressive download to let movie fans access high-quality videos, and begin watching them during download. The video and audio quality is consistent, and does not depend on your Internet connection speed.

TelBitConsulting.com says:  If a streaming player does not support HD....forget it.  To introduce a product in 2008 that does not support HD is wrong.  It looks like 2Wire got it right.  I know VUDU has it right....

Summary

The new Blockbuster player from 2Wire is significantly different than the VUDU player.  It is interesting to see how different design directions can be taken to solve a problem.  Engineering at it's best.  

For example, the 2 Wire player was designed, it appears, to watch a movie then that movie is gone.  There is some storage capacity but the smallish 8 Gig flash drive will not allow the massive storage the the 1 TB hard drive that VUDU can come with.   You cannot "purchase" movies with Blockbuster, but, that is not surprising since Blockbuster is a rental organization.  

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few years....either way, TelBitConsulting.com thinks this is the way people will be watching movies....as long as the Internet connections stay open...

See all my Blog entries on Streaming Video including a V-E-R-Y detailed review of VUDU.  

Electric Vehicle Charging Network in Bay Area

It's 2008 in the San Franciso Bay Area and you own an electric car that is running low on charge.  What do you do?  Where do you go to re-charge?  Right about now you are wishing you had your gas guzzling, carbon emission spitting, automobile back and the heck with the environment.

But wait....fast forward a few years to 2012 and the San Francisco Bay Area is now dotted with electric car recharging stations where you can grab a fresh battery or recharge yours.  Parking lots, public buildings, even telephone and light poles have charging stations.  Suddenly, owning a car that reduces dependence on foreign oil is looking like a good deal.  And you are looking pretty smart.   

Even though California could have been an innovator in the electric car biz over ten years ago (See "Who Killed the Electric Car" documentary for details on this debacle), maybe we can redeem ourselves in 2008.  

A couple of days ago the cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose agreed to work towards implementing, with Bay Area company Better Place, this charging infrastructure all over the Bay Area.  See this report for a lot more information.  

I have written about the need to save the environment, telecommute, and find alternative energy sources.   This is great news!  

I hope it works out, and I pledge to do all I can to help, starting with this Blog entry.  See all my Blog entries on Saving the Environment.  

Here is more information on Better Place's idea for an electric car and infrastructure.

Telecommute

Gas prices have come down.  

I went to the gas station yesterday and paid $1.94 for a gallon of gas.  For a starving blogger, this is good news.  I now have more precious $$ in my pocket for other things (Did someone say beer at The Great Plate?)

Do you stop thinking about telecommuting?  

Do you stop thinking about more efficient cars?  

Do you stop thinking about alternative energy?  

The answer is a resounding NO!  

Do not be lulled into thinking the gas prices will stay low, they will go back up again...rest assured.

In the meantime, enjoy the low prices, but, continue to telecommute (or plan for it) for the OTHER reasons telecommuting is a great alternative work style:

1. It helps save the environment.  Your car sits in the driveway / garage and no carbon emissions are sent into the air.

2. Productivity increases.  A telecommuter has more time to work witth fewer interruptions (luckily they are not married to my wife).  

3. Time.  A telecommuter gains many many hours a week, month, year and lifetime.  Spending an hour or two (or three or four) on the road means that time is taken from your family, from you.  

4. Help keep the demand for oil low.  Keep the prices low and permanently reduce the demand for foreign oil. 

5. Safety.  You never know when a pandemic or terrorist act will force changes to be made. Knowing how to effectively work remotely NOW will help companies better prepare for the future. 

In short....do not stop thinking about telecommuting just because gas prices are temporarily low.

The benefits of telecommuting reach far beyond gas prices and touch every part of your life.  

See all my articles on telecommuting and visit my web site for more information.  

And remember videoconferencing allows your old fashioned boss (OFB) to see you!  No more excuses...

Google Gmail Video Chat Review

Rating: 3 WaterTowers

This Blog has moved.....please read this Blog entry here.  

Summary

I signed up for Gmail (twice) and then downloaded the Google Videoconferencing application to see how well it works.

Result: It works well although it appears to be limited to point-to-point video and text chat (i.e. no whiteboard or app sharing).

Is it easy enough for “GrandMa” to use? No.

But, then again, if you know your way around a computer and spend a little “think” time, this application can work for you.

Before we get started....meet Serge from Google:

What Do You Need

You will need a Mac (Well....Google's web site says it works with Safari, but, not specifically if it works with a Mac or not..I have found that they have very poor specification / support information on the Web...meaning I could not find it) or Windows PC and a web cam. The supported browsers include Firefox 2.0 and above, Internet Explorer 6.0 and above, Safari 3.0 and above, and Google Chrome.

I used Google Video Chat on two different Windows XP computers using Firefox 3.0.4 and Google Chrome.

Installation and Set-Up

First I had to sign up for Gmail. Luckily it is free, and I may even like it better than Yahoo, we will see.

Once I signed up, and was back in my new Gmail window, I did not see a video option (see below). How weird.

However, a short time later (was it my plugging in my web cam?), bingo, there it was. That is either very cool, or I was too quick to try to test this.

Oh well….welcome to my world…always the first to try something new! ;-)

I downloaded and installed the “New! Video chat” application and it went very smoothly. I did this again for Sunny, our Yellow Lab, and it again it went smoothly.

You can see below that a video camera icon has been placed next to my name in the Chat area. I then clicked on “Settings” and was allowed to make changes to the voice and video chat settings and also to verify these settings. Very nice.

I’m good to go.

Now I needed to add Sunny to my contact list. This was fairly easy to do but not super easy as, again, I had another window to contend with and then had to wait for Sunny to accept in chat invitation (but, that is a good thing, because I had a request from some unknown person that I said “No” to).

Can you tell that the number of separate windows that are popping up are starting to get to me?

Making the Call

Sunny accepted my invitation (good dog) and I see him in the chat window.

Now I have to mouse scroll over his name (opening a new window), click on chat (opening another new window), then I need to open up a menu option (another window), to select “Start Video chat”. Whew.

Sunny’s computer rings and he accepts the call.

The result is shown below.

The video quality is good and the audio worked in both directions. Success!

Playing around a bit, I found that you can disconnect the video from the browser and then make it larger or smaller depending upon your needs. You can also make it full-screen and you can grab and drag the picture-in-picture. Nice.

Features (and Non Features)

You can videoconference with one other person (my current understanding is that this is only point-to-point, but, I will verify). You can text chat with that person.

You cannot, as far as I can see, whiteboard or share an application. To transfer a file you need to use email.

What was Confusing

The process, the buttons you need to push, the layout of the browser, and the number of windows that pop up, all had me guessing what the next step might be.

To set up a video call, I had to:

• Go to my Chat list and see who has video enabled
  
• Roll my mouse over that person (or Dog) to see another window then click on “Chat”.
  
• Another window comes up with a message I can enter to start the chat (I thought)
  
• But....I need to click on the “Video & more” menu to actually start the video chat session.
  

Too many windows, too many steps.

TelBitConsulting.com says: Google needs to make this easier. When I see the video camera next to my contact, I should be able to click on it and start a video call. Simple and clean. The person at the far end, of course, has the option of not accepting it.

Summary / Comments

Google (being somewhat well known) has taken a bold step by bringing videoconferencing to the “masses”. Bravo!

TelBitConsulting.com has, for years and years, felt that “desktop videoconferencing” is the way to the hearts of millions and this is a great step in that direction. However, the process should be much simpler, and I feel the process may hinder many people who are on the computer, but, not computer savvy from trying it.

For videoconferencing on your computer ooVoo is much easier (and I will continue to use it as my main non-standards based VC application), and other (standards-based) applications such as the Polycom PVX or Mirial Softphone have more capabilities.

Technical info / specifications / features on this application is lacking. At least I could not find it...