:::Video Conference Room Design, Installation and Maintenance Services:::


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TNS Services Facilities Design Systems Design Installation Maintenance Requirements for Videoconferencing Rooms H.320 Overview Room System Overview and Accessory Hardware	Video Conference Room Design, Installation and Maintenance Services TNS provides room based (up to 15 people) videoconferencing design services to all Penn State organizations in two functional areas - facilities and systems. Facilities Design NS will work with a customer-supplied architect to specify the layout and design of a physical space to be used with conferencing equipment. TNS will also evaluate an existing space which is being considered for use as a conferencing room. Our evaluation of an existing space will result in either a qualification of the room as "suitable", with a list of necessary modifications, or we will eliminate the room as a viable candidate for a system. TNS will not perform any necessary modifications to a candidate room or maintain any facility systems such as lighting and HVAC. A Videoconference Room Facility Specification Form must be submitted with each design request for a new system. This form provides the TNS design engineer specific information about the physical characteristics of a particular room. Systems Design TNS will specify a system which will work appropriately in a qualified room and will also include in the design any desired peripheral equipment from the TNS-approved peripheral equipment list. TNS will also install and maintain the physical system equipment. A Videoconference Room System Specification Form must be submitted with each design request for a new system or for an update to an existing system. All TNS-supported accessories are listed on this form. Any design requests for updates to existing systems will only be completed if the system is currently covered by TNS maintenance. A Videoconference Room Facility Specification Form must also be submitted for each design request for a new system. Installation TNS will install equipment into an TNS-designed videoconferencing room. A Telecommunications Service Requisition (TSR) is required to initiate this service. One-time charges apply. Maintenance TNS offers two maintenance options for room-based videoconferencing systems that have been designed and installed or have been certified by TNS. They are a flat-rate annual maintenance coverage, or maintenance coverage based on time and materials charges. Refer to the TNS Videoconferencing Equipment Maintenance Policy for more information on these two options. A Telecommunications Service Requisition (TSR) is required to initiate TNS maintenance. Requirements for Videoconferencing Rooms The following should provide assistance with the creation of videoconference rooms by providing physical specifications in several key areas: Videoconference Room A facility used to accommodate meetings between geographically dispersed locations. It is meant to emulate the traditional conference room model where all individuals sit around a common table and have equal access and view to all participants. The format of the meeting is based on a discussion paradigm, not a formal instructor/student model for ongoing classes, and includes no more than 25 people at each site. Note: Instructional facilities are covered under Interactive Technology Classrooms, which are currently in a developmental phase. Lighting The best lighting for videoconferencing is diffuse fluorescent. It is important to minimize shadows and to create an evenly lit environment. To maximize the appearance of skin tones and to minimize shadows, use lights with a color of 3500 Kelvin and ensure illumination of participants' faces are between 500 and 700 lux (vertical). Additionally, do not use low energy fluorescent lights that operate between 30 and 50 kHz. These lights can interfere with the proper functioning of wireless keypads used for system operations. Ideally, the room should not have any exterior windows. If it does, they need to be covered with room darkening drapery/blinds. Decor The best decor is plain and simple. Keep the area within the camera's view uncluttered. Extraneous objects such as mirrors, artwork, plants, and fans cause the video compression algorithms to expend large amounts of processing resulting in less efficiency and reduced video quality. The best wall color is a neutral non-white color, such as light grey, light blue, or beige. Avoid wall treatments with patterns. These also can cause undo strain on the video compression system. Acoustics Audio quality, as opposed to video quality, is one of the most important contributing factors to a favorable videoconference experience, therefore good acoustics are paramount. One item of particular concern is reverberation - the effect of sound reflecting off of hard surfaces. One of the best ways to minimize the deleterious effects of reverberation is to coat floors, ceilings, and walls with sound absorbing material. In addition to minimizing reverberation it is also important to isolate the room from external noise sources such as fans and duct work from heating and cooling systems, water pipes, office machines, telephones, and street noise. A Noise Criteria (NC) rating of 35 should be met. Microphone placement is also an important factor influencing audio quality. The first microphone needs to be installed so that it is at least six feet from the system speakers. The second microphone is placed ten feet from the first. A microphone cannot be farther than seven feet from a speaking participant to ensure maximum audio quality and no more than three microphones can be used in a room. Room Type/Furniture Layout The conference table must be "U" or "V" shaped to ensure equal access to the camera for each participant. The table cannot be wider than 12 feet or longer than 24 feet in order to accommodate the requirements of the microphones and audio-tracking cameras. There cannot be more than 25 feet from the lens of the camera to the farthest participant to ensure visibility and correct functioning of audio-tracking systems. The rear wall of the room cannot be more than 40 feet from the lens of the camera. The seating must be laid out so that all participants can be seen in the camera's room view. H.320 Overview Effective July 1, 2001, ALL videoconferences involving Penn State sites, including those with non-Penn State participants, must be bonded calls at 384K and 30 frames per second.Any conferences that are unable to conform to these standards will be required to pay a speed conversion fee of $112/hour.We recommend that this requirement be shared with all non-Penn State facilities so that they can begin to prepare to upgrade their equipment in order to continue to participate in Penn State videoconferences without additional fees. Penn State's videoconference systems are designed to be compatible with the ITU H.320 videoconference standards. Listed below are the H.320 specifications Penn State's videoconference rooms meet along with additional Penn State specifications. H.320 Support Compliance with the following H.320 parameters: H.261, coding of video, must transmit and receive FCIF and QCIF video resolution H.221, communications framing H.230, defines call control and indication H.242, call setup and disconnect for two-point videoconferencing G.711, 3 kHz audio-coding at 64 kbps (narrow band, toll quality) G.722, 7 kHz audio-coding at 48 kbps and 56 kbps (wide band audio) G.728, 3 kHz audio-coding at 16 kbps (narrow band, toll quality) H.231, multipoint, for linking three or more H.320 codecs H.243, defines call control procedures between an H.231 MCU and H.320 codecs Additional Requirements Transmission speeds from 128 kbps to 384 kbps Network interface, dual V.35 for 128 kbps clear channel, and single V.35 for bonded connections Dialing interface, RS-366 Audio interface, power microphone, auxiliary line, and VCR audio inputs and outputs Ability to upgrade to 30 frames per second (fps) Y/C and composite video inputs to include VCR and two auxiliary cameras or other video sources Composite VCR video and audio outputs for recording of far-end or near-end Ability to auto-negotiate both audio and video modes (based on far-end system's capabilities) Built-in Echo Cancellation for full duplex audio, dynamic room adaptation Audio noise suppression -12 dB min. (suppression of non-voice sounds, fans, etc.) with automatic gain control (AGC), max. gain 12 dB Control and Data interface ports (support for T.120 data devices) RS-232C Camera, minimum illumination -7 lux, zoom range -10X min., pan range +- 100 deg., tilt range +15/-30 deg. min. Room System Overview and Accessory Hardware Penn State's videoconferencing room systems are generally built around a common set of electronics that meet our minimum technical requirements based on the ITU H.320 international standards. The ITU standards were written for a large range of applications with levels of service and quality dependent upon their purpose. TNS has set the minimum acceptable technical level for University rooms and requires the electronics to be downward compatible for connection to systems outside of Penn State which meet the ITU standards, but may be of less quality, sophistication, or complexity. Additional Penn State Requirements These are requirements set by TNS, in addition to those mentioned by the ITU. The purpose of these requirements is to enhance quality by making a better selection of hardware to: Improved performance at low bit rates Reduced operator complexity Perform better in rooms with less than perfect lighting and acoustics Enhance the quality of sound pickup Reduce or eliminate sound echo Reduce background audio noise pickup Cost Variable Accessories Rooms are designed around technical requirements, and most cost variations are due to accessories and room renovations. The accessories include: Number of cameras Number of TV monitors Size of monitors Quality of sound speakers required, internal TV or external sound system Number of microphones required Document camera Computer scan converter VCR (video recorder/player) Auxiliary microphone systems Auxiliary video and audio sources 30 frames per second (fps) hardware upgrade The ITU T120 standards are being tested and manufacturers are developing products for computer screen sharing, application sharing, and white board sharing devices. TNS will be evaluating these and may recommend additional accessories in the future.
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