What type of equipment and network is needed to connect a videoconference call to George Mason University ?
GMU can connect to both H.320 (ISDN) or H.323 (Internet) standards compliant videoconferencing equipment. This generally includes equipment from manufacturers like Polycom, Tandberg, PictureTel, VTel and VCon using either the internet or ISDN. For calls using H.323 (Internet), it is recommended that the far end site be a member of Internet2 on the Abilene backbone. This helps to provide enough bandwidth to ensure a high quality videoconference. Internet2 members are generally universities. See http://www.internet2.org for more information. Similar to using a telephone, calls made over ISDN (H.320) cost money for the party placing the call. Typical costs for domestic calls cost $0.36/minute ($21.60/hour). Internet calls are preferable because they are free, however, calls over the public internet may break up. For this reason ISDN is sometimes the better solution.
