by Gary Welz, Tangent Design
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CU-SeeMe, version 2.1
This week I return to the desktop video conferencing product Enhanced CU-SeeMe from White Pine Software. I first discussed it in my column April 24, 1996 and compared it to some other video products on Septem ber 25, 1996.Enhanced CU-SeeMe is now in its version 2.1 release, and the company is positioning it as an Internet videophone application. It is being made to be compatible with other Net telephony and video conferencing applications by adhering to the new H.323 International Communications Union Standard for audio, video, and data transmission over the Internet.
There are as many as one million current users of CU-SeeMe clients. There are also thousands of CU-SeeMe "reflectors"--i.e., computers with the server software that allows thousands of people to view an IP multicast. The reflector allows the signal to be dispersed in pyramid fashion to an unlimited number of viewers without putting an extraordinary strain on the network.
CU-SeeMe permits as many as eight people with IP addresses, videocameras, and videocards in their PCs to videoconference simultaneously over connections as low as 28.8 kbps. The picture is in color, and the new version of the client offers an address directory, incoming message alerts, and a shared white board for collaborative work. Communication can take place in audio or text-based chat.
The client sells for $69.95. Mac and PC versions are available. A free black and white version is available from Cornell University, where the software was originally developed.
White Pine now offers reflector software for Windows NT, Windows 95, and 11 different Unix platforms. A 10-user reflector sells for approximately $2,000, and a 100-user reflector sells for $5,000.
The company sells reflectors to Internet Service Providers for their subscribers to use in community groups, say a car racing group reflector or a Sci-Fi club reflector. They also sell reflectors to corporations for use on Intranets for conferencing and collaborative work. One noteworthy recent use was the National Hockey League's January Cybercast of the 1997 NHL ICE All-Star pregame activities. NHL ICE is the interactive division of the NHL--organized to promote hockey on and off the ice.
Billing, tracking, and scheduling features are among the enhancements being developed that are expected to make reflectors more appealing to ISPs and other resellers of conferencing capability.
For users, the company is integrating the product with directory services like 411.com--a Web phone book of IP addresses.
White Pine has been aggressively promoting the integration of its technology with that of other vendors. It recently announced a deal to bundle its client with NetTV, a combination ComputerDeck, 29" high-resolution super VGA monitor/television and wireless keyboard that lets users surf the Net, play games, or watch TV. Canon, the largest camera manufacturer in Japan, will bundle Enhanced CU-SeeMe into its VIZCam 1000 camera as a videoconferencing solution.
