Introduction
The following are instructions for seting up a video conference with me. For experienced video conferencing users, I use Microsoft Netmeeting H.323 video standard, and I do not have an IP address dedicated for video conferencing thus either I will have to call you, assuming you have a dedicated IP address, or we can exchange E-mail just prior to connecting. If this makes little sense to you please read the instructions below as to how to get your PC setup for video conferencing, or at the minimum audio conferencing over the Internet.

Step #1 - Overview of Technology
There are two reasons video conferencing hasn't become main stream yet and it is important to understand why. First is a lack of standards, thus unlike going to any store and purchasing a telphone of any brand and having it work with all other phones in the world, currently this is not the situation with video conferencing today. Thus, you will need to use software which meets the same video conferencing standards as the person on the other end of the connection. The software I use is Microsoft Netmeeting which conforms to H.323 based video conferencing standards for Win95/98 and WinNT users, and fully supports the T.120 standard. Netmeeting does not currently support the H.320 standard. Thus, be sure to check with your products documentation as to whether it supports communicating with a Netmeeting user. Second limited factor with video conferencing is the lack of high speed Internet connections. Unless you have at least a 28.8 modem connection there really isn't much sense giving this a try, though acceptable voice can be heard at Internet connections as low as 14.4 modem connections.

Step #2 - Hardware Required
You really should be running at least a Pentium class computer. Assuming you plan on running Netmeeting you will need at least a sound card and microphone to communicate with me. You also should make sure that your sound card supports full duplex audio so that both parties can simultaneously talk. Most boards including the popular Sound Blaster series have this support today for the Windows operating systems. However, if you haven't updated the audio software drivers on your PC recently you will most likly require a visit to your sound cards web site to download the updates. Products like Microsoft's Win95 and WinNT CD's were published prior to the release of many full duplex drivers thus you can't rely on using the drivers that came with your operating system. Now if you want to actually give me the ability to see you through a camera you will also need a video capture card and camera which support Microsoft Netmeeting. One word of warning if you plan on purchasing something like this. The cheaper camera's which plug into your Parallel port like the popular Connectix QuickCam provide far less quality as compared to a dedicated hardware card which you can plug in either a proprietary camera or even a standard CamCorder. I myself am using the WinNov card which I can highly recommend with a CamCorder attached. Though if you just want to have some fun and give video conferncing a try, there is nothing wrong with buying a camera which attaches to your parallel port, but be warned that without a dedicated hardware board in your computer to handle the video processing the quality will not be as good.

Step #3 - Software Required
Best thing about Microsoft Netmeeting is that it's free. Free is the sense that you have already spend $100 on a Microsoft operating system. The Netmeeting product is included in the Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 as long as you choose the FULL INSTALLATION when installing it on your system. It can also be downloaded from Microsoft as a separate product if you happen to be using a non-Microsoft browser (i.e. Netscape). Conferencing software within Netscape, though very good, does not currently include video conferencing support. Inaddition it does not support the same standards as Microsoft for audio conferencing thus if your goal is to communicate with me please let me know you will be using Netscape so I can run the same software on my end of the connection.

Step #4 - IP Addresses
As briefly mentioned above the way we find each other on the Internet is by calling the IP address the other person is logged into. An IP (Internet Protocol) address is a series of 4 numbers separated by decimal points. For example the Netmation IP address is 204.122.26.140, however this is not the IP address I use when logged in for video conferencing. To make matters a bit more confusing depending on how you are connecting to the Internet there are Internet connections referred to as Dedicated IP and Dynamic IP. If you have a Dedicated IP connection your IP address will always be the same everytime you log on to the Internet. However, if your service provider is assigning you a random IP address each time you log on, this is called a Dynamic IP address assignment and is why we would need to communicate with E-mail prior to finding each other on the Internet to start a video conferncing session. How do you find the IP address you currently have. If your using Win95, press the START button and enter WINIPCFG.EXE, in WinNT go to a DOS prompt and enter IPCONFIG.EXE. You also can get this information in WinNT graphical mode by following this sequence: Dial Up Networking Icon / More Button / Monitor Status on Pull Down Menu / Status Tab / Details Button. And who says Microsoft doesn't make easy to use software? This will show you the series of 4 numbers called an IP address. Also please provide your email address at the Internet provider you are logged into which can also be used to create a connection. Also as a final note if you a host of security which your Internet connection goes through such as firewalls there may be problems using Netmeeting through those types of security.

Step #5 - Conferencing Tips
As mentioned the Internet connection speed is a big problem currently for this type of application. Thus, be sure to use a small video picture if you are transmitting video. In the coming years higher speed connections will start becoming more popular such as Cable Modems and the phone companies DSL services. Until then you can at least get an introduction to video conferencing by trying it today. Just don't expect too much!