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New Technology Videophones — a new way of communicating History of the videophone: origins in the 1960s ViPhone by Vialta Aiptek HyperVPhone 2000T Wiring up You may not remember when videophone technology was first unveiled in 1964: although fascinating for its time, the technology left much to be desired and the cost prohibited large-scale implementation. Videophones are still not commonly used, however in the last few months the public has had more exposure to them as television networks have used the latest technology to broadcast live reports. With improved technology and reasonable pricing now in place, we are beginning to see wide scale marketing of videophones. History of the videophone: origins in the 1960s AT&T first exhibited PicturePhone, the first videophone, at the 1964 World's Fair and released another model in the 1970s-at a cost of US$160.00 a month for a subscription and a whopping $18.00 per minute connection fee. In contrast to this, today's models are infinitely more affordable. A videophone, by definition, is a telephone with a 33.6 modem, a small screen, colour video capability and a processor. Images are transmitted at up to 15 frames per second with audio messages: increasing this transmission speed is the current technological challenge. In their favour, today's videophones are very easy to set up and do not require particular expertise, as they are fashioned with a 'plug and play' mentality. ViPhone by Vialta The ViPhone is part of the new generation of videophones and holds great promise for the industry. It features advanced compression algorithms that increase the speed of audio and video transmissions across standard telephone lines. The ViPhone has two models, the 100 and the 200. The method of display varies for the two models, as the former is plugged into your television set and the latter has its own LCD screen. Both come with access to the Internet, a Web Guide featuring email and a calendar. A preview mode allows you to see yourself prior to transmitting your image to the other party. There is also a high-resolution photo feature and caller ID. If the people you are calling do not have the luxury of a videophone themselves, then the ViPhone can be used as a normal telephone. Aiptek HyperVPhone 2000T This particular model has a simple set up process and a good quality speakerphone. The digital camera located at the top will adjust to changes in lighting and offers a broad view. The screen menus allow the option of seeing your own image, the one belonging to your calling partner, or even both simultaneously. Although there is the surprising absence of a memory dial feature on the 2000T, the unit does have the ability to adjust the picture quality, its size and the speed at which the frames are transmitted, as well as electronic pan, tilt and zoom camera controls. The video camera is switched off electronically or manually by sliding across the shutter placed above the camera. Wiring up One of the main barriers to the success of videophones is that telephone networks, regular and wireless, are designed to carry sounds not pictures-and particularly not the kind that move. While the major links for the world's communication are being upgraded to fibre-optic cabling, old-fashioned copper cables still reach into most buildings and they were not designed to carry demanding high-speed video signals. Consequently, some videophones, such as Kyocera's Visual Phone available only in Japan, are limited to transmitting still video images, jumping between freeze frames as the conversation unfolds. In the future, as the technology improves and the communication networks become more advanced, there is every reason to suspect that more and more of us really will be able to say hello and wave goodbye. Return to Top      Business News / Business Roundup - Australia / Canada / Europe / United States / Careers / Classified / Information Technology / New Technology / Education News / World Facts / Book Reviews / Archives/Research