| You're probably completely familiar with the concept | | | | transferred efficiently through an internet connection. |
| of HD by now. we have high definition everything | | | | Most of the most common codecs in use today are |
| these days - TVs, DVDs, home theatre systems - it's | | | | referred to based on how well they meet International |
| never ending. Now HD has moved into the realm of | | | | Telecommunications Union (ITU) standards; G.711, |
| VoIP, creating a whole new market for high tech | | | | G.729A, or G.723.1. |
| phones. | | | | The designations indicate audio frequencies; the G.711 is |
| So what exactly does HD mean to the telephony | | | | a narrower codec originally used for VoIP, sampling |
| industry, and more importantly, where is the market? | | | | audio frequencies between 300 and 3,400 Hz. Modern |
| How will cost, quality and availability factor in, and who | | | | VoIP phones often use wideband codecs such as the |
| will actually use it? | | | | G.722, which can sample between 150 and 7,000 Hz. |
| For anyone who has ever sat in on a conference call, | | | | A few other codecs exist which are not based on |
| the answer is simple. The contrast between regular | | | | non-ITU standards; these include GSM which is an |
| VoIP, which is already noticeably better than traditional | | | | adaptation of the encoding used on GSM cell phones, |
| telephony, and HD is the difference between AM and | | | | and LPC10 which is based on a U.S. government |
| FM radio. | | | | standard. |
| HD video provides crystal clear picture with stunning | | | | The extended range directly relates to the user's |
| definition, making the colors sharper and more clearly | | | | speech patterns and inflection. The human voice is |
| separated. HD voice implements the same technology | | | | typically capable of a frequency range from 100 - |
| to make each sound wave stand along so every | | | | 8,000+ Hz. The broader the codec, the more |
| nuance comes through with incredible clarity. | | | | accurately it can reproduce the caller's voice. |
| The sound quality with HD VoIP is incomparable - high | | | | This makes it much easier for each party to |
| definition audio is definitely the future. But how exactly | | | | understand what the other is saying. And the Result? |
| does it work? The answer lies in the voice encoders, | | | | Clearer calls, less confusion when a conference call |
| or codecs that take analog sound waves and | | | | includes many different cultures and accents, and a |
| transform them into digital packets of data that can be | | | | more smoothly run workplace. |