| Videoconferencing in its first forms has been around a | | | | most businesses were willing to pay. The big leap |
| lot longer than you might imagine. In 1964, a new device | | | | forward was that this system was PC based, and |
| called the Picturephone was demonstrated at the | | | | video conferencing was finally on track to be widely |
| World's Fair in New York. Even then it wasn't | | | | available. It was still pricey, at $20,000 for the system |
| completely new - the idea of joining video and voice | | | | and $30 an hour. The other drawback was that you |
| was first trailed in 1956 by AT&T. This was a | | | | also still needed to use a conference room specially |
| huge leap forward - instead of just hearing a person's | | | | equipped for videoconferencing. This meant the |
| voice, you could see them as well. And so | | | | participants had to relocate to the videoconferencing |
| videoconferencing began. It would be a lot more years | | | | room, and also had to pay to use the facilities. |
| before it reached the incredible heights it has today - | | | | 1992 was the year when videoconferencing got |
| now large groups of people can communicate across | | | | caught up in the technology boom and an affordable |
| the world, whether in boardrooms or hospitals, and the | | | | option for the masses started to become reality. |
| flow of data, ideas and visual presentations can | | | | AT&T introduced their new Videophone, which |
| happen instantaneously. | | | | only cost $1,500. Still expensive for the general public, |
| It was 1970 before a commercial version of the | | | | but business was definitely starting to get interested. |
| Picturephone service was put into service in | | | | Next came Macintosh, with their CU-SeeMe system |
| downtown Pittsburgh. AT&T executives were | | | | for the personal computer. Initially it didn't have audio, |
| confident that in just ten years, there would be more | | | | but the video component was excellent. In 1993 they |
| than a million Picturephones in use. However they | | | | added multipoint capability, and by 1994 it was a true |
| reckoned without the cost. At more than $160 a | | | | videoconferencing with audio and video. |
| month, the Picturephone might still be affordable to | | | | Unfortunately it was only accessible to Mac users, but |
| some businesses, but it was out of reach of the | | | | developers worked hard until they came up with a |
| average person. Add to that the fact that the | | | | Windows compatible version. Early versions didn't have |
| equipment was bulky, difficult to use, and the picture | | | | audio, but by August 1995 Cu-SeeMe was available |
| was so tiny that it could hardly be seen, and it's not | | | | for Windows with full audio and video functionality. This |
| surprising that the Picturephone wasn't a roaring | | | | was hugely important, because now someone could |
| success. | | | | talk to another person anywhere in the world, and yet |
| But the seed had been planted, and by the 1980s, | | | | still be sitting in their own office or home. Now that the |
| other companies were working on developing a video | | | | benchmark had been set, more high-tech companies |
| conferencing product. 1982 saw the release of the first | | | | joined the race and videoconferencing software and |
| videoconferencing system from Compression Labs. It | | | | equipment options expanded. Microsoft joined in 1996, |
| was also huge, and took up an enormous amount of | | | | with their NetMeeting product, and now |
| resources, which could trip 15 amp circuit breakers. | | | | videoconferencing was basically available to anyone |
| With a price tag of $250,000, it was definitely outside | | | | with a home computer. |
| the reach of most businesses, let alone the fact that | | | | In 1996, too, VocalTec Surf&Call was released, |
| using a connection cost $1,000 per hour. Still, it was the | | | | which was the first web to phone plug-in. And by |
| only working videoconferencing system on the market. | | | | 2000, Samsung had developed the MPEG-4 streaming |
| It would be four more years before PictureTel, in | | | | 3G video cell phone. By streaming the media, it can be |
| Delaware, launched an opposition product. It was | | | | read, heard and viewed the instant it's being delivered. |
| substantially cheaper, at only $80,000 for the system | | | | It's now possible to videoconference anywhere in the |
| and $100 an hour for lines. The race had begun. In 1991 | | | | world for as little as $12 a month and the cost of a |
| PictureTel joined with IBM to introduce a cheaper | | | | good phone. Industry giants like Yahoo and MSN have |
| version, with the pictures being sent in black and white. | | | | gone one step further and made the service free. |
| This certainly reduced costs, but still not to a level that | | | | |