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ViDe : SURA Video Development Initiative
The SURA Video Development Initiative (SURA ViDe) was established in March1998 to promote and develop
functional, standards-based and scalable video
systems for use in the higher education environment. SURA ViDe is composed of representatives from The Georgia
Institute of Technology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and North Carolina State University. NYSERNet (New York State, Educational and Research Network) is
also partnering with SURA ViDe in its efforts. The initiative is currently being funded by the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) to direct its efforts in such a way as to be of value to the 44
SURA member institutions.
SURA ViDe is approaching completion of its Phase I activities, and has prepared two deliverables for the SURA
membership - a Video Conferencing Cookbook (Version 1.0), and a white paper on Video-on-Demand. SURA is pleased to release the first of these, a Video Conferencing Cookbook targeted at both novice and more
experienced end-users of desktop video
conferencing technologies. The Cookbook includes practical steps for getting started with desktop video
conferencing, typical applications, advanced video conferencing functionality and management, the state of H.323 vendor offerings, and a summary of client testing.
The Video Conferencing Cookbook (Version 1.0) can be accessed at http://sunsite.utk.edu/video_cookbook/.
A printed version is also accessible at this URL. Since the video conferencing arena is a rapidly changing one, SURA ViDe is already planning updates and enhancements to the Cookbook. The second deliverable, a white
paper on Video-on-Demand, is due for release very shortly.
SURA ViDe has focused on the ITU H.323 standard for video conferencing over IP, with the goal of promoting a
comprehensive video conferencing solution that can be deployed at academic desktop or conference rooms with IP access to the Internet or Internet2. Towards that goal, SURA ViDe released an RFI to video system
vendors in September 1998 to gain
information on current offerings and future directions in the digital video field, and to identify vendors
willing to engage in a collaborative effort to address the issues - high cost, volatility, lack of interoperability - that have slowed the adoption of digital video in higher education. The responses to the RFI, and
the ensuing discussions with vendors are included in the Video Conferencing Cookbook.
SURA funding also supported the installation of H.323 clients at the participating institutions, enabling testing and evaluation of clients for the purposes of the cookbook.
A presentation on the Video Conferencing Cookbook will be given at the SURA Networked Video Workshop, to be
held at GCATT in Atlanta, on March 3rd and 4th. The workshop will consist of project briefings and updates on significant collaborative digital video initiatives in the SURA region, including SURA ViDe, and
initiatives also at individual institutions. Both video-on-demand and video conferencing vendors will also be in attendance.
More information on SURA is available at http://www.sura.org
More information on SURA ViDe is available at http://vide.utk.edu
More information on NYSERNet is available at http://www.nysernet.org/
More information on the SURA Networked Video Workshop is available at http://www.sura.org/workshop1.html
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