Idea Center

With an understanding of Video Telephony 2.0, and a preview at what the new generation of Video Telephones look like, we come to the basic question, "How can Video Telephones add value?"

Video Telephony 1.0 failed because it just tried to add "Live Images" to a standard Telephone Call. Clearly, that alone is not a strong motivation for me or anyone else to move to Video Telephony. We would all love more features that only such new Technology can offer.

At Office,

Basic Features

• Bandwidth Configuration: I had to travel to a city to keep an appointment with a partner, but I have a special meeting at my company on the same day. If I could use a Video Telephone to keep the meeting with my partner it would help.
  
• But with lower bandwidth, multiple service providers, lack of assurance on Quality of Service (QoS), can my Video Telephone do that? I have no idea what service providers are powering my partners desk or what Video Telephone he is using. I fear that the technology is too new and immature to be reliable. My partner's internet connectivity is poor, he has a wireless connection that keeps dropping from time to time, but I want the call to run seamlessly.
  
• Alternate Inputs: I would like to connect my PC, Camera or DVD Player's output to the Video Telephone and send some multimedia message to the person I am talking to on the Video Telephone. I am actually making a sales pitch and the presentation and a live demo of my product are available. The presentation is on my PC. The live demo is on a DVD. Can I connect them to the Video Telephone during the conversation to convey my message better?
• Broadcast: We have a very small office with no conference room. We have quite a few (say 15-20) conference attendees and we don't want them crammed out. I would like to address all the attendees at their desktops to give them an important message. I have not been able to visit them personally at their desks (though I want to). Can I have an Interactive call with all my colleagues who have Desktop Video Telephones? With Conferencing Phones, I understand that they could have used one phone and come to one room. With a Desktop Video Telephone, I would like them to stay on their desk and participate in the discussion. I am just borrowing this idea from a webinar, and would like this to be interactive.
• Web Content: I am having an important Video Conversation with a friend. I would like to quickly point her to a website to which I have a link through the Video Telephone? Could I do that with ease? My Video Telephone can connect to the PC, but there is no way I can pass on the website. I also would like to show a new Presentation I have made over the call.
  
• Live Caller ID: I am getting a call on my Video Telephone that gives the name of the caller, can I see who is calling this time? I don't want to have the traditional address book with each number associated with a small photograph, I would like to actually look at the person calling me to decide whether to pick up my phone. Most of the Video Telephones do not seem to provide this feature, I have even checked with my favorite Skype Video service. I'd like to call this "Live Caller ID." This is really useful if a team shares one Video Telephone!
• While I am already talking to my colleague over a Desktop Video Telephone, I receive a call from my Manager's phone. I would like the pop-up that says I am getting another call to show the "Live Caller ID" to help me chose my call priorities.

Value Additions

• Call Recording: I would like to keep a record of my Video call, sometimes not the entire call, but just a portion of it. Is there a way I can keep a record of a part of the Video conversation for my reference. I would like this to be directly stored on my PC if I can connect my PC simultaneously to the Video Telephone. I do not want hassles of having to store it on a USB stick when I already have a network connection.
  
• Video Pause: While having a Video Telephone call, I suddenly received a more important call on my mobile phone. I have decided to pause my Video Phone call. When I pause my Video phone call (stopping audio and video), I would like the person I have been conversing with to see a custom message from me; I don't want the person to think that he/she is being ignored.
• Scribble Pad Collaboration: I am working with a colleague of mine in a new office and we are coming up with some new ideas. I would like to scribble some of my ideas together with my colleague on the Video Telephone, but I would not like to involve a PC. If I could do this my Video Telephone would be a very strong collaboration tool! Can any Video Telephone in the market let me do this?
• Ringtones: I have personalized ring tones on my mobile phone and my Desktop Phone. Can I have special Video Ringtone for my Desktop Video Telephone? I don't have the time to go around creating such "Video Ringtones", can I have them packaged with my Desktop Video Telephone or easily downloadable as a value added service?
  
• Out of Office message: When I am out of office, I would like anyone who calls me to see a recorded Video message from me. I believe that is a polite way instead of the call just showing a message that no one is picking up. Can I keep multiple recorded Video messages for different groups of users, so that these messages are personalised?
• Ringtone Accessibility: I have some nice Audio ringtones on my mobile phone, can I transfer that to my Video Telephone and add a personal recording as a custom Ringtone?
• Video Projection: If I want my Video Telephone call to be projected on a larger Television or Projector, I would like to increase the quality of the picture only for that time. Can I change the quality of the picture within the call just for the period I am projecting it or showing it to a group of people? On Demand change of Picture Quality would help in better bandwidth usage.
• Scheduled Calling: I want to transfer some of my Video Call appointments directly to a calendar on my Video Telephone. When I need to make a Video Telephone call, I would like my Video Telephone to pop-up a reminder and ask me whether the call can be made. Once I spent time scheduling the call, I don't want to get back to keying in numbers for the call, I want this to be automated. Can my Desktop Videophone do this?
• While in the call, if the appointment time or meeting time is nearing an end, I would like a message to be flashed on-screen to both me and the person/people I am talking to. I would like my Videophone to help me in managing my time efficiently.
• I am presently involved in recruiting people and I have scheduled calls. Can I have a calendar integrated with my Desktop Video Telephone to download the call schedule from the Internet or optionally from my PC? I would then want a popup each time I have to call someone as I sometimes forget appointments because I am engaged in other work.
• Pluggable Lenses: I have two more people joining the call physically at my end. But My Desktop Video Telephone is only giving limited visibility. Can I easily plug out the lens and plug-in a new lens. I really don't want to spend my time screwing-in or unscrewing one lens and replacing it. I would like "plug-in" Lenses? Some of the Desktop Video Telephones I have allow me an option of lenses, but like old SLR Cameras I have to switch off the device to change them. In this "Plug and Play" world, I would like to do this real-time.
• Ring Silence: When my Video Telephone starts ringing and I am having a face to face conversation with another person, I would like to "mute" the ring without having to drop the call. Can I just put the Video Telephone to Silent without having to meddle with the "Volume +/-" buttons?

Cost Effective Usage

• Dynamic Bandwidth Display: My Video Telephone has a small display and I am normally happy with the quality. I want to use the least amount of bandwidth during the call. If I can see how much bandwidth is being used, I can involve my system administrator to ensure that this is available. Can I see in realtime, the amount of bandwidth being used? (I don't want to see it all the time, but only when the person I am calling is experiencing poor video or audio quality.)
  
• Dynamic Codec Configuration: During a Video call, I would like to change the type of codec used to dynamically tune the quality of the call. Most of the Video Telephones in the market allow me to fix one codec for audio and one codec for video before the call. Can I have a set of three preferred combinations I can change during the call?
• Bandwidth Alarm: As Video calls are also bandwidth intensive, I would like to have an in-built alarm on my Video Telephone that tells me that I am exceeding bandwidth limits. When I have crossed a certain amount of bandwidth I would like to be informed with an On-Screen message.
• Smart Call Hold: If I want to put a call on hold, I would like to choose the "Video" seen by the person I have called or who has called me along with a personalised tone selection.
  
• Alternately, I would like to mute my phone when it starts playing music while on hold. Some of the music I have heard with traditional telephones when they are put on hold is truly annoying.
• Low Power Idle State: I am about to leave office, I may receive calls after I leave office. I would like my Video Telephone to go to a low power mode, I am most concerned about power consumption (with a global energy and climate crisis.) I would still like my Video Telephone to have a "Live Caller ID" record of whoever tried to call me and optionally messages from those who wanted to record them. I would also like a standard video message to be played as if my Video Telephone were an answering machine.
• Smart Bandwidth Usage: As a Bandwidth conscious user, I would like my Video Telephone to let me choose whether I am making a Video call or a Voice call or choose the codec for a particular call with my bandwidth requirement in mind. Sadly many of the Video Telephones allow me to do this as a blanket setting for all calls only.
• Video Chat Interoperability: I am a Sales Representative and I would like to call up my client who has a PC with a web camera. He has some traditional video chat programs installed on his PC. Can I choose which Video Chat service to call through my Desktop Videophone and quickly make the call? I don't want to call up, find out the software, download it and then have the call through my PC.
• I have some software on my PC that lets me call through a special service. But right now I just don't have a web camera, but I have my videophone. Can I connect my Desktop Videophone to the PC as if it were a webcam just for once? I don't want to miss this opportunity of calling my client?
  

Until most of the above features are properly realised in the Desktop Video Telephony context, Video Telephony would remain a glamorous additive for "Executive offices." They would never provide strong utility value that they can potentially provide. Manufacturers may improvise in the "Value Add" section, but that would depend on the user's choice. Most effectively Manuacturers will have to work on good basic function and cost effective usage features.

For those who would like to use the Video Telephone from home, I would add in a list of "I Want!" features on my next blog post.

Please feel free to comment if you have new ideas that you believe are essential features for Desktop Video Telephony.