Cloud, software-based Codecs, less costs, mobile video conferencing: this is the mantra that has been echoing in the world of video conferencing throughout the whole year
2017 is going to end. So, an obvious question is what the big trends in video conferencing have been this year? What has been changing in this technology that has grown up as fast as more than 20% on a yearly basis up to now?
More cloud-based platforms
The cloud technology could not but disrupt even video conferencing. Not surprisingly, in 2017 there has been a mushrooming of cloud-based products and solutions, like exTalks. The pros of clouds are high and fast scalability and easy integration between multiple media like messaging, remote collaboration, emailing etc. The risks are much concerned with sensitive and private data security, as it is necessary to rely upon third parties.
Software-based Codecs
Hardware-based Codecs are dedicated chips that encode and decode a digital video stream. Once upon the time, they were the only guarantee of a high quality video conferencing service; today, they are regarded as devices that limit customization and create some platform compatibility issues.
This is the reason why the market has shifted to software-based Codecs. They offer a higher level of flexibility and cost much less, without penalizing performances.
Much more cost-effectiveness
Expensive video conferencing hardware is dead. Solutions like R-HUB`s TurboMeeting (http://www.rhubcom.com) assure users small, silent, highly performing video conferencing servers that need no dedicated IT team and are fully plug and play devices. The utilization of the on-premises technology means the top in terms of data security, while the adoption of a flat policy license allows TurboMeeting users to add up to 3000 participants per chat room at a time.
Have your video conferences even on your mobile
The number of people that wish to attend video conferences through their tablets and mobiles is on the increase. This is the reason why every producer has launched a version of its video conferencing product even for iPhones, Android and any sort of smart phones. Yet, mobile video conferencing has not yet become the mainstream. Undoubtedly, there are still some technical issues; however, the spreading of IP network gives us reason to hope.
In conclusion, clouds, software-based codecs, cost-effectiveness and mobile video conferencing are the four leading trends of this year. It is too early to say what is going on next year, but probably most of these trends will get on in the future. We will see.