1. The Gigaconference Dr Bob Dixon Chief Research Engineer OARNet and Ohio State University Internet2 Member Meeting September 21, 2005 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

2. Purposes of the Gigaconference Demonstrate and Assess the current state of the art of high-performance H.323 and other forms of video conferencing. Provide a venue for vendors to test, debug and demonstrate their highest-performance equipment. Provide a showcase for leading users of high-performance video conferencing technology.

3. Minimum Requirements for Participation 1 Megabit/sec video speed 4 CIF resolution 30 frames/sec

4. Preparations fff All major vendors were invited to participate. Presentation proposals were sought from the video conferencing community. The date was set as Aug 5, 2005 1-4 pm EDT. Tests and rehearsals were held with all participants. Used the Codian MCU of the Internet2 Commons, at Ohio State University.

5. Presentations Codian, Polycom,Sony, all at Ohio State. (all provided on-site equipment) Cleveland School of Music New World Symphony Mote Marine Laboratory CERMUSA (ambulance) Pier Wisconsin Ohio Supercomputer Center University of Helsinki Ohio State University Distance Learning 2005 Conference

6. Technical Results No hardware codec could do 4 CIF at 30 fps. Polycom, Sony, Tandberg all did EITHER: 4CIF and 15 fps OR 1 CIF at 30 fps. But Polycom PVX could so 4CIF at 30 fps. A software codec outperforms the hardware codecs! LifeSize not far enough in development yet to participate. Codian MCU handled all vendors, speeds, resolutions fine.

7. Showcase Results The Conference was recorded. DVD copies sent to all who ordered them, by OARnet. Streaming video was sent live at high speed. Streamed video is archived and available. See http://commons.internet2.edu/gigaconferencehttp://commons.internet2.edu/gigaconference for more information. Watch the DVD highlights recording.

8. Future Plans Repeat Next Year. All vendors are rumored to have 4 CIF, 30 FPS then. LifeSize 9CIF will be available. Distance Learning 2006 Conference will be an integral part.