GIP Renater Videoconferencing over IP : High end news... and some other news J. Prévost Updated : June 2, 2004

Content Networking context today Videoconferencing and IP multicast Videoconferencing with H.323 Videoconferencing with VRVS Videoconferencing with : others Videoconferencing over IP : what should we choose ?

Networking context today : Networking context : Wide band (multi Gbit/s) research networks RENATER, GEANT and others Easily supports high quality videoconferencing But in many cases the last mile problem is still here... Increasing usage of IPv6 at least for some international events

Networking context today : multi Gbit/s networks : NR : Noeud RENATER 622 Mbit/s 155 Mbit/s 34 Mbit/s 2.4 Gbit/s Reims Caen Rouen Rennes Nancy Strasbourg Poitiers Bordeaux Lyon Grenoble Toulouse. Montpellier Marseille Nantes Besançon Clermont- Ferrand Limoges Paris Dijon Lille Sophia Compiègne Orléans Corte DOM - TOM Pau RENATER 3

Networking context today : multi Gbit/s networks : GEANT

Networking context today : TEIN2 Eumedconnect ALICETo Africa To Northern America

For e-learning : Videoconferencing and IP multicast : Introducing high quality for video and voice Up to now : bad or medium Now : Mpeg4 (with 4CIF image), voice encoding with MP3 or soon with MP4 audio. cf.: Increasing usage of IPv6 at least for some international events

For e-learning : Technology: multicast IP Services : audio, video, slides News : High quality video Importance of IPv6 Examples : DIM (e-learning), Aristote seminars, RENATER talks... Typically : 10 reception sites in France, 40 to 60 remote participants.

The opening session of,DIM on October 1 rst, 2002 Paris VII INT Evry Valenciennes Univ. Evry Dakar Renater

IPv6 Conference, October 2002 The Conference Grid Reims Caen Rouen Rennes Nancy Strasbourg Poitiers Bordeaux Lyon Grenoble Toulouse. Montpellier Marseille Nantes Besançon Clermont- Ferrand Limoges Paris Dijon Lille Sophia Compiègne Orléans Corte A single virtual conference room, interactive Pau

The Conference Grid : Aristote, January 22, 2004 At Ecole Polytechnique (Paris) : transmitting At Caen : receiving

Towards high quality video : On RENATER and GEANT : broadcasting high quality video Using standards, not proprietary : MPEG2 or MPEG4, 0.5 to 2 (or more) Mbit/s, multicast DVD quality Popular open source tool (for brodcast, live or from file, and as player) : VideoLAN and IPv4 and IPv6 (almost mandatory)!

IPv6 : Paris – Dakar, June 2003 : Dakar : IPv6 Paris : IPv4

Workgroup meetings and e-learning : Videoconferencing over IP with H.323 : Going towards high quality (today : medium) Difficulties : Very costly (regardless of quality) Security (usually blocked by firewalls ; proxies are costly and complex)

Workgroup meetings and e-learning : With up-to-date dedicated equipments (terminal equipments, MCUs) : It works nicely over IP, and quality can be really good Video : H.264 (with 4CIF image), equivalent (and similar) to Mpeg4 High quality voice codecs..

Workgroup meetings and e-learning : It works nicely ! Easy to interface with ISDN videoconferen cing

Workgroup meetings and e-learning : How to connect to another user or to a conference with H.323 : By connecting directly to its IP address Most frequently used Or by dialing its E.164 number after connecting to a local gatekeeper (which should be part of the GDS service). Not frequently used at present : more complex at the administrator's level, no clear benefit at the user's level : not conformant to the Internet philosophy or traditions...

Workgroup meetings and e-learning : H.323 (E.164) dialing service in RENATER : Renater Service H.323 Site 1 Site 2 This is : dials

Workgroup meetings and e-learning : H.323 (E.164) dialing service in RENATER : Renater service H323 Site 2 Site 3 Site 1 dials PONT MULTIPOINT dials Called number : dials

H.323 : components for the future : SIP Replaces today's session set-up protocols. Today : yes for voice over IP (telephony). Not yet for videoconferencing.. H.350 Interfacing with LDAP IPv6 Will be mandatory, but implementations not yet here.

VRVS VRVS videoconferencing I do not have informations concerning : Its future? Does it go towards high quality ?

Others, becoming popular : Others : High end : quality : no Target is low to medium High end : number of users : yes ! Easier to use and cheap (with respect to H.323), No security problems (or easier to solve) Proprietary : not a real problem for users ? Could well be predominant in the not-too-far futur !

Others, becoming popular : Web conferencing : must be click – and – play from within a Web page ! FVC CISCO And many others...

Strategies... Which choice for visioconferencing ?

Which choice(s) ? Depends on : intended usage, user community... There is NO single choice ! Quality Cost IPv6 Video over multicast IP Video with H.323 Video with VRVS Others, Web conferencing Medium - High Medium Yes No Low Low - High Low

Fin de la présentation Questions ? Answers (maybe) ! ?