--- Christoph Willing wrote:
Gurcharan,

Since we are also experimenting with different configurations, I consulted your
"AG Node Specs" page. Could you answer 2 questions about it please?

1. You list 1x Osprey 100 & 1x 200 cards, yet 3 cameras. How many simultaneous
cameras are possible with your configuration?

>>>Short Answer: sorry for the confusion; we have only two capture cards but 
three cameras to choose from.
>>>Long Answer: the Sony HI-8 is the main camera; we usually use the JVC compact
VHS as the second camera but it has some issues with requiring a tape to be
running to avoid automatic cutoff. so we sometimes use the Sony miniDV cam;
also, we use it to compare quality. our room is so small that two cameras pretty
much covers our needs so far. (we may add a third just to pick up our display
wall for remote monitoring of the event; i'm not sure how much additional load
this would introduce; but we maintain a backup system as well in case of system
failure; we feel that we could use this backup to make a two-box system (1 for
display, 1 for capture) in the event we ever had to accommodate a greater load
from increased captures or displays; but we also feel that upgrading the single
box system would give us that increased capacity as well).
<<<
<<<

2. Is your Polycom Soundstation echo cancelling mic/spkr combo compatible with
other AG nodes (using Gentner systems)? Have you noticed echo problems in
sessions with multiple remote nodes?

>>>Short Answer: yes, it is compatible. and we haven't noticed any echo
problems.
>>>Long Answer: it seems to work pretty well for our size room. some earlier
supposed problems may not have been due to  the polycom but to our inexperience
in general. since there are no controls to tweak, i can imagine that performance
depends on the particular combination of variables introduced by the particular
remote sites (in terms of latency, etc.). but based on empirical experience over
the last 9-12 months, remote sites usually confirm that they can hear us well.
occasionally, we are asked to turn up our volume. it may tend to be low given
the difficulty in setting our levels; there is a volume control on the polycom,
two on the mixer, and then a passive splitter to go to the AG node box as well
as another box with an H.323 VCON system in it. obviously, this configuration
could be streamlined if you didn't need the dual purposes we do. 
<<<
<<<

>>>hope this helps,
>>>gurcharan

chris


On Fri, 2002-06-21 at 17:05, Gurcharan S. Khanna wrote:
> hi Josh,
> 
> you can view our current configuration of a single box windows AG Node at
> http://research.dartmouth.edu/collab/accessgrid/.
> 


-- 
Chris Willing                      Telephone   (61-2) 9351 3005
VisLab, A28                        Facsimile   (61-2) 9351 1880
University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia                http://www.vislab.usyd.edu.au
--- end of quote ---