[AG-TECH] Strange question
Jay Beavers
jbeavers at microsoft.com
Wed Dec 5 18:15:48 CST 2001
We're basing our work around the Tablet PC spec which features a 600 MHz
Transmeta CPU, an active digitizer that samples at some 'really high
speed' rate, and Windows XP plus Pen extensions that support ink
natively with Bezier smoothing & a training free handwriting recognition
engine.
We're planning on supporting the Tablet as a 'dual mode' device in which
PPT or whiteboard are supported off the display surface, with some very
interesting feature concepts (still in planning) that we've garnered
from talking to various professors working in distance learning
environments and their frustrations with existing solutions.
- jcb
-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Leigh [mailto:spiff at evl.uic.edu]
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 3:50 PM
To: Jay Beavers; Tom Coffin; Supreeya Miller; ACCESS community
Subject: RE: [AG-TECH] Strange question
Hi
here's EVL's 2 cents worth.
We have been using the Smartboard for about a year and are very pleased
with it- ours maps over a plasma screen. We had to buy a second one
since it has become so popular. Having the second one will also allow us
to connect it to our second AG node to allow us to do collaborative
experiments.
With regards to tabletPCs, we have a WinCE3 tablet at EVL and generally
find them underpowered (even as a 200Mhz RISC). We think one of the
problems with tablets is that, unless they have active pens, ie pens
that only draw when you press a button, it is difficult to convey
deictic references that are so natural with large white boards. I think
a light-weight Tablet PC with a 400Mhz pentium and an active pen, might
work very well.
Of course the problem with whiteboards is that unless they have an
active pen as well, it is difficult to transmit deictic references over
the network. One way one might consider solving this is to place a
camera in front of the white board and capture the person in front of it
and display that as a semi-translucent overlay plane on top of a remote
whiteboard.
Jason
=============================================================
Jason Leigh, PhD
spiff at evl.uic.edu Electronic Visualization Lab (M/C 152)
EVL Phone (312) 996-3002 University of Illinois at Chicago
EVL FAX (312) 413-7585 851 S. Morgan St. Room 1120 SEO
http://www.evl.uic.edu/spiff Chicago, IL 60607-7053
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov [mailto:owner-ag-tech at mcs.anl.gov]On
> Behalf Of Jay Beavers
> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 5:24 PM
> To: Tom Coffin; Supreeya Miller; ACCESS community
> Subject: RE: [AG-TECH] Strange question
>
>
> We've experimented with using 640x480 1394 cameras on a whiteboard and
> we got satisfactory results using M-JPEG compression at medium
quality,
> though we're limited to a small (~4'x4') writing area. We're trying
to
> do the same with a newer 1024x768 1394 camera, but we're still waiting
> on acceptable drivers to be provided. I don't have an ETA on the
newer
> drivers and they've been 'any month now' for about six months.
>
> We've also looked at Mimio and SmartBoard which are commercially
> available products that capture whiteboard strokes via pressure or
audio
> location of the pen, and while they're better than nothing, they
weren't
> good enough in my opinion.
>
> And we're sponsoring a research project at a major university to use
> Tablet PCs with custom software and projectors to function as a hand
> held wireless device.
>
>
> I figure one of these things will pan out ;-) We're going to try one
of
> them this spring semester in a distributed classroom trial at another
> major university, we might try more than one depending on what's ready
> by then.
>
> - jcb
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tom Coffin [mailto:tcoffin at ncsa.uiuc.edu]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 12:28 PM
> To: Supreeya Miller; ACCESS community
> Subject: RE: [AG-TECH] Strange question
>
>
> Supreeya,
>
> I recommend not to use a camera to point at the white board.
> The resolution will never be satisfactory and the professors
> will go insane. Ofcouse if the class happens to be a psychology
> class then it may be desirable...
>
> good luck
>
> _________________________________________________
> At 02:25 PM 12/5/2001 -0600, Supreeya Miller wrote:
> >
> >Thank you, Tom.
> >
> >USM wants to use 1 camera to point to the professor, another
camera
> to
> point
> >on the white board that he writes on, another camera for pictures
or
> slides
> >that he may have, and another camera to point to the students at
> USM. So
> >there will be no desktop sharing on the computer at USM.
> >
> >Supreeya Miller
> >System Administrator/Visualization Researcher/Access Grid
> Coordinator
> >High Performance Visualization Center
> >Center of Higher Learning
> >Building 1103
> >Stennis Space Center, MS 39539
> >Phone: 228-688-2190
> >Fax: 228-688-7454
> >E-mail:Supreeya.Miller at usm.edu
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Tom Coffin [mailto:tcoffin at ncsa.uiuc.edu]
> >Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2001 2:10 PM
> >To: Supreeya Miller; ACCESS community
> >Subject: Re: [AG-TECH] Strange question
> >
> >
> >hi Supreeya
> >You can use VNC to shared a 1024x768 desktop
> >which can include a white board...
> >http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/
> >
> >
> >At 02:05 PM 12/5/2001 -0600, Supreeya Miller wrote:
> > >All,
> > >
> > >We have a lot of people come to our center and some of them
are
> >professors.
> > >I'm also in the process of building the second Access Grid
Node
> for
> USM
> > >(university of Southern Mississippi). When the node is done,
> there
> >will be
> > >a lot of class activities between CHL (at Stennis) and USM.
The
> >professors
> > >that came and visited our center have some concerns that the
> resolution
> >of
> > >the images on the Access Grid is not high enough for them, and
> there are
> > >some jaggy problems due to many hops and points in the network
> that we
> >have
> > >to go through (details are below). When I did the full size
> image,
> they
> > >were not satisfied even more (they could see pixels change
> clearly).
> >One of
> > >the professors has asked me a question, which I don't know how
> to
> >answer.
> > >He wants to do a distance learning by point-to-point (between
> CHL and
> >USM)
> > >using the Access Grid equipment. He wants (to start with) 2
> windows,
> >each
> > >with 1024x768 resolution. So that they can write on the white
> board,
> >and
> > >the distance students (at CHL) can see everything perfectly
> clear
> (they
> > >refuse to use Power Point Presentation files).
> > >
> > >Our network details
> > > CHL -> uses DS3 to -> JACKSON -> uses OC3 to -> USM ->
> uses OC3 to ->
> > >JACKSON -> uses OC3 to -> Internet2
> > > CHL -> JACKSON -> USM -> Internet
> > > Our router is at USM that is why we have to go to USM
> first for both
> > >Internet2 and commodity Internet.
> > >
> > >I've looked at the Microsoft NetMeeting. But that is one
> computer
> that
> >does
> > >video and audio. We have 4 computers, and 2 computers are
> running
> >Linux as
> > >we know.
> > >I've also looked at VRVS. But that does not even need
Internet
> 2 (if
> >I'm
> > >wrong, please correct me). He wants to fully utilize the
> bandwidth of
> > >Internet 2, in this case we mean DS3 bandwidth (50 Mb)
> > >
> > >How possible can this "point-to-point distance learning using
> Access
> >Grid
> > >equipment" be done and how can I go about doing it?
> > >
> > >I thank you in advance for any help.
> > >
> > >Supreeya Miller
> > >System Administrator/Visualization Researcher/Access Grid
> Coordinator
> > >High Performance Visualization Center
> > >Center of Higher Learning
> > >Building 1103
> > >Stennis Space Center, MS 39539
> > >Phone: 228-688-2190
> > >Fax: 228-688-7454
> > >E-mail:Supreeya.Miller at usm.edu
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >___________________________________________________________
> >Tom Coffin .......................... tcoffin at ncsa.uiuc.edu
> >
> >
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________
> Tom Coffin .......................... tcoffin at ncsa.uiuc.edu
>
>
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