vPoint Q&A - General questions

What is vPoint?
vPoint is a videoconferencing software that can operate  in three different modes:

• Software-based mode with a USB camera or a video capture card
• Software-based Viewer+ mode without a video source
• Hardware accelerated mode with ViGO

How is vPoint distributed?
vPoint is distributed in three ways:

• As a stand-alone software system
• As a software-based client with the MXM.
• The software-based client for the MXM installs from the MXM CD and is free of charge.
• On a CD that ships with the VCON ViGOTM

What is the "software based mode"?
When a USB camera or a video capture card is attached to a PC with the vPoint software application loaded on it,  it will give the user full IP videoconferencing capability  and will use the PC for the video and audio processing (encoding and decoding). This is the default mode for users who purchase the vPoint stand-alone system or who install vPoint from  the MXM CD.

What is the "software Viewer+ mode"?
When there is no camera attached to a PC with vPoint running,  it will put the user into Viewer+ mode. In this mode the  local user sees the remote side's video and hears their audio. But the remote side only hears the local user's audio.  So, it gives 2-way audio and 1-way video.

What is "Hardware accelerated mode with ViGO"?
When ViGO is attached to a PC or laptop with vPoint running, it will perform all of the video and audio processing in  the ViGO hardware, except the video decoding, and will use  the ViGO camera (either the standard camera or the Pan/Tilt/Zoom camera) as the video input. It will use the ViGO's Speaker Tower, multimedia speakers or headset as the audio input  (whichever the user has connected). This mode is desirable  for optimal quality, especially with PCs slower than 2.0  GHz.

How does my PC know which mode of vPoint to run in?
vPoint will automatically detect the hardware attached and run in the appropriate mode. For instance, if a USB camera is attached, it will run in software client mode. If no  camera is attached it will run in Viewer+ mode. If a ViGO  is attached, it will run in hardware-accelerated mode.

Are all the VCON PacketAssistTM features available in  vPoint?
Yes, the full range of QoS features and capabilities in  PacketAssist are found in all of three vPoint modes.

Is Interactive Multicast available in vPoint?
Yes, vPoint clients can be the chair in a one-to-many conference using VCON's Interactive Multicast technology, or can participate as a participant in such a conference.

What audio algorithms are included in vPoint?
The audio algorithms that are included are: G.722, G.711,  G.728, G.723.1. These algorithms are available in any of  three vPoint modes.

Does vPoint include acoustic echo cancellation and noise suppression?
Yes, acoustic echo cancellation and noise suppression are  included in all three vPoint modes. In fact, vPoint's audio is superior to any other software client in the market today.

What video algorithms are included in vPoint?
The video algorithms that are included are: H.261 and H.263. These video algorithms are available in any of the three vPoint modes.

Can I do T.120 data sharing and collaboration with vPoint?
Yes, all T.120 data sharing and collaboration functions  are available in all three vPoint modes.

What languages are supported with vPoint?
vPoint supports the following languages: English, French,  German, Italian, Spanish (Spain and Latin), Chinese and  Japanese.

What data rates are supported with vPoint?
vPoint supports data rates up to 1.5Mbps. ViGO data rates  have minimum PC specifications that must be met in order  to achieve this. Please refer to the table below for details.

	Processor	Data Rate
Software-based Mode	PIII 1Ghz	Up to 1.5Mbps
Viewer+ Mode	PII 600Mhz	Up to 1.5Mbps (receive only video)
ViGO™ Mode	PII 366Mhz	Up to 512Kbps at 30fps
ViGO™ Mode	PII 500Mhz	Up to 1Mbps at 30fps
ViGO™ Mode	PIII 800Mhz+	Up to 1.5Mbps at 30fps

What are the minimum PC specifications for vPoint?
They differ with each mode. See the table below for the  PC specs:

	Software based Mode	Viewer+ Mode	Hardware Accelerated
Pentium Processor	PIII 1Ghz	PII 600Mhz	PII 350Mhz
Operating System	Win 98, ME, 2000, XP
Hard Drive	40M
Memory-98,ME,2000	64M
Memory-XP	128M
Video Card	Direct Draw Support (2MB VRAM)
Camera	USB Camera	n/a	Incl. with ViGO™
Mic/Speakers	Soundcard  supported mic & speakers		Incl. with ViGO™

vPoint software that ships as a stand-alone system - Questions

What H.323 gatekeeper can I use with vPoint?
The vPoint stand-alone software can register with any H.323  gatekeeper.

Are there USB cameras that VCON recommend?
VCON has tested several USB cameras and recommend using  the a camera out of the following list:

	Creative WebCam Pro eX
	Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000.
	Logitech QuickCam Pro 3000.
	Philips ToUcam Pro

Are there any restrictions to the microphones and speakers used for vPoint?
For echo cancellation and audio performance reasons, it  is recommended to use the soundcard for audio input and  output (microphone, headset, speakers). While using USB-attached  microphone, USB-attached speakers or USB cameras with embedded microphones, the echo cancellation mechanism is disabled  resulting in lower audio quality. vPoint will default to  using the soundcard for all audio processing.

vPoint software that installs  from MXM CD - Questions

Is there anything unique about the vPoint software that  installs from the MXM CD?
Yes. The vPoint software that installs from the MXM CD is  free of charge and is a software-based application for the  MXM. As such the MXM is the only gatekeeper and management  system that this version can register to.

How do I install the vPoint software?
The software is located on the MXM CD and therefore, can be installed onto PCs in several ways. The optimal way is for the administrator to centrally post the vPoint install file, send a URL link to the employees via e-mail, have each person install automatically the vPoint software (clicking  on the URL link will start setup automatically) and register  to the MXM.

What H.323 gatekeeper can I use with the software client running vPoint?
The software- based application installed from the MXM CD  can only register with the MXM as its gatekeeper.

Can I work off-line with vPoint when I'm registered  to the MXM?
Yes. The software installed from the MXM CD must login to  the MXM at least once to be provisioned according to the network administrator's policies. After it has registered  to the MXM, users may work in "off-line" mode  if they wish. The network administrator determines the bandwidth  available to the user in "off-line" mode. By default, this off-line bandwidth is set at 128Kbps.

Are there any restrictions to the microphones and speakers used for vPoint?
For echo cancellation and audio performance reasons, it  is recommended to use the soundcard for audio input and  output (microphone, headset, speakers). While using USB-attached  microphone or USB-attached speakers or USB cameras with  embedded microphones, the echo cancellation mechanism is disabled resulting in lower audio quality. vPoint will default to using the soundcard for all audio processing.

Can I use vPoint both from my home PC and from my work PC?
As long as you can register with the MXM from your home  PC, you can load vPoint onto your home PC in either software-based  mode or in Viewer+ mode. This will count as 2 separate "seats"  (one at home and one at the office in the MXM - but will  count as only one MXM user profile). The first time you load vPoint onto the home PC, it must register with the  MXM. After that, you can work from home in either on-line or off-line mode if the administrator allows.

vPoint software  that ships with ViGO™ - Questions

Is there anything unique about vPoint running with a ViGO attached?
Yes. Due to the fact that vPoint is "hardware-accelerated" when using a ViGO, users will experience higher performance in this mode when using slower PCs.

Is vClip part of vPoint?
No. vClip is a separate application that works in conjunction  with ViGO. It is included with ViGO Professional and Executive models. It is not included in the stand-alone vPoint client.

Do I have to register the ViGO with the MXM?
No. When vPoint is installed, it will ask the user if they wish to install in MXM mode or non-MXM mode. If non-MXM  mode is chosen, the user can continue the installation and  will not be registered to the MXM. vPoint sold in conjunction with ViGO can register with any H.323 gatekeeper.