Video teleconferencing review for support of high energy physics activities

Although video teleconferencing systems have been available for many years, their cost has been considered prohibitive for both the actual teleconferencing equipment and for the communications circuits associated with their use. New technology has significantly reduced these costs making video teleconferencing a practical means of communication for the first time, and creating a new way in which HEP personnel can work and interact electronically. The recent rapid evolution in video teleconferencing technology has been driven primarily by advances in microprocessor and DSP components. Advanced systems available today provide significant performance improvements in the "frames delivered per-unit-per-time" over systems designed just a few years ago. This improved performance and reduced costs for communications bandwidth are the most important factors creating the potential for widespread use of video teleconferencing within the HEP community. The HEP community has made extensive use of electronic communication in the form of computer networking for over a decade. Within the last year, a limited video teleconferencing capability was established in the form of a pilot project linking LNL, FNAL, and SSCL. The pilot project demonstrated that video teleconferencing can, in certain circumstances, be a viable alternative to travel. Due to the growing size and dispersion of experimental collaborations, video teleconferencing will almost certainly become a necessity in the conduct and management of large projects and programs in HEP.