One of the biggest issues with video conferencing is the ease of use especially around the user interface. As mentioned in the previous chapter, high-end video conferencing systems often use custom touch-screen panels while smaller conference room systems rely on hand-held remote controls. Users have not adapted well to either approach, rendering such systems difficult to use.
To further enhance the Cisco TelePresence meeting participants’ experience, cumbersome hand-held remote controls and custom touch-screen panels are eliminated, the cameras are fixed in their positions (no panning, tilting, or zooming controls), and the microphones are fixed in their positions on the table. There are virtually no moving parts or user interfaces that users must master to use a Cisco TelePresence meeting room.
Rather, the Cisco TelePresence meeting room solutions use a Cisco Unified 7975 Series IP Phone, conveniently located on the table to launch, control, and conclude meetings. This makes Cisco TelePresence as easy to use as a telephone. Using the Cisco Unified 7975 Series IP Phone (see Figure1), the user simply dials the telephone number of the Cisco TelePresence room with which they want to have a meeting, and the call is connected. Softkey menu buttons on the phone allow the user to place the call on hold or conference in an audio-only participant. The Cisco TelePresence solution takes simplicity one step further. When used in conjunction with Cisco TelePresence Manager, scheduled meetings display on the phone’s color touch-screen display, allowing users to simply touch the appropriate meeting on the screen and launch their scheduled meeting.
