BCNETwork News

December 2006

The Presence of Virtual Reality: Being There is like Being Here with HD Videoconferencing

By Vanessa Scott

Imagine the opportunity to communicate with a person in another location as if you were sharing the same space. Imagine interacting virtually with a group of individuals while having the ability to carry on multiple simultaneous conversations. This vision has become a reality as a result of a research initiative led by McGill University’s Instructional Communications Centre and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Telestudios - a project for an advanced, high-definition videoconferencing system.

Opening Windows

Unlike traditional videoconferencing units, the life-size (65”) panoramic HDTV monitors and surround-sound system open a high-quality, sharply defined window between conference facilities at UBC and McGill. The HD component enables a standard-breaking “in person” experience, giving the geographically remote participants an unfettered sense of sharing the same physical space.

One of the first and only projects of its kind in the world, this initiative positions Canadian researchers at the forefront of the emerging area of videoconferencing technology. “The technical component to this project involves exploring lightpath technology, determining how continuous streams of video can be maintained without latency issues, and developing hardware and software to combat these issues,” explains Mark Zuberbuhler, Executive Producer and Director of UBC Telestudios.

Because high-definition video presents the challenge of managing significantly greater amounts of bandwidth than standard-definition video, lightpaths from CANARIE, BCNET and RISQ provide the one-gigabit per second capacity needed to maintain each of the six live video and audio streams.

“The other side of the project has to do with what I’ve always called the people perspective,” says Zuberbuhler. “Will high-definition videoconferencing make a difference in virtual interaction?”

The Presence of Virtual Reality: HDTV Project Unveiled in Fall 2006

In a highlight of the ongoing three-year collaboration between Ottawa, McGill and UBC Telestudios, the HDTV videoconferencing system was unveiled in a public demonstration between the two universities on October 27, 2006.

The demonstration vividly conveyed the visual and audio superiority of HD videoconferencing over standard systems, which are constrained by a number of elements that reduce the appearance of real life, including a narrow field of vision. Noted Zuberbuhler, “It feels like the McGill folks are just across the table making eye contact.”

Participants were also impressed with the system’s ability to keep the meeting all-inclusive. By catching the nuances of facial expressions and body language, meeting members could even participate passively. “This will make it impossible to ignore anyone on-screen, which tends to happen with the standard videoconference set up,” added Keir Novik, Manager of Information Technology for BCNET.

Enhancing the Sensation of Reality

To simulate the curvature of a real meeting table, cameras at both conference rooms were arranged in a ‘v’ shape. With the right angles taken into account, it would be possible to arrange the screens so that a person could “walk” seamlessly from one HDTV monitor to the next without any distortion.

An overarching objective of the project is to get the latency low enough for musicians to play together from across the country, said John Roston, Project Leader and Director of Instructional Multimedia Services at McGill. During the demo, a simple clapping test between the Quebec and BC sites demonstrated the almost negligible lag time between visual and audio outputs.

Audio quality was actually strong enough to enhance the conversational experience, with one participant remarking that the surround-sound system was like having a hearing aid.

Promoting New Opportunities in Research and Education

Amid jokes that the HD videoconference system was flawless enough to carry out a high-stakes poker game – and so realistic that it might be possible to fall in love over the network – many serious thoughts were given about the system’s potential applications.

With particular relevance for education and business, it could be used to free guest speakers or lecturers from such restrictions as travel costs. Unlike other distributed learning technologies, HD videoconferencing would make it possible for students to raise their hand in a lecture hall and receive an immediate answer from a life-sized onscreen speaker elsewhere in the world.

Plans are currently underway to apply the system in medical teaching and research, while it has also received attention from the Department of National Defense for delivering language training to military personnel around the world.