AHNR-IT maintains two Tandberg video conferencing systems located in Hutcheson Hall for use by faculty and staff of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. One station is located in the Dean’s conference room, 104G Hutcheson Hall (IP address 128.173.69.118). Document sharing can be done on this system by interfacing a connection with another computer and toggling between video and document sharing. The other unit is located in 303A Hutcheson Hall (IP address 128.173.69.4) and does not support the use of a computer to share documents. These units are only suitable for small groups (2-4 people).
Point-to-point or a single connection between two conferencing stations can be done on either system without the need of a bridge connection from Video Broadcasting Services (VBS). This is done by choosing the location from the address book or by manually entering the remote site’s IP address on the Tandberg system. The IP address of conference site locations that are not in the station directory will have to be entered manually. This IP information must be obtained from the user of the other system(s) in order to place the call. Incoming calls can be received by providing the conference room IP address to the other conferencing site for the system in 104G Hutcheson Hall.
To ensure that our system is compatible with the remote site, AHNR-IT will need at least two weeks notice to test with the remote site. Please supply the technical contact information and the IP address of the remote site (if known).
| Ag Help Desk | (540) 231-4865 | aghelp@vt.edu |
VBS operates a total of nine fully furnished conference rooms for large groups on the Virginia Tech campus and 13 remote conferencing sites throughout Virginia.
If you need a connection to a site that is not listed above, you must include contact information for the site(s). VBS needs this information even if the other site is bridging the conference. Just enter the contact name and information in the online request form and VBS will handle getting the relevant information.
| Patsy Galliher Lisa Stables (for Randolph 110L) | (540) 231-5930 (540) 231-6661 | pgallihe@vt.edu lstables@vt.edu |
More than two site connections require a bridging service from Video Broadcasting Services. There is a $30 bridge charge per site for VBS services (see table below) and the user must complete an online form in advance of the connection time (a week in advance for new sites that are not listed on the VBS web page and at least three days in advance for listed sites.) VBS requires contact information for all involved conferencing sites in order to test and set up the bridge.
Video conferences that use the VBS bridging service can be recorded and/or streamed over the Internet. There is a recording fee of $30 per hour, which includes the processing and VBS hosting of the streaming video file. The resulting RealMedia file is usually available within two business days after the conference.
If you need a connection to a site to which VBS has not connected within the past year, you must include contact information for the site(s) in the online Request Form (see below). VBS needs this information even if the other site is bridging the conference. It is mandatory that locations be tested and qualified before the initial live events. Budget one-half hour of testing/qualifying time for each location at $60 per hour. Additional network support may be required if a site is having technical difficulties.
General information about VBS videoconferencing rates
| Service | Rate |
|---|---|
| Preparation and setup of each VA Tech video conference room | $60/hour |
| VA Tech room use (training, rehearsal,live) | $70/hour |
| Port charge for bridged, multi-point video conference | $30/hour per port |
| Port or codec used for standards conversion | $30/hour per port |
| Line fee for each ISDN connection in continental US, all others at actual cost | $60/hour |
| Planning, design and consultation | $30/hour |
| Coordination of event with host locations | $30/hour |
Video Broadcast Services Video Conferencing Request Form
| Mark Harden, Director, Video Broadcast Services www.vbs.vt.edu | (540) 231-5930 | mark.harden@vt.edu |