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Question:

What are Converged Networks and how does this relate to video, voice and data?

Answer:

Converged Networking is the integration of several networks - data, voice and video - into a single packet or cell-based infrastructure. Converged networking delivers the infrastructure needed to deploy new Web-based applications including unified messaging, collaborative data sharing, video streaming and video conferencing, push-to-talk Web pages, network-enabled call centers and more.

Converged network design is bascally adding a VoIP based solution into the typical LAN/WAN cloud and applying the appropriate principles to manage the Quality of Service(QoS), network traffic, and shaping patterns.

A primary reason for migrating to a converged infrastructure is Cost Savings - on communications facilities, equipment purchase and maintenance, bandwidth efficiency, and long distance or international voice call expenses.

Other advantages include Deploying New Applications to enhance business efficiency and productivity, increased competitiveness (including e-business services, products and customer care) and Consolidated Network Managment.

(Source: Sprint Converged Networks White Paper, April 2001)



Question:

What is Sound Masking and How Does It Work?


Answer:

A sound masking system emits low-level, non-distracting masking noise designed to reduce speech intelligibility and thereby improve speech privacy. This improvement in speech privacy can be of great value in open-plan offices, doctors' examination rooms and other environments where confidentiality is important.

Sound masking can also reduce the distraction caused by traffic, office machinery and other unwanted sounds. Because this benefit is limited to situations where the unwanted sounds are relatively low level, however, speech privacy is the focus of most sound masking systems.

A typical sound masking system consists of a masking noise generator, an equalizer, one or more power amplifiers and a group of special loudspeakers installed above a dropped ceiling. Well-designed room acoustics are an important component of a successful masking system.

An open plan office with well-designed acoustics and a sound masking system can achieve normal speech privacy while maintaining the flexibility of an open plan office, at the same time reducing the distraction of unwanted sounds like office machinery and traffic. Specialized masking systems include security systems that emit a high intensity masking sound outside the windows and doors of the conference rooms in buildings requiring extremely high levels of security and confidentiality.

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Question:

I have been told that there are many reasons to replace my time lapse video recorder and tapes with digital video recording. What are some of the major benefits?

Answer:

The main advantage is that digital video recorders (DVRs) provide for rapid retrieval of recorded information. Instead of searching for hours through VCR tapes, you can call up a specific camera at a specific time (within seconds). Rapid retrieval can save hundreds of person-hours, and thousands of dollars.

Other advantages include the following:

DVRs also provide remote access and portability. Specific images can be off-loaded onto DVD or other portable electronic media and remote sites can be accessed from a PC using the Internet, LANs, WANs or any other type of network connection.

DVR video is always crisp, while with time lapse video recorders the quality of recorded information depends on the frequency of use of the video tape, the frequency of maintence and the age of the video tape. These things can introduce noice into the recorded video tape information, reducing quality. With DVRs, quality is uniform and consistent.

Information is stored electronically on the hard drive or data tape of the DVR, providing a more efficient approach to documenting and managing video information. Archiving and maintaining video tape is time consuming and therefore expensive.



Question:

I have heard that a lot of quality is lost when going from VHS to digital for video recording. Is there a trade-off in quality or is it just that the digital systems I have seen are not up to speed?

Answer:

Speed, file size and resolution are the issues here. The trade-off is first made by the manufacturer of the digital storage product, who has to determine what optimum resolution to offer based on the system's compression algorithm, the number of cameras being recorded, and the total length of continuous recording to be offered.

With digital recording 300Kb-1200Kb are being compressed into file sizes from 5-25Kb, so the results in digital playback can be compromised by the process. This is not always the case, however. If quality of image is the premier feature required from a digital recording system the user should select a product that offers high resolution recording (700 x 240 pixels) and utilize on-board motion detection or external alarms to limit the number of high quality frames recorded while still retaining an acceptable total record time.

Further, we must not forget that the analog or linear recording format is a mature technology and particularly when in 'S' VHS format (400 lines resolution) is capable of reproducing a high-resolution picture. The best digital picture systems approach that performance now and we can expect them to far exceed it in the near future. The gain in digital performance is dependent on microprocessor speed and cost of digital memory, both of which are improving all the time.

Another set of variables to consider is the video source performance (camera) and the monitor performance. Digital monitors and the associated video driver, or in the case of VHS format the number of lines of resolution, are also important.