This page addressed some of the most frequently asked questions about the KAREN Video Conferencing Service.

What is the KAREN Video Conferencing Service?
Who is eligible to subscribe to the service?
What are the advantages of video conferencing?
What are the benefits of the KAREN Video Conferencing Service?
How are subscribers using the KAREN Video Conferencing Service?
What are the features and functions of the service?
Can non-KAREN members use the service?
What types of statistics will be available about usage?
Who do I contact if I need support?

What is the KAREN Video Conferencing Service?

The KAREN Video Conferencing Service (KVCS) allows people in New Zealand and across the world to communicate with each other in real time using simple video conferencing tools.

Subscribers to the service can participate in high definition multipoint video calls, schedule meetings and invite participants, webcast or record their event, and benefit from a free desktop application.

The KVCS is a not-for-profit service funded by members of KAREN and is managed by REANNZ. The Advanced Video Collaboration Centre manages the service on a day-to-day basis, and provides support to Tier 1 support contacts within subscribing institutions.

Who is eligible to subscribe to the service?

Subscription to the KAREN Video Conferencing Service is open to any KAREN member (except Content and Service Partners). See the KAREN membership page for a description of these categories.

What are the advantages of video conferencing?

• Save money by reducing travel costs
• Improve productivity by reducing time spent traveling
• Share resources through course co-delivery
• Access international experts and tools easily
• Increase participation from remote parties

What are the benefits of the KAREN Video Conferencing Service?

The KVCS allows high and standard definition and desktop video conferencing units to communicate with each other while maintaining the highest quality of your connection.  It also includes a free desktop video conferencing application that you can use from work or home.

Subscribers have access to online support resources from the Advanced Video Collaboration Centre (AVCC) website. This includes online tutorials, an endpoint directory list, an event calendar and QA processes to make it as easy as possible for regular researchers and educators to use the service.

By making a shared investment in video conferencing technology, subscribers benefit from a capacity greater than any one user would be able to support.  KVCS allows big events such as conferences, lectures, client workshops etc with up to 60 high definition (HD) endpoints and 100+ streaming viewers connected simultaneously.

How are subscribers using the KAREN Video Conferencing Service?

• National and international collaborative research
• Remote diagnostics in medical and bio-security environments
• Co-delivery of courses
• Interviewing remote candidates for job vacancies
• Science outreach to schools
• Accessing international experts for speaking events
• Graduate oral examinations

What are the features and functions of the service?

The KAREN Video Conferencing Service is made up of three key features – the KAREN Video Bridge, iView booking tool and Scopia desktop application.

KAREN Video Bridge

• Conference with up to 60 participants in full high definition (HD)
• Stream your event live over the web to people around the world
• Share your presentations with participants and streamers
• Monitor your usage with an extensive range of visual reports
• Record your event for replay or podcasting
• Join via IP, ISDN (in HD or standard definition) and regular internet
• Protect private meetings with a PIN

iView

• Create and manage your own meetings with simple online booking, scheduling and management tools
• Send meeting invitations with connection details

Scopia Desktop

• Conference from your PC with the free KAREN desktop client
• Download in seconds the simple web browser plug-in
• Experience HD to your PC with an inexpensive webcam
• Connect through firewalls seamlessly

Can non-KAREN members use the service?

Non-subscribers are able to join conferences organised by subscribers to the service. However, in the spirit of the KAREN community, if non-subscribers begin participating in conferences on the bridge on a regular basis - as determined solely by REANNZ (eg: more than once a month) it is expected that they will subscribe to the service to contribute to the ongoing funding of the service. To avoid doubt: a "non-subscriber" is a KAREN member organisation which has chosen not to subscribe to the KAREN Video Conferencing Service - and not an individual user of a KAREN member organisation.

For full details see the Terms of Use page on the AVCC website.

What types of statistics will be available about usage?

The KAREN Video Conferencing Service will provide an extensive range of visual reports that will allow you to monitor video conferencing usage in your organisation.  These reports include:

• Usage (multipoint, point-to-point and Gateway-ISDN or Internet)
• Utilisation (MCU port utilisation, endpoint utilisation, etc)
• Trends such as usage growth
• Statistics (scheduled vs. ad hoc meetings; audio vs. video; meeting size & duration)

Who do I contact if I need support?

The KAREN Video Conferencing Service provides excellent value to subscribers. One way we have kept costs down is to rely a devolved support system. Subscribers must take responsibility for providing first level support to end users of the KVCS within their institution. We encourage smaller members to nominate a person who is technically savvy to become familiar with the tools and functionality of the service and provide this first level support function. From time to time, AVCC run technical training sessions to assist in this respect. For more information see the KVCS Support and Operations Manual on the AVCC website.

Updated 24 August 2010