It is being made to be compatible with other Net telephony and video conferencing applications by adhering to the new H.323 International Communications Union Standard for audio, video, and data transmission over the Internet. There are as many as one million current users of CU-SeeMe clients. The reflector allows the signal to be dispersed in pyramid fashion to an unlimited number of viewers without putting an extraordinary strain on the network. CU-SeeMe permits as many as eight people with IP addresses, videocameras, and videocards in their PCs to videoconference simultaneously over connections as low as 28.8 kbps. The picture is in color, and the new version of the client offers an address directory, incoming message alerts, and a shared white board for collaborative work.
Communication can take place in audio or text-based chat.
Mac and PC versions are available. A free black and white version is available from Cornell University , where the software was originally developed. White Pine now offers reflector software for Windows NT, Windows 95, and 11 different Unix platforms. The company sells reflectors to Internet Service Providers for their subscribers to use in community groups, say a car racing group reflector or a Sci-Fi club reflector. They also sell reflectors to corporations for use on Intranets for conferencing and collaborative work.