Once the connection was up and reproducable, the specifics of room setup, camera placement and micing could be considered. Although the configuration changes with the type of interaction planned, the typcial setup is shown in Figure 1. The U-M site has two overhead microphones and two video cameras which pick up room audio and video from participants in Ann Arbor and relay it via ERIS to Southfield. The ERIS software allows the various video inputs to be dynamically selected, while audio is routed through a mixer located at the workstation. Students typically face the front of the room where the remote image is projected onto a whiteboard surface.
Remote audio is piped into a house audio system.
The overhead mics and front-placed video cameras allow students to address the projected image as if speaking through a portal to Southfield. The Southfield end of the connection is somewhat different. The ERIS, video cameras and mic equipment are similar, but the remote image is displayed on an overhead television monitor and the outgoing camera views are much more dynamic as a result of the shifting observational focus. As implied above, the largest hurdle to be overcome in the technical arena was the installation and operation of the ISDN lines. If your institution has dedicated telecommunications specialists it would be wise to include them in the planning process from the beginning.