In this technological age, you no longer need to spend long hours in the car or waiting around at airports just to attend routine meetings.
You could, instead, hold a videoconference.
Videoconferencing uses a system that incorporates a remote control mini-
camera and microphone, a screen and loudspeakers for easy two-way communica-
ion.
There are many ways in which you can use this technology.
The vision of the travel-free corporation is, of course, as unrealistic as the pa-
per-free office.
Indeed, the forecast is that the videoconferencing market is now growing at a rate of 166% p.a.
Then, videoconferencing systems were very specialised and cost about $250,000
As prices tumble further over the next couple of years, visual communications will become a routine facility like fax, word processing or e-mail. _________________
Ten years ago, such growth would have seemed impossible.
By proving a live link between two or more locations, videoconferencing enables from 2 to 200 people to see, hear and talk to each other and to present, look at and discuss documents together.
Today, by contrast, the equivalent systems cost about one-tenth of that, with mobile systems like the BT VC7000 now on offer at under $6,000,
However, just as fax swept through the office in the 1980s, so videoconferencingwill be the new application for office-to-office communications by 2005-2015,
They include weekly sales meetings, customer presentations, sales and service training, staff announcements and financial reviews.
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ɪn ðɪs ˌteknəˈlᴐʤɪkl eɪʤ, juː nəu ˈlᴐŋgə niːd tuː spend lᴐŋ ˈauəz ɪn ðə kɑː ɔː ˈweɪtɪŋ əˈraund æt ˈeəpɔːts ʤʌst tuː əˈtend ruːˈtiːn ˈmiːtɪŋz.
juː kud, ɪnˈsted, həuld ə videoukɔnfәrәns.
videoukɔnfәrәnsɪŋ ˈjuːzɪz ə ˈsɪstɪm ðæt ɪnˈkɔːpərɪts ә rɪˈmout kənˈtrəul ˈmɪnɪ—kæmərə ænd ˈmaɪkrəfəun, ə skriːn ænd ˌlaudˈspiːkəz fɔː ˈiːzi ˈtuːˈweɪ kᴐmju:nɪkeiʃn
ðeər ɑː ˈmeni weɪz ɪn wɪʧ juː juːz ðɪs tekˈnᴐləʤi.
ðə ˈvɪʒən ɔv ðə ˈtrævl- friː ˌkɔːpəˈreɪʃən ɪz, ɔv kɔːs, æz ˌʌnrɪəˈlɪstɪk æz ðə peipә-friː ˈɔfɪs.
ɪnˈdiːd, ðə ˈfɔːkɑːst ɪz ðæt ðə videoukɔnfәrәnsɪŋ ˈmɑːkɪt ɪz nau ˈgrəuɪŋ æt ə reɪt ᴐv wᴧn hᴧndrɪd әnd sɪkstɪ sɪks pә:´sent piː.eɪ.
ðen, videoukɔnfәrәnsɪŋ ˈsɪstɪmz wәː ˈveri ˈspeʃəlaɪzd ænd kɔst ә´baut tu: hᴧndrɪd әnd fɪftɪ Ɵauzәnd dɔlәz
æz ˈpraɪsɪz ˈtʌmbl ˈfәːðə ˈəuvə ðə nekst ˈkʌpl ɔv jɪəz, ˈvɪzjuəl kəˌmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃənz wɪl bɪˈkʌm ə ruːˈtiːn fəˈsɪlɪti laɪk fæks, wәːd ˈprəusesɪŋ ɔː iː-meɪl.
ten jɪəz əˈgəu, sʌʧ grəuθ wud hæv siːmd ɪmɔˈpsəbl.
baɪ ˈpruːvɪŋ ə lɪv lɪŋk bɪˈtwiːn tuː ɔː mɔː ləuˈkeɪʃənz, frɒm 2 tuː 200 ˈpi videoukɔnfәrәnsɪŋ ːpl tuː siː, hɪər ænd tɔːk tuː iːʧˈʌðər ænd tuː ˈprɛznt, lʊk æt ænd dɪsˈkʌs ˈdɒkjʊmənts təˈgɛðə.
təˈdeɪ, baɪ ˈkɒntrɑːst, ði ɪˈkwɪvələnt ˈsɪstɪmz kɒst əˈbaʊt wʌn-tɛnθ ɒv ðæt, wɪð ˈməʊbaɪl ˈsɪstɪmz laɪk ðə biː-tiː viː-siː7000 naʊɒn ˈɒfər æt ˈʌndə $6,000,
haʊˈɛvə, ʤʌst æz fæks swɛpt θruː ði ˈɒfɪs ɪn ðiː 1980ɛs, səʊ videoukɔnfәrәnsɪŋ wɪl biː ðə njuː ˌæplɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n fɔː ˈɒfɪs-tuː-ˈɒfɪskəˌmjuːnɪˈkeɪʃənz baɪ 2005-2015,
ðeɪ ɪnˈkluːd ˈwiːkli seɪlz ˈmiːtɪŋz, ˈkʌstəmə ˌprɛzɛnˈteɪʃənz, seɪlz ænd ˈsɜːvɪs ˈtreɪnɪŋ, stɑːf əˈnaʊnsmənts ænd faɪˈnænʃəlrɪˈvjuːz.
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