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VIDEO SERVERS

Instantaneously connecting people and places visually around the world is an awesome technology!  That is like bringing the sights of the world to us "live" via our computer screen, wherever we may be.  Applications for this technology is unlimited.  That is why I choose this topic.

What first got me really interested in Video Servers was how a friend of mine used this particular type of technology.  In order for parents (including himself) at the DayCare Center where he sends his 2-year old daughter to have the peace of mind that their children are safe, he rigged a live video camera into every room.  Integrating the video cameras with a Video Server, he sends the video signal from each camera to the DayCare Center’s Home Web page.  It is on that URL site where parents have a "live" URL site where they can view and observe what their child is doing during the day, from the comfort of their home, office, motel room, etc.  This technology practically prevents any potential misbehavior problems concerning DayCare workers and owners.

At my friend’s DayCare Center, there are about 80 kids.  About 25% of the parents access this site daily, and get upset and uneasy when it is down for some reason.  It is a secure site needing a password for access.  Even though he gave me a backdoor URL site so I could make this study, he wished it to not be disclosed for obvious security purposes.

Here’s how it works:  there are seven rooms in the DayCare Center, and each room has a wide-angle video camera installed, permitting the entire room to be seen.  Each camera is connected to a central spot in the building and connected to a Video Server.  Since Video Servers usually start around $25,000 and up, my friend was able to purchase a low-grade server for only $750.  Since this particular server only has four inputs, he had to purchase two units in order to connect all seven rooms.

These Video Servers are about the size of an external modem and can be used as Stand Alone units.  It does this by using a UNIX embedded chip inside which is loaded with pre built, web-page software.  This way it can transfer the coded video signals via a phone line (RJ11) to a web site of choice.  If this method is not satisfactory, and you want more control over the video feeds, then you can use the RJ45 connector on the Video Server.  This way you can extract out the video signals into JPEG files, and have them sent to some other location on your LAN network.  The latter is the method my friend used.

From this point it gets a little more tricky.  Using WinProxy software, which builds a firewall and creates a virtual IP address on the Internet, he created an interface between the Internet, the local LAN, and the Video Servers.  In so doing, he programmed the Video Servers to send their snapshots to a specific FTP address—which is the personal webpage of the DayCare.  WinProxy is what routes the video info packets. My friend designed a background and a "frame" around the picture for each of the seven

DayCare rooms (including the hallway).  The "frame," or picture still of the room, has the option of being enlarged, but sacrifices resolution.

Each room is given a web address which is the name of the file on the personal web page, hosted (in his case) by AT&T.  Using a HTML protocol, he utilized a neat code feature (Jave Script) which forces the page to refresh itself after so many seconds—which he has set to 30 seconds.  So whatever JPEG image happens to be there from the Video Servers when it refreshes itself, that is what is displayed.  He can determine the quality of the snapshots by choosing up to a 640X480 size.  Of course, the larger the snapshot, the larger the file, and thus the more bandwidth is needed to send them.

After the initial hardware and installation expenses, the only expense the DayCare has is its monthly ISP charges.  Knowing their child is safe makes this free service (to the parents) the ideal situation for two-career families.  Thus, it greatly reduces their stress level, knowing they can always "check-up" on their child "live" on the Internet.

Video Servers are used for many things. The Oregon Department of Transportation has an elaborate system with Traffic Cameras posted all over the state (check it out at http://www.tripcheck.com/).  The main purpose of this site is for motorists and truckers the capability to check out busy intersections in advance, but they also have cameras mounted on the treacherous mountain passes.  Oregon’s elite and sophisticated video system provides a great platform for traffic safety.

How can Video Servers be used in a educational setting? Think of this. School systems are now placing more emphasis upon higher standards and greater parental involvement.  If each classroom in our schools were equipped with a video camera, parents could check up on their child’s participation as well as teacher involvement at any time they desired.  Classroom sessions could also be videotaped in case bad behavior needed to be reviewed later.  Furthermore, if cameras were installed at each desk, and audio was integrated with the video signal, it is conceivable that parents could even someday have "live" two-way communication throughout the school day to provide encouragement and support to their child.

This scenario could also be used to address immediate problems (behavior or academic) students are having by getting parents involved in a 3- or 4-way communication block (student-teacher-parent-parent).  And since parents would always have immediate and "live" access to each of their children’s classrooms, teacher accountability ought to increase.  There could in reality be daily parent-teacher conferences, instead of the every nine-week contact system between the two parties now being used.  Again, this encourages greater and quicker parent participation in the academic progress of their student children.

And finally, if in the future we provide cameras in the classroom capable of 360° viewing, classrooms would then have the unique capability of providing the ultimate in interactive learning experiences—with the user controlling the viewing angles.

The best online article I found which discusses Network Video Servers can be found on the Network Computing magazine site at http://www.networkcomputing.com/716/716f12.html.

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