MUSICPATH: A case study in Video Teleconferencing

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MUSICPATH A case study in Video Teleconferencing

• By Bryan Copeland
• 100053171

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Outline

• Overview of Teleconferencing Software
• Application to E-Commerce
• A Case Study MusicPath
• Barriers to success
• The Future of MusicPath (and of Teleconferencing
  in general)
• References

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Video Teleconferencing

• A teleconference is a meeting amongst individuals
  not in the same immediate location.
• Video Teleconferencing combines both audio
  visual signals to deliver content-rich messages.
• Video Teleconferencing communication is
  multi-directional and synchronous, just as it
  would be in any in-person communication.

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Technical Analysis

• Transmission occurs with a buffer, based on the
  particular transmission medium.
• The common standard is the Internet through
  TCP/IP.
• Example SynPhony Configuration
• 1. A Local Area Network (LAN) port (100Mb/s or
  faster)
• 2. External telephone line ports (digital, i.e.
  ISDN, T1, etc.)
• 3. Internal telephone line ports plain telephones
  (2500 sets)
• 4. Video Capture / Compression Modules
• 5. Video Image Consolidation Module

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Business Analysis

• Video conferencing can be used as a substitute
  for face-to-face meeting requirements where the
  cost or time required for physical transportation
  is unfavorable.
• For instance, interviews with job applicants,
  business meetings, class lectures, or
  professional re-certifications or seminars can be
  conducted effectively via video conference.
• For business purposes, the current preference is
  for the use of private (VPN) connections for
  video teleconferencing which guarantees better
  performance and transmission security.

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How is Video Teleconferencing relevant to
E-Commerce?

• As high-speed internet connectivity becomes
  widely available and the cost of video
  capture/display technologies decrease, personal
  video conferencing systems based on web-cam,
  personal computer and broadband internet have
  become affordable for the general public.
• Opens the doors to entirely new e-business ideas
  - Online Music Teaching Centres (and other
  Interactive Education)- Remote Patient
  Monitoring (for nursing homes or hospitals) -
  Remote Appliance Access (they say its only a
  matter of time!)

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MusicPath The Project

• In June of 2003, Acadia University
  (unofficially) partnered with Yamaha Music Canada
  Ltd.
• The mission of MusicPath is to open new distance
  education and music performance opportunities for
  music institutions, instructors, students,
  composers and performers through the elimination
  of geographic barriers. MusicPath website
• Accomplished by combining exisiting
  video-conferencing technology with the MIDI
  musical protocol and music-over-IP research of
  Dr.Both.

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Founders and Committee

• Dr. Jim Diamond Dr. Christopher Both
• Project Manager Karen Wilder
• AITT - Acadia Institute of Teaching and
  Technology
• RCM - Canadas Royal Conservatory of Music
• CANARIE Inc. - Canada's advanced Internet
  research and development organization
• Yamaha - has donated 2 Digital Acoustic Pianos
• Of the above, Acadia University is the largest
  stakeholder (exact s are still in debate).

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MusicPath The Product

• Allows 12 yr. old Lucas Porter to receive lessons
  from Marc Durand in Toronto, one of the finest
  piano instructors in Canada.
• Lucas plays the sophisticated Yamaha
  Disklavier at Acadia University which also
  moves,through its network interconnection, the
  keys and pedals of the Toronto pianoonly
  milliseconds later.

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Additional Technologies

• MIDI protocol
• Industry standard for encoding music digitally
  with a great deal of precision in tone and
  timing.
• A port can transmit or receive standard musical
  messages, such as note-on, note-off, volume,
  pitch-bend and modulation signals.
• Messages are compact enough to limit data rate to
  3,000 bps which makes networking significantly
  easier
• Efforts between Dr.Diamond, Dr.Both, the AITT and
  the RCM were also co-ordinated using Groupware
  Collaborative Software.
• This application software integrates work on the
  project by each of the concurrent users at their
  separate workstations. (provided courtesy of
  CANAIRE as part of their grant)

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MusicPath The Process

• Dr. Diamonds responsibilities involved
• Developing a basic Java GUI (with help of
  graduate and project students)
• Resolving Networking issues
• Ensuring the Real-Time processing of sound and
  video images
• Synchronization
• Integrating the system with Dr.Both David
  Sheehans existing MIDI interfaces

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Implementation

• Java GUI with basic playback, stop, loop,
  fast-forward, rewind, and record features.
• All of the networking is done in C for its manual
  garbage collection and process control.
• Perfect transmissions may not be possible, but
  the human ear can be fooled.
• Without going into too much detail, each of the
  Digital Acoustic Pianos have MIDI-enabled
  transponders.

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Barriers to Success

• This innovation may have caught the interest of
  someone else, who will develop and market an
  imitation product, saturating the market.
• Stakeholders may not agree on how to bring
  product to market or divide profits
• Its one thing to impress someone with a piece of
  software, but another to convince them to
  purchase a software suite for 100

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Future of MusicPath

• Both Corporate Offers and solo Marketing Plans
  continue to be considered as the system is
  refined.
• These are the kinds of things that are often
  talked about for many years but no one takes a
  decisive step...when Acadia approached us with
  this possibility, I was very excited by it. And
  it's worked out brilliantly for both sides.Dr.
  Peter Simon, President of the RCM
• The MusicPath project is clearly a step in the
  right direction for Video Teleconferencing

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References

• MusicPath Projecthttp//musicpath.acadiau.ca/
• Video Teleconferencing
• http//www.telesystech.com/videotel.html
• MIDI Protocolhttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI
• History of Self-Playing Piano Systems
• http//www.thepianoworld.com/technical_tips/histo
  ry_of_the_electronic.htm