The Codian MCU 4200 is a high performance Multipoint Control Unit, designed to take advantage of the higher bandwidth and higher quality video available on IP networks. It comes with Dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, allowing an unprecedented maximum of 100 users in the same conference, each using high quality video at more than 2 Mbits/s.

The product is packed with power – utilizing the latest video technology to process an unprecedented number of simultaneous high bandwidth video streams.

WANT TO TRY IT........

Dial 64.71.128.186 from your H.323 EndPoint and http://64.71.128.186 for the web interface!

Once you are connected, you can use Far End Camera Control on your video conferencing remote, to join an existing conference or to create a new one. Use Up and Down to move up and down menus, Right to select a menu option and Left to go back. One of the pre-configured conferences is up and running with pre-recorded participants.

Capacity

There are three versions of the product which vary only in the number of simultaneous participants.

Capacity independent of bandwidth

Each H.323 video participant can be connected at CIF resolution at 30 frames per second using H.263 at bandwidths up to 4Mbit/s and H.264 at up to 2Mb/s viewing any of the 64 continuous presence layouts. The Codian MCU allows each participant to have a different view into the conference which means each participant can select a different layout or different person to view. Each participant can connect using any voice or video codec and at any rate, and the MCU will transcode to give the best possible picture.

The Codian MCU 4200 can support any number of conferences and is only limited by the the number of video participants.

Streaming a conference, either using multicast or unicast, is equivalent to a single H.323 video participant. Using multicast, unlimited numbers of people can view a conference. Unicast streaming is limited to the total number of participants shown above.

A participant connecting using 4CIF or H.264 gets all the same features. Conferences can combine 4CIF and H.264 with participants connecting using lower resolutions and other codecs.

The Codian MCU 4200 supports additional audio-only participants without reducing the number of video participants.

Software Options

Provisioning summary

Using high bandwidth, 4CIF / 4SIF, H.264 or Advanced (symmetric) Continuous Presence does not reduce the number of sites supported. There can be any number of conferences up to the limit on the number of participants.

Joining Conferences

Every conference has its own unique conference number, selected by the person setting up the conference. A conference pin can also be set to protect the access to the conference.

The Codian MCU can be called using IP addresses, or, if the Codian MCU is registered with a Gatekeeper or IP PBX, by using phone numbers. Note that apart from direct dialing into conferences Gatekeepers are optional.

On-screen menus: this is the simplest way to join a conference. Once you dial into the Codian MCU you can use the arrow keys on the remote to find and join the conference. The user interface is just like Tivo, and can be customized to show any bitmap in the background.

Audio DTMF: audio tones can be used by audio-only participants or video participants to select and join a conference. Once connected to the Codian MCU enter the conference number followed by #. If there is a conference pin then enter this followed by #.

Direct Dial: to call directly into a conference without going through the menu system, the Codian MCU needs to be registered with a Gatekeeper, IP PBX or Gateway which has allocated a range of phone numbers for the conferences. Each phone number in the range will then call into a different conference.

Audio direct dial example:

In this example we have allocated DID numbers in the gateway to be routed to the MCU.

The range for the MCU is 408 123 6000 to 408 123 6999. As there is no Gatekeeper this is configured in the Gateway.

We now create a conference with the conference number 6789. To access this conference from the Telephone Network dial 408 123 6789. The MCU will prompt for a conference pin if it has been set-up.

As well as calling directly into a conference the main conference number, 408 287 6000, can be called. The MCU will prompt for the conference id; enter "6789" followed by #. The MCU will prompt for a conference pin followed by # if it has been set-up, eg enter "1234#".

Setting Up Conferences

Conferences on the Codian MCU can be scheduled easily using the simple web interface. Since the Codian MCU will automatically cope with all codecs and bandwidths there is no need to specify this at the time of scheduling the conference. There are some sample screen shots from the configuration pages here. Conferences can also be created by dialing directly into the Codian MCU and creating a new conference through the Auto Attendant.

Web Invitation: at any point during a conference it's possible to go to the web to select one or a group of users and invite them into the conference. The MCU will then place calls to each of them. Using the web interface is straightforward, see the sample screen shots.

Pre-Arranged: scheduled conferences can have some number of H.323 video endpoints defined in advance; for example, the main conference rooms which are involved in the meeting. At the time of the meeting the Codian MCU will call out to the meeting rooms, if the call is not answered it will retry several times.

Layout Families

Once a user has joined a conference there is nothing else they need to do. They will be given a default layout with 1 large pane and some smaller panes. The large pane will show the currently active speaker and the small panes will show the other speakers. As more people join the conference this screen will automatically change to allow for the new participants. We call this a layout family. For most conferences this will be all that's needed.

However, if desirable, it is possible to use your remote control or the web page to select a different layout family. With the remote control set to Far End the Up and Down arrow will rotate through the different layout families. There are five default families and 2 custom families, a custom family per user and one per conference. Here are some example layouts.

Enhanced. Users will receive this layout by default. The large screen is by default the loudest speaker, although this can be changed using the remote control or web interface.		- 1 to 5 users
		- 6 or 7 users
		- 8 or more
Traditional. This is the traditional continuous presence layout that allows you to see everyone at once. Great for roll calls, not so good for seeing detail.		- 1 to 4 users
		- 5 to 9 users
		- 10 or more
Full Screen. Great for watching a main presenter. Also good for participants with lower resolution capabilities.		- any number of users
Dual Layout. This is the best layout for watching a discussion between 2 parties, such as at question time or for presentations.		- any number of users
Four Person. This layout only becomes available when more than 4 people have joined. It differs from the traditional layout family in that it will stay as a 2x2 regardless of how many people join the conference.		- 4 or more users

Who do you want to watch ?

As well as selecting the layout the remote control can also be used to select who you are watching. By default the display will be voice-activated with the large panes changing as people speak. By using the Left and Right arrows, each participant can be selected in turn overriding the the voice-activated selection.

If your end point does not have support for Far End Camera Control (like Net Meeting) don't worry; this can all be set up just as easily from the web. If you plan to use a custom layout you will need to go to the web to select it.

Changing what you see will not disrupt other people as they have their own view of the conference.

What about users who don't want to learn this ?

As well as using the remote its possible to do this from the web interface. The conference administrator can go into a conference set up a conference wide custom layout and switch everyone to it. Users who want to, can select a new layout, the rest can sit back and enjoy the benefit of the custom layout.

What about noisy users ?

Sometimes users make noise and the focus momentarily leaves the presenter. This can be avoided by assigning the "floor" to the presenter. This will force the presenter to be considered the active speaker even if someone else is talking.

Web page control of layout

Using the web interface it is possible to do everything that can be done with remote control and much more, including setting up custom layouts, selecting layout families and selecting the speaker. Screen shot examples are here.

Controlling Remote Cameras One of the features that is often lost when using an MCU is the ability to control the camera at some of the remote locations. With the Codian MCU this can be done by using either the web or the remote control. Press the Zoom In key, and the display will show an icon in the top left corner of the screen indicating that Up, Down, Left, Right and Zoom camera commands are being sent to the remote end. It is also possible to control a remote camera using the web page; this is useful for users of endpoints such as Net Meeting which do not allow Far End Camera Control (FECC).

ICON Showing FECC Pass Through

Conference PIN.

Every conference can be protected by a conference pin. Only users who know the pin can join, view, or even see who is participating in the conference.

Firewall Traversal

The MCU 4200 has two Ethernet ports. This allows you to put one inside the firewall and one outside. The external connection can only be used for conferences that are marked as public; it cannot be used for administrative access. This is an easy way to allow conferencing with customers and vendors without making risky changes to your firewall.

Hardware Encryption

The Codian MCU 4200 has a built-in encryption to allow triple DES and AES encryption in hardware. This will be enabled in a software upgrade after product release.

If you have invested in an endpoint which can do higher quality Wide Band audio the last thing you want to do is loose all that great quality when you hit a conference bridge. The Codian MCU 4200 mixes all audio at wide band quality and will transcode to allow different audio compression standards within a conference. This means that video endpoints or IP Phones can enjoy high quality audio while participants using traditional phones will receive standard quality audio.

Figure showing how all audio streams are brought up to the highest common quality before being mixed.

Video Association

With the availability of inexpensive USB based cameras for computers, more people are able to do video on their PC. With powerful computers Net Meeting can join video conferences at CIF resolution with up to 400kb/s.

Use of the PC can create audio problems. Either there is a problem of privacy when no handset is available. or there is a quality problem caused by limitations of PC sound cards. This makes the PC, which is great for video, not ideal for audio.

The Codian MCU 4200 solves this problem; the Codian MCU can associate your PC (using either DNS name, IP address, or E.164 address) with your normal desk telephone number. When you call into the MCU using your phone the MCU will automatically call out to your PC with a video only call. This way you can talk using your phone and watch on the PC screen.

This is easy to set up on an IP based phone system and requires a Voice Over IP gateway for a traditional PBX.

Still Upload

Users who don't have any video endpoint, but still want their presence to be felt in the meeting, can upload a still image of themselves. Whenever they are talking this image will be brought to the foreground and treated like any other video stream. The upload can be done easily from the users page.

For those company meetings when a lot of people want to watch, the Codian MCU 4200 will stream it out to Microsoft Media Player, QuickTime™ or Real Player – at a variety of speeds so that many more users can see and hear the action. Users are provided with a simple link to click on to view the conference, using either multicast or unicast. For security it is possible to have a secret PIN associated with the link.

Presenter Mode

Presenter mode allows a PC to join into the meeting so that slides can be shown. The slides can be selected for viewing using the remote control. This may be in full screen mode or they with the slides appear in a pane alongside the other participants in any one of the other layouts. The remote control can also be used to zoom in on a part of the screen.