I See How to Work Together

I like being first. So three years ago I had Nynex install New York's first residential digital phone line in my office, and I set up a videophone on my computer. It cost me less than $1,500.

Computer pundits scoffed: the picture's too small; the image is too grainy; people look apoplectic on screen. They were right. But whenever friends visited, the first thing they wanted to do was make a video call.

Unfortunately, there weren't many people to call. Getting the special phone line and installing the software was a challenge, even for a techno-freak like me. Moreover, a lack of compatibility between different models meant that Intel ProShare owners couldn't call PictureTel owners. So my circle of connected business contacts was limited to about a dozen people. But that's changing.

Many phone companies advertise digital phone service on TV, so it's much easier to order. And videoconferencing packages are simpler to install. Most important, a standard for digital video communications called H.320 is almost universally embraced. That means Intel and PictureTel users can finally talk to each other.

If you thought e-mail and the Internet changed the face of business, wait until you try videoconferencing. Videoconferencing creates opportunities for collaboration that simply weren't possible before.

"We have crucial relationships," explains Jim Williams, CEO of Paramount Industries Inc., an engineering design firm in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. "To make real progress, we need clients here weekly -- but that isn't possible. With our ProShare, we can exchange AutoCAD drawings and use a whiteboard to brainstorm. We couldn't work together without it."

Not long ago, I saw another sure sign that videoconferencing is the next big development in online communications: "adult" videoconferencing Web sites. So what? So remember that adult videos sparked the popularity of VCRs. Now do you want to get connected? Read this edition of Power Tools to get the picture.

It's getting a lot easier to put your face on someone else's computer screen. Using a digital phone line called ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) , you can get face time with off-site coworkers and clients simply by dialing them up -- just like using a modem and online software. Each of the power tools in this issue will enable you to hold a conference call, exchange documents, and collaborate on work online.

I've singled out the systems that are the easiest to install, deliver the best picture, and use ISDN phone lines. Digital lines give you a bigger electronic pipe through which to shove information. Consequently, they make it easier to deliver good image quality, offer near real-time motion, and make it easier to work with others on the same document.

Connection Needed: Quality video time with branch offices and clients.

Power Tools: PictureTel Live50, Live100, Live200p

Over the past year or so, Picturetel systems have come to represent the best in PC-based videoconferencing. The images they transmit are cleaner than just about any other desktop system. But it still doesn't look like TV on your PC.

To create the illusion of motion on your TV, images are broadcast at 30 frames per second. The best that most ISDN videoconferencing systems can muster is 15 frames per second. The images are reminiscent of MTV videos, full of skips and hops. It's fine for business calls, but don't expect to look like Peter Jennings on your PC.

To get top-of-the-line picture quality, check out PictureTel's Live100 -- and be prepared to spend $4,995 for the full setup. To handle the video, graphics, and audio, you get three internal expansion cards to install in your PC; LiveShare Plus software; a speakerphone with good voice quality; and a top-flight video camera called the FlipCam. Mount the FlipCam on a two-legged stand, focus it on a document, and the image is sharp enough that the person on the other end of the line can read it. The LiveShare Plus software lets you and another person work together on any application onscreen. Call up a spreadsheet or drawing and make adjustments together, use an electronic whiteboard to describe the upcoming reorg, or transfer a file while you're talking.

Two caveats: The speakerphone and the FlipCam stand take up a fair amount of desktop space. And with some older computers, the system can be a struggle to install. To sort everything out, you might need to spend a day or two on the phone with tech support.

For comparable features at half the price, there's PictureTel Live50 ($2,495) . The Live50 lacks the additional video input that comes on the Live100 and doesn't come with the speakerphone. Instead you get an earpiece with a microphone that hooks over your ear. It's unobtrusive and surprisingly comfortable to wear. You'll also give up the FlipCam. The camera on the Live50 is a fixed-focus model that affords slightly less picture detail than the FlipCam.