Support for compressed video services within the Virginia Community College System began in mid '95 with the creation of a 5 campus, ISDN based, H.320 compressed video test network. It provided point-to-point connectivity between campuses and multpoint connectivity via a shared video bridge. Testing was completed in '95, with the first classes being offered in January of '96. ISDN Compressed Video

The introduction of ATM wide area networking to all VCCS campuses in late '96 allowed expansion of the H.320 compressed video network to a system wide production environment that included all 40 campuses. It used ATM circuit emulation to connect each campus to a port on a video bridge. This configuration provided connectivity for any number of campuses. It also provided connectivity to selected high schools that had previously been associated with various colleges. H.320 Compressed Video

The VCCS decision to expand compressed video networking required conversion to an H.321 based ATM transport environment in late '99, using ATM switched virtual circuits. This allowed direct point-to-point connectivity between campuses without the use of a video bridge. A video bridge was still required to provide multipoint connectivity. H.321 Compressed Video

The maturation of IP based H.323 compressed video networking led to the testing of all types of H.323 based environments in early '00. The first successful pilot provided 1/4 screen desktop recommendations. The second successful pilot provided video streaming support using Cisco IP/TV and the IP multicast protocol. A for credit class was offered using this technology. Full screen desktop video and Commonwealth Conference Room support was validated in a third series of tests. Full screen Commonwealth Classroom support is currently being piloted. H.323 Compressed Video

VCCS has added an scheduling application to the Compressed Video Model.  The web based scheduling application is the basis for allowing the customer to schedule, administer, and manage a conference.   Multipoint Conference Scheduling

For more information on any of these environments, please click on the appropriate URL.