How One University Upgraded their Video Conferencing System

Interactive Digital Solutions (IDS) provides video conferencing, AV integration, and managed services to organizations looking to improve communication and technology strategies. We design, deploy, integrate, and manage your projects throughout the whole process for a completely unique solution that works for you.   

How can you be sure IDS is right for your company? One of the best ways is hearing testimonial from another organization currently partnered with us. Don’t take our word for it. You can see the evidence yourself. We use case studies to demonstrate exactly how we handle projects to help you visualize what you can do with your own organization.  

In this full case study, you will learn how IDS helped one organization upgrade their video conferencing system.

The Problem

The University of Houston at Sugar Land (UHSL) was using Instructional Television, or ITV, as the primary video model to deliver classes remotely. They also used legacy video conferencing equipment and were experienced many challenges with it. Not only was it very expensive, but it was also difficult to operate and required a staff member trained specifically in telecommunications to initiate and receive calls and support the technology.

With advancements in the campus-wide networks and video conferencing technology, John McKee, the Technical Services Manager, and his team were challenged to plan, organize, and implement a new video resource project for UHSL.

During an 18-month feasibility study that included comprehensive surveys and a focus group comprised of UHSL faculty and staff, John and his team uncovered the primary needs for their video delivery system. They needed to find a solution that would provide a high-quality audio-video infrastructure that was cost-effective and could integrate with the latest technology. It needed to be easy for both students and faculty to use, but flexible enough to provide multiple connection methods to standardized across the campus and connecting sites.

The Solution

Armed with their requirements, John’s team sought out a solution that would meet their needs. They met with several strategic partners and ultimately decided that IDVideo Phone, a cloud-based video conferencing service built on the Vidyo infrastructure, would best meet their needs.

UHSL chose the IDVideoPhone service, specifically the IDVP-Plus account, which can provide HD audio-video as well as easy to use content sharing. The previous hard codec model utilized a proprietary system and the challenges of supporting that model were extremely costly and had constant connectivity and quality problems. The H.264 SVC in the Vidyo product was far superior to the H.264 AVC in their old unit.

“I don’t worry anymore about connectivity issues,” John explains. “I don’t care what kind of equipment they have; Whether it’s legacy equipment, desktop or laptop computer, an iPad, or even just a cellphone, I can connect people together. That’s the beauty of what IDS service offers us.”

The Results

Want to know the full results of this partnership? Read the full case study here, and find out how University of Houston at Sugar Land and Interactive Digital Solutions worked together to solve their problem.

If you’re ready to learn more about partnering with IDS, visit our Contact Us page now.