[May 09, 2008 16:59] The Instructional Toolkit is now available.
Standards for exchange of video and audio over ISDN have existed for some time. Products that claim adherence to the H.320 family of ISDN standards should be able to interoperate. Similarly, the T.120 standard for exchange of data conferencing information (such as a whiteboard) has also been developed. The H.323 standard for video conferencing on a network has recently become available, and network-based video products make use of it. However, interoperability of special capabilities between two different desktop video products should not be assumed -- proprietary features do exist.
Interoperability provided by adherence to a standard gives a base level of performance. However, two different desktop collaboration products may have many features not covered by the standard set of capabilities that are not able to be employed to full advantage when interoperating. The best way for members of a team to ensure that they are able to use desktop collaboration effectively is for everyone on the team to use the same product. As standards and interfaces mature, this situation may change -- testing is always a good idea.