Desktop Videoconferencing

DESKTOP VIDEOCONFERENCING - MARRATECH

Introduction

Marratech offers a free videoconferencing client. This is a full featured client that is easy to set-up and get started. It can be downloaded at: http://www.marratech.com/download/. The client is able to conduct person-to-person videoconferencing between Marratech clients and multi-person videoconferencing with Marratech's E-meeting portal. Rutger's Division of Continuous Education and Outreach (DCEO) is currently testing Marratech's E-meeting portal for possible wider availability at the university.

Supported Clients and Hardware

Client OS	Client Machine Specs	Video/Audio Equipment
Windows Me/2000/XP	PIII/256MB RAM Vendor Info	Headset w/ Microphone Vendor Info
Mac OS 10.3	G4/256MB RAM Vendor Info	Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000 Vendor Info
Red Hat 9.0+ and Suse 9.0+	PIII/256MB RAM Vendor Info	Apple iSight Vendor Info

Basic Client Layout

The basic default client layout is shown in figure 1. It has a video viewing area, a chat tool, and a white board. There are three large buttons at the bottom right of the window that control your outgoing video, incoming audio and outgoing audio/Mic. These buttons must be turned on to transmit video and transmit/receive audio.

The Marratch Client

Application Sharing

The Marratech client can share many different files including

MS Word
MS Powerpoint
Images
Text
Web Sites.

Compatibility with Non-Marratech Clients/Hardware

The Marratech client does not support the H.323 standard, the protocol by which many meeting and conference room size video conference units like Polycomm and Tanberg adhere to. While our testing has been limited, we have not successfully had a Marratech videoconference with any Non-Marratech client or portal.

How To....

Conduct a Person-to-Person Marratech :
   1) Make sure other person is using Marratech and has the client running.
   2) File -> Direct Call. Enter remote person's IP address. Set Encryption Algorithm. Click OK.
   3) Have the remote person do the same with your IP address.
   4) Ensure your audio/video On/Off buttons are pressed in the Marratech window.
   5) If you have audio On/Off switches on your PC (e.g., keyboard), make sure those a turned on as well.
   6) You should be able to have a two way video conference.

Conduct a Multi-person Marratech Videoconference:
   1) Obtain the E-meeting portal address and login information.
   2) File -> Join. Enter portal address in viewer URL.
   3) Click on the meeting you wish to join. Enter login information if required.
   4) Ensure your audio/video transmit/receive buttons are pressed in the Marratech window.
   5) If you have audio On/Off switches on your PC (e.g., keyboard), make sure those a turned on as well.
   6) You should be able to have a two way video conference.

Share a Powerpoint/Word Document/Image/Text:
   1) Establish a video conference as described above.
   2) File -> Open -> .
   3) Once Document is pulled up in the whiteboard area, it can be drawn upon with the paint tools or controlled (i.e., slides) by using the left/right arrows next to the page title box.

Share a Web Site:
   1) Establish videoconference as described above.
   2) Tools -> Viewer
   3) Enter desired URL
   4) In viewer window, select Slides -> Enable Transmit (must be checked).
   5) Click the Slides Send checkbox to the right of the URL box in the viewer.
   6) You should be able to transmit the web material to the others in your videoconference. (Note: We have found this feature to be quite slow).

Lessons Learned

Echo Cancellation
Marratech has an issue with audio echo - when one hears there voice "echo" with a slight delay through the remote user's speakers. Some clients offer "echo suppression" which cancels this feedback. Marratech users should have audio/mic headsets (recommended) or use directional microphones that reduce this feedback.

Optimum Settings
Marratech performance can be improved with the following recommended changes to the default settings:
1) Go to Tools-> Options
2) <Provided by DCEO>

Feedback/Support

For primary support with the Marratech client, please contact DCEO Videoconferencing Support line: 732-445-1907 EXT 0. For feedback on the client and/or this web documentation, please contact oirt@rutgers.edu.