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Definition The
H.323 standard provides a foundation for audio, video, and data communications
across IP-based networks, including the Internet. By complying with H.323, multimedia
products and applications from multiple vendors can interoperate, allowing users
to communicate without concern for compatibility. H.323 will be the keystone for
LAN-based products for consumer, business, entertainment, and professional applications.
H.323 is an umbrella recommendation from the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) that sets standards for multimedia communications over Local Area
Networks (LANs) that do not provide a guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS). These
networks dominate today's corporate desktops and include packet-switched TCP/IP
and IPX over Ethernet, Fast Ethernet and Token Ring network technologies. Therefore,
the H.323 standards are important building blocks for a broad new range of collaborative,
LAN-based applications for multimedia communications.
The H.323 specification was approved in 1996 by the ITU's Study Group 16. Version
2 was approved in January 1998. The standard is broad in scope and includes both
stand-alone devices and embedded personal computer technology as well as point-to-point
and multipoint conferences. H.323 also addresses call control, multimedia management,
and bandwidth management as well as interfaces between LANs and other networks.
H.323 is part of a larger series of communications standards that enable videoconferencing
across a range of networks. Known as H.32X, this series includes H.320 and H.324,
which address ISDN and PSTN communications, respectively.
IMPORTANCE
OF H.323 The H.323 Recommendation is comprehensive,
yet flexible, and can be applied to voice-only handsets and full multimedia video-conferencing
stations, among others. H.323 applications are set to grow into the mainstream
market for several reasons.
" H.323
sets multimedia standards for the existing infrastructure (i.e. IP-based networks).
Designed to compensate for the effect of highly variable LAN latency, H.323 allows
customers to use multimedia applications without changing their network infrastructure.
" IP LANs are becoming more powerful. Ethernet bandwidth is migrating
from 10 Mbps to 100 Mbps, and Gigabit Ethernet is making headway into the market.
" By providing device-to-device, application-to-application, and vendor-to-vendor
interoperability, H.323 allows customer products to interoperate with other H.323-compliant
products.
" PCs are becoming more powerful multimedia platforms due
to faster processors, enhanced instruction sets, and powerful multimedia accelerator
chips.
" H.323 provides standards for interoperability between LANs
and other networks.
" Network loading can be managed. With H.323, the
network manager can restrict the amount of network bandwidth available for conferencing.
Multicast support also reduces bandwidth requirements.
" H.323 has the
support of many computing and communications companies and organizations, including
Intel, Microsoft, Cisco, and IBM. The efforts of these companies will generate
a higher level of awareness in the market. HDMI <<back |