Video Conferencing Now and the Future
In an era where virtual work has increased in popularity, video conferencing software has created a new reality for businesses and institutions such as schools. As we discuss video conferencing software, we will explore its current capabilities and the future of video conferencing. Through IP analysis, we will uncover how this technology is revolutionizing this new era.
The first appearance of video conferencing was in the 1870s when the idea of transmitting an image alongside audio over a wire was born. Fast forward to the 1960s, when AT&T became the first company to launch commercial video calls and invented the ‘PicturePhone’ machine for video conferencing. This blog investigates today’s video conferencing software and its remarkable impact on the world of technology.
Video conferencing emulates a face-to-face meeting with someone by providing a visual connection between two or more remote parties over the Internet. Video conferencing software transmits full-motion video images and high-quality audio between multiple locations. This blog explores the mechanisms behind video conferencing software, the current problems and solutions in video conferencing tools, and the future of video conferencing.
Augmented and Virtual Reality (ARVR) in Video Conferencing Tools
Although video conferencing tools have allowed for face-to-face interaction, one of the challenges is building relationships that aren’t in person. A successful work environment encourages human connection, but building meaningful relationships virtually is difficult. In recent months, video conferencing tools, such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, have addressed this challenge with the implementation of ARVR.
Microsoft Mesh
Microsoft Teams has launched Microsoft Mesh, a solution that allows users to connect in a 3D immersive space. An immersive space is a virtual or physical environment that surrounds a user. Immersive spaces have attributes such as spatial interaction, co-presence, and immersion that help create the feeling of being physically present in a 3D space. (Ref)
Example environment in Microsoft’s immersive space
Example Meeting room in Microsoft’s immersive space
Creating and customizing an avatar for the immersive space
MootUp meetings in VR for Zoom
Zoom has collaborated with MootUp to add an immersive 3D experience to Zoom meetings. MootUp provides a 3D virtual and hybrid event platform technology for hosting immersive virtual and hybrid events without needing a virtual reality headset. In MootUp meetings in VR for Zoom, each Zoom user will get their own private 3D office and can create a 3D avatar that can interact with other avatars. (Ref)
Example virtual office
The user in the virtual office is having a meeting.
AI-Based Speech Enhancement for Audio Quality
Video conferencing software has come a long way since AT&T’s Picture Phone in the 1960s. However, there are still challenges with audio quality. Microsoft Teams uses AI to improve audio quality, and in recent years, they have introduced AI-based speech enhancement features to improve audio quality during meetings. Ref. These features include:
1.Echo Cancellation
Microsoft has extended its machine learning model to stop unwanted echo that occurs when the microphone picks up sound from a speaker and then plays back through the speaker. AI determines when sound from the loudspeaker gets into the microphone and removes it from the outbound audio. Ref.
2. Interrupt Ability
The model enables “full duplex” sound, which allows a user to speak and listen simultaneously so a user’s voice will not be interrupted by the echo of another user’s voice. AI is used to identify when a user is about to speak and temporarily pauses the audio from the other user. Ref.
3. Reverb Reduction
The model reduces reverberation, which allows users to sound like they are speaking into a headset microphone even if they are in a room where speech and other noise can bounce off walls and other surfaces, causing the audio to be poor. AI is used to identify and remove reverb from the audio signal. Ref.
Future of Video Conferencing Tools
With the popularity of remote/hybrid work, the future of Video Conferencing Tools is promising. Some of the trends in video conferencing include:
Use of AI for in-meeting summaries
Advancements in Augmented and Virtual Reality for video conferencing tools
Continuing to enhance Video and Audio Quality
Gamification – more game design elements to make meetings more engaging, such as point scoring, leaderboards, etc.
According to Precedence Research, there has been tremendous growth in the video conferencing market. The market size was estimated at $7.84 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach an estimated $22.26 billion in 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.30% from 2023 to 2032. (Ref) The popularity of remote/hybrid work has grown the video conferencing market, and video conferencing software has revolutionized how businesses and institutions run.
Patent Landscape
Top Optimized Assignees
From the US patent grants that are alive in video conferencing, the top 9 players in this domain are Cisco Systems, Microsoft, HP, Google, Verizon, Apple, Avaya, Zoom, and T-Mobile. Cisco is the top player with 95 patents.
Patent Publishing Trends
Between 2006 and 2011, 9 to 29 published patents were consistently counted. Then, between 2012 and 2017, the amount doubled; from 2018 to 2023, the count ranged from 58 to 157, with a peak in 2023. These trends reflect the popularity of video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc., since the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty patents have been published since the start of 2023, and we can expect to see greater growth in patent publishing trends as new advancements in video conferencing software are being explored.
Conclusion
Video conferencing software has changed how many businesses and institutions operate by saving money, streamlining collaboration, and providing employees with more flexibility. While video conferencing has many advantages, some limitations include building meaningful relationships virtually and audio issues during calls. Video conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom have addressed these limitations by implementing ARVR and AI-based enhancements for audio issues. As the virtual/hybrid work trend continues, we can expect to see more advanced features in video conferencing tools.
Disclaimer: This report is based on information that is publicly available and is considered to be reliable. However, Lumenci cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or reliability of this data.
Disclaimer: This report is based on information that is publicly available and is considered to be reliable. However, Lumenci cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or reliability of this data.
Author
Mandeep Syal
Associate Consultant at Lumenci
Mandeep works as an Associate Consultant at Lumenci. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Math-Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego. She has researched technologies such as Location Tracking, GPS Systems, Home Alarm Systems, Malware Management, Targeted Advertising, and Virtual Reality Systems.