Introduction
Below are details of the KAREN High Definition H.323 MCU Bridge. This bridge is a resource for KAREN Video Conferencing Service members across New Zealand to connect to each other for small and large scale video conferences.
You also may be interested in the KAREN Video Bridge Terms of Use
What is the KAREN Video Bridge?
A bridge is best thought of as a central meeting area, which allows users t o make smaller 'rooms' where they may hold meetings. These rooms can be made public, so that anyone on th e bridge may join, or private, so that users wishing to join must enter a PIN to enter. A bridge can accommodate multiple simultaneous meetings of various sizes. Sometimes the bridge may have one room with many participants connected inside it, and other times there may be many rooms with only 2 or 3 participants in each.
At present the hardware behind what we call the 'KAREN Video Bridge' is a Radvision Scopia Elite 5230 Multipoint Control Unit, or MCU. This device is responsible for routing all the video and audio streams to the correct locations, and facilitating the rooms people create on the KAREN Video Bridge.
Using this hardware, the KAREN Video Bridge is currently capable of supporting up to 60 simultaneous High Definition connections. It is important to remember that this is 60 in total, not 60 per room or meeting. So if you arrive on the bridge and another room with 10 participants is already in session, 50 spots remain for additional locations to join.
How does my Institution apply for access?
The KAREN Video Bridge is part of the KAREN Video Conferencing Service. For information on this service and how to join, visit the KAREN VC Service Page.