A set of technologies that mimic presence by virtual telecommunication technology – Telepresence allows a user to feel as distant people are present near him.
Telepresence allows to create a “Virtual Place” in which – work is being made – conferences are being held.
Basically, Telepresence is like video-conferencing on steroids, but even that would be underestimating the importance and market potential of the phenomenon.

How does it work?
Well, virtual presence usually based on 2 key factors – Sound and Video. However, just seeing a video or hearing a sound doesn’t always make you feel you are in a different place – or the people you see and hear are near you – right?
Unlike traditional video-conferencing, Telepresence is design to give an immersive experience – one that is similar to a real life meeting space.

Let’s take an example to clarify the situation – let’s say you go to a movie, when you enter the movie theater, you know and feel where you are – in a movie theater.
When the movie begins, slowly, via the suspension of disbelief you start to think you are in the movie. A big screen helps also; to achieve that immersive experience while the movie is played.
Cinematographers have many techniques to create that immersive experience – from camera angles, to surround sound and a particular brand of storytelling; it’s all there for a reason.

Thus, from this point of view – Cinema, like Telepresence is a set of technologies and practices that allow you to experience a story in an immersive way.

So how we create an immersive experience with video-conferencing?
The first key aspect (and not surprisingly as this is the IMTC blog) is standardization.
When we use a typical video conferencing system, all our senses tells us that we are talking with someone that isn’t near us – the image containing the other person shows his environment which is different from us – different background (his office), different lighting (which in case of a window in the background, can also mean different time-zone). The sound itself, too, can’t be similar – you probably use different microphones and unless in a complete copy of your own room the sound environment will be totally different.

Telepresence is here to solve just that – by creating Telepresence rooms that contains exactly the same equipment, which are essential “half” of the virtual space – when you look forward, into the screen – you feel as you are in the same room as your conference partner.

A Telepresence room usually contains 6 chairs, 3 large screens and cameras and a table.
The room acoustics, lighting, wall colors and furniture are all the same in each Telepresence room – so when you seat near the table and look at the screen, you feel as the people on the other side are actually near you in one round conference table.

In our next post in the Telepresence series, we will go into details on how Telepresence work.