An object based architecture for a digital compression camera

One of today's most exciting multimedia applications is the integration of video conferencing technology into the desktop computing environment. This technology has its roots in the telecommunications industry and its use in the desktop systems has created some interesting technical challenges. This paper explores limitations with traditional approaches to video conferencing and then introduces an object based approach which leverages built-in platform functionality. If utilizes a mostly software strategy along with the creation of a digital compression camera. The camera integrates video compression hardware with the optics and attaches to existing systems over a pervasive interface. The result is interoperable, standards based video conferencing at dramatically lower price points.