Video Conferencing Solutions

Track Innovative Technologies (TrackIT) Ltd. usually creates customized solutions based on client requirements. In this case, due to a lack of a concrete set of requirements, we have decided to approach the situation from a more relaxed perspective. First, we list the technologies that we work with (relevantto the project at hand) and then move on to a possible integration of those technologies that willprovide one general solution to the requirements.
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Technologies

Multipoint Control Unit (MCU) HTML5

SIP/H.323 WebM

Javascript WebRTC/WebSockets  

Solution Overview
The heart of the solution is the Multipoint Control Unit (MCU). This is a central point or hub where all the endpoints (users) connect. Without an MCU, all the participants would have to maintain a connection with each other. This means that for each additional participant, each existing participant would need to create an additional connection, resulting in an additional bandwidth requirement for all. By using an MCU, we make the solution more scalable by needing additional bandwidth only at the MCU for each additional participant.
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SIP and H323 are the de-facto standards for audio/video communication over IP networks. Most video conferencing equipment available today support at least one (if not both) of these protocols. By adding support for SIP and H323 in this solution, we make it easy for existing video conferencing setups to connect to the MCU. Additionally, this would allow your SIP telephony users to use their Video IP Phone sets or softphones to connect to a video conference by simply dialing a number.
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WebRTC and WebSockets are technologies that allow a bidirectional link to be set up between a server and a user’s browser. Using these with HTML5 and JavaScript, it is possible to enable a user to connect to the MCU by simply using a laptop, PC with a webcam, tablet or even a smartphone; a modern browser and an internet connection. Using WebM with HTML5 and JavaScript, it becomes possible to stream the video conference live, thereby allowing “view-only/listen-only” participants.
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It should be noted that not all of the above technologies are required for a video conferencing setup,  and at the same time, it is not a complete list of all possible connectivity options. Rather, it is jus enough to allow almost 99% of users to easily connect to a video conference. This is also just a cursory view into the solution, leaving out a myriad of details such as supported formats/ codecs/ resolutions, etc., but it should provide a good starting point for the solution, with details such as VAD, managed layouts, etc. to be added upon further discussion.