ePresence 4.0 Web-Conferencing Guide

This guide assumes that you have properly installed ePresence with Red 5, as described here.

ePresence Web-Conferencing Overview

ePresence Web-Conferencing allows you to host or participate in live interactive video conferences and online meetings. ePresence Web-Conferencing supports full-duplex video and/or audio with desktop sharing and text chat.

ePresence Web-Conferencing 4.0 User's Guide

1. Registering for a Conference

The process of registering for a conference is the same as registering for a webcast.

1. Navigate to the ePresence Server you were invited to in your web browser. For example,  http://demo.epresence.tv/s4/

2. Click the Register link.

3. Fill-in the registration form, and submit it.

2. Joining a Conference

1. Participating in an ePresence conference requires a high-speed connection. Slow connections such as dial-up are not sufficient. Typical High Speed connections such as DSL or Cable are adequate provided that the connection is functioning properly, and providing at least 1 mb/s between your PC and the conference server.

In order to optimize your connection speed shutdown any applications that consume bandwidth, such as bit torrent clients, streaming video applications, etc. If your Internet connection is shared make sure other users are not consuming bandwidth.

2. Make sure your headphones and microphone are plugged into your PC and functioning properly. Test your audio setup by playing an audio file, and making an recording with a standard sound recording application. If you are using a webcam ensure it is functioning correctly. Perform these tests in advance to avoid delaying your conference with equipment tests when it is in session.

Do not use PC speakers. PC speakers create audio feedback that affects everybody in the conference. The only workaround for this problem is a properly configured conferencing room equipped with effective echo-canceling technology.

3. Open your web browser and navigate to ePresence Server that is hosting your conference. Click the Live Events tab. Your conference should be listed on this page. If you are early, your conference may be unavailable. If this is the case refresh the Live Events page periodically until the conference becomes available.

When your administrator enables the conference you'll see this icon: Click the icon. If you have not logged on to the server before allow Flash to use your camera and/or microphone by clicking the Allow button:

We recommend setting-up your Flash player to remember privacy settings for your camera and/or microphone. To save privacy settings: right click anywhere on the login screen, select Settings and check the Allow and Remember check boxes.

If you are using a webcam a preview of your webcam feed should appear on the login screen before you join. If your camera feed is not displayed please check the connections and settings of your webcam.

4. Enter your username and password. The conference can be protected with an additional password. If this is the case the conference administrator should have sent you an email with the password information. Enter the conference password. Click the Login button.

3. Using ePresence Screen Sharing

ePresence Screen Sharing allows you to display your desktop for all your conference participants.

1. Download ePresence Screen Sharing from  http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=159579

2. Run the installation utility and follow the instructions.

3. Launch ePresence Screen Sharing

4. Click the Setup tab.

5. Enter your ePresence Server URL ( http://yourServerUrl/YourePresenceFolder/), username, password and select the community. Click the Save button.

6. In the Desktop Sharing menu, select your event from the Event List combo box.

7. Specify your Capture Quality setting. Minimum quality is recommended to ensure smooth playback

8. Click the Start button. Your desktop can now be viewed by your conference participants.

ePresence Web-Conferencing 4.0 Administrator's Guide

1. Creating a new Conference

1. Open your web browser. Navigate to your ePresence Server Control Panel (e.g.  http://your_ePresence_server/cc)

2. Enter the Administrator's Password.

3. Click the New Event button.

4. Enter the topic of your conference, and the name of your presenter(s) in the Topic and Presenter fields.

5. Select either the Conference_video template for conferences with audio and webcam video, or the Conference_audio template for conferences with only VoIP functionality. The reliability of VoIP functionality depends on your available bandwidth and connection speed. If you do not have optimal conditions for all involved parties then the most reliable option is to use tele-conferencing for voice communication and ePresence Conference Presenter for presenting slides and other media from your desktop. If you chose to use a teleconferencing system for audio please refer to step 2 for further instructions.

6. Define the Start and Stop time of your conference.

7. Specify the password that your participants will use for logging into the conference.

8. Click the Update Event Properties button.

9. Click the Return to Control Centre button.

10.In the Edit Live events box select your Conference and click the Edit button. The ePresence Event Properties dialog box opens

11.In the Availability on the Web combo box, select AVAILABLE. Click the Update Properties button. Your conference particapnts can now login to your web-conference.

12.Send an email to all your conference participants with the URL of your ePresence server. Please ensure your conference participants have a webcam if you want to view a video feed from their location, and headphones and a microphone if you choose to communicate via VoIP. Conference participants must register on your ePresence server before they can login to your conference. After registration they can click the Live Events tab, select your conference from the event list, and login with the username and password they chose during registration.

2. Using Tele-conferencing Services with ePresence

If you are using a traditional telephone-based conferencing solution for audio, and only using ePresence for webcam and/or desktop sharing, then one of your participants must click the Mute-All button in the bottom-left corner of the screen before the conference begins.

Please note: if you choose this option your conferencing archive will not have any audio.

3. Publishing your Conference (BETA)

If you want to make your conference or online meeting available as an on-demand webcast after it is complete perform the following steps:

1. Login into your ePresence Server Control Panel

2. In the Edit Live Events box , select your conference from the combo box, and click the Edit button

3. Check the Publish this Conference Archive checkbox

4. Click the End Conference button

5. Click the Update Event Properties button. An archive of your conference will appear on your ePresence Server.