Isabel Videoconference

Isabel is a real-time collaboration tool for the Internet, which supports advanced collaborative web/videoconferencing with application sharing and TV like media integration. Isabel has been designed to support corporate or project meetings, technology enhanced learning, as well as distributed congresses or conferences. Isabel sessions can be accessed from Web browsers, as well as from native Linux clients which are used to connect rooms and auditoriums.

The new version of Isabel has been designed for cloud computing and offers Videoconferencing as a Service (VaaS). Feel free to use Isabel on the cloud as offered in the Global Plaza, which is a social site for Internet events. It enables you to access third party events, as well as to perform your own events, i.e. to manage invitations, registrations and remote participation, to stream and record events, or to publish recorded events as social media to be reused by you or by third parties.

Resources

Download the Ubuntu live image of Isabel to create your Isabel VC platforms. Follow Isabelv5 Quick Guide for installation and use.

In addition to the executable Ubuntu live image of Isabel, the Isabel software is distributed as open software with GPL Affero license.

Isabel is offered as a service in the cloud in the Global Plaza. The Global Plaza source code will be distributed soon with the GPL Affero license.

Isabel uses standard TCP-UDP/IP Internet protocols and allows efficient organization of working procedures over the public broadband Internet, Intranets, corporate VPNs, satellite networks, etc, allowing

  • Timely organization of meetings when needed
  • Minimization of travel or movement of persons
  • Easy and effective group communication
  • Streaming, recording and publication of lectures or meeting
  • Increase in the overall productivity of an organization
  • Reduction of project and activity lead times

Isabel uses an innovative service concept based on a flexible floor, which offers much more than plain videoconferencing or webconferencing, including:

  • Rich service support for the realization of:
    • Project or corporate e-meetings
    • Distributed classrooms
    • Distributed congresses, conferences or workshops
    • Tailored services under specific requirements
  • Rich set of components:
    • Built in notepad
    • Built in whiteboard, with connection to hardware blackboards
    • Windows, MacOS or Linux application sharing
    • PC screen capture and sharing
  • Videoconferencing as a Service (VaaS) connecting with
    • Standard Web Browser
    • SIP Client
    • Application client running on Linux for auditorium or room interconnection
  • Live Streaming and recording of Sessions

Technical Characteristics

  • Isabel is distributed as an Ubuntu live image
    • For live CD or pen-drive generation or HD installation
  • Isabel sources are also distributed with GPL Affero license
  • Isabel runs on standard PCs to create the VC platform components needed for a session:
    • A Session-Server (also called Master) to manage a session (includes Flow Server)
    • An Interactive Terminal to connect a room or auditorium (includes Flow Server)
    • A Dedicated Flow Server (MCU) to allow large multipoint over unicast (tested up to 50 connections)
    • A Web Gateway to allow Web browser participation: needs a Flash Server, i.e. Red5, Adobe Server).
    • A SIP Gateway to allow SIP client participation: needs a SIP proxy.
    • Combinations or roles are possible, i.e. Server + Web Gateway , Server + Interactive Terminal , etc.
  • Minimum hardware requirements:
    • Server (Master) or Flow Server: Intel X86 or AMD compatible at 1GHz, RAM 512 Kbyte.
    • Interactive Terminal: Intel X86 or AMD compatible at 1.2 GHz, RAM 512 Kbyte.
    • Flash/Web Gateway: Intel Core Duo at 2,6 GHz, RAM 2 Gbyte.
    • SIP Gateway: Intel Core Duo at 2,6 GHz, RAM 2 Gbyte.
  • Connectivity:
    • TCP-UDP/IP over unicast or multicast in IPv4, IPv6 and dual stack
    • Bandwidth requirements: 256Kb/s and higher
  • Supported services: tele-meeting, tele-class, tele-conference. Customer defined services can be developed.