Enhanced CU-SeeMe is available for only $69 with a demonstration release on the 'net whose only shortcoming is that it will only work for thirty minutes before needing to be restarted. Unfortunately, as with the standard client, Enhanced CU-SeeMe is a luxury that many dial-up connectors will have to pass up -- attempting to connect at any rate less than 28.8 Kbps will get you nowhere fast, or even slow -- in fact, only audio telephony (no video) is recommended for users with 14.4 Kbps and lower connections. While the current reality for many users is less than amazing, for those with fast connections Enhanced CU-SeeMe definitely delivers when it comes to high-quality color videoconferencing. And when used with the Connectrix black and white or color VideoCam (about $99 and $199 respectively), Enhanced CU-SeeMe is an inexpensive and efficient tool for sending and receiving video feeds. The low cost of this high-tech combo has many users racing to put themselves on the 'net in full-video glory. It is gratifying to see so many users, especially corporate users, wildly interested in all that the 'net has to offer, but it remains a disappointment that most users have to be left out of the fun. Slow transfer rates make this application interesting, if not entirely useful for most users. But for those with speed to spare, Enhanced CU-SeeMe is bound to be a must-have video app.
Pros: 24-bit true color and 4-bit greyscale videoconferencing over the 'net, send and receive video
Cons: For many users, data transfer is too slow for continual use; 30 minute limit in demo release
New: H.323 videoconferencing compliance, audio/video enhancements, manually dial IP addresses, more
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Version Reviewed: 3.1 Preview Release
Date of Review: 9/17/97 |
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