You’ve got video conferencing questions. We’ve got the answers. Here’s a list of answers to the most popular questions we get from visitors to Lifesize.com and the Lifesize Blog.

Q. How is the picture quality? Will it distract from my meeting?

A. Quality can vary among services. Free and consumer-grade apps can result in poor picture quality, pixilation and bandwidth hiccups, which can be distracting during meetings. But as soon as you step up to enterprise quality HD video conferencing, you’ll benefit from seamless and lifelike picture quality and audio that really makes you feel like your conversation is taking place in the same room, even if the people you’re talking to are thousands of miles apart. For best results, we recommend maintaining 720p30 at a bandwidth of 700 Kbps (up and down speeds). For even better quality, increase your bandwidth to 1.2 Mbps for 1080p30 quality.


Q. Will I be able to show the other person what’s on my screen, share documents with them or edit documents in real time?

A. That’s a big yes to all of the above. Anyone in a meeting can share his or her screen to show a presentation or bring up a document to edit and update in real time. As a result, video conferencing can really streamline everything from training seminars to informal status meetings. For more on screen sharing, check out our latest blog on Real-Time Collaboration and the Importance of 1080P Data.


Q. Can I bring more than one person into a call at the same time?

A. Yes. We currently offer multiway calling for up to 40 different accounts, which could be 40 people dialing in from their laptops or phones, 40 different conference room systems full of people or some mix of individuals and room systems. And depending on your preferences, there are some different layout options for how you want to view those larger group calls. Check out our blog on Taking Control of Your Meeting Layouts for more information.


Q. Can I use dual monitors?

A. The Lifesize® Icon 600™ and Lifesize® Icon 800™ both support multiple displays so you can view a full-screen presentation on one monitor and video participants on another. The Lifesize® Icon 400™ and Lifesize® Icon Flex™ support only one monitor as they’re designed for smaller huddle room spaces. The Lifesize® Cloud desktop app for Mac® and PC is compatible with multiple screens, as is the WebRTC web app.


Q. Can I video call people outside of my organization?

A. Yes. Every Lifesize Cloud user has the ability to send unlimited guest invites. This can be done from a Microsoft® Outlook® add-in or a Google Calendar™ extension or from within the Lifesize Cloud app Invite menu. And if users have their own Lifesize Cloud accounts, they can just add guests to their directory and call them directly.


Q. What kind of camera should I use?

A. Most laptops and monitors come with built-in cameras—these work great for Lifesize Cloud. For meeting room spaces, we have video conferencing systems and cameras that are specifically designed for small huddle rooms, conference and boardrooms, and large auditorium spaces. You can check out the Lifesize Icon Series Guide for more information on the different meeting room systems.


Q. Can I switch between seeing a presentation and seeing people in a video meeting?

A. As a presenter, you just click the presentation icon to toggle between screen-sharing modes. As a participant, you have control over what you see with the presentation mode slider.


Q. What’s the difference between web conferencing and video conferencing?

A. Both web and video conferencing solutions take the concept of multiway communication and attempt to create a more engaging and productive experience. Web conferencing works great for broadcasting a single speaker’s speech to a large audience, but if quality, reliability and dialogue are important to you, nothing beats video conferencing. Check out our recent blog, Everything You Need to Know about Web Conferencing vs. Video Conferencing, for more information.


Q. How is international calling handled?

A. With video, the only real thing to consider is the time zone of the person you’re calling. The call is connected via the Internet. Our solutions also offer voice-only calling so you can still connect even when you aren’t able to be on video. We have toll-free numbers in over 50 countries for international audio conferencing.


Q. How is the interoperability between Lifesize Cloud and Microsoft® Lync®?

A. For the 100 million enterprise users on Lync (Skype for Business), we’ve made it easy for them to call directly from their native app to connect to Lifesize Cloud meetings without having to download another app. Check out how it works in our blog, Lifesize “Lyncs” to More Meetings.


Q. Is video conferencing secure?

A. Security features vary by vendor. We offer best-in-class encryption and firewall traversal to ensure that your meeting is accessible only to people you’ve invited, and not unwanted third parties. Read the Lifesize Cloud Security Overview for more information about Lifesize video conferencing security.


Have any other questions that we may have missed? Feel free to ask them in the comment box below.