telepresence: Open Source SIP Telepresence/MCU
If you are looking for a full-fledged MCU (Multi Conference Unit) that can connect with any SIP-based endpoint, supports unlimited number of bridges and participants, supports Full HD (1080p) & Ultra HD (2160p) real-time video at 120 fps, is open-source and free to use, you are in luck!
Presenting the SIP-based Telepresence open source server - telepresence.
If you attempt to build a Telepresence solution for your company, you’ll find out how much the darn thing costs! Let’s just say that commercial telepresence solutions are out of reach for most small & medium businesses. But more than anyone else, they will want to cut on travel costs by interacting with colleagues and customers, virtually.
Open source solutions (as always) come to the rescue & at $0, telepresence may just fit the bill.
SIP has become the de-facto standard for IP communications. Most IP Phones & Video endpoints are SIP-enabled, these days. Even a Web-RTC enabled web-browser can be used as a telepresence client. Of course, one needs to add high-resolution cameras and monitors to make the experience better. Or they can use their computer/laptop and smart phones (along with a camera) and setup a full-fledged multi-conference system in a flash! telepresence is like a private version of Google+ Hangouts for the enterprise.
Connectivity Architecture: telepresence supports two modes – SA (Stand Alone) ~ that connects directly to SIP clients; AS (Application Server) ~ that integrates with an existing SIP/VOIP Server, like Asterisk.
Some salient features of telepresence:
- Full-fledged MCU (Both Video & Voice clients can connect).
- Unlimited number of bridges & participants.
- Connects to SIP endpoints.
- Open Source and Free to use.
- Supports Full HD & Ultra HD real-time videos at 120 fps.
- Maximum bandwidth can be set on a per-client basis for congestion control.
- Supports stereoscopic 3D audio.
- It can transcode between different types of clients & protocols – H.264, VP8, etc. for video; g711, opus, etc. for audio.
- Supports NAT & Firewall Traversal.
- Supports TLS & WSS security protocols.
- Password protection for individual bridges.
- Can record conference into a file (.avi, .mp4).
- Any SIP client can share presentations. The individual slides are converted into JPEG pictures that are streamed along with the video.
- Muting/Unmuting individual conference sessions.
- PSTN interconnection is supported.
- Continuous presence, detection of speakers.
- Different video patters, layout supported.
- Multiple OS (Linux, OS X, Windows) support.
That’s a fairly large feature-list, don’t you think? It’s exciting to see how many things can be accomplished by open source solutions. If I were an administrator, I would definitely evaluate all my options before opting for an $$$expensive$$$ commercial Telepresence solution for my company