24, America's Next Top Model, True Blood and Video Conferencing
What do the first three all have in common besides being TV shows?
Each is just an instance in a rapidly growing list of shows that have featured conferencing. Conferencing appears to be the fresh new face in Hollywood, one that provides an added dimension to moments of suspense and connecting individuals across thousands of miles.
In an episode of America's Next Top Model, a contestant in LA chatted face-to-face with her family in Hamburg via video conference. 24 viewers have likely noticed the use of Cisco's telepresence in a number of episodes.
Then there's HBO's True Blood and its use of Polycom cameras and a telepresence suite during Eric Northman's interview with the V-Feds in Season 3 Episode 9. If you've seen it, you'll probably agree with me that conferencing contributes to the suspense. Panning cameras that move back and forth between each speaker have a way of invoking a Big Brother sense that all is being watched.
Edgy and gripping are not exactly the words that come to mind when we initially think of video conferening and it's original business applications but video conferencing has greatly diversified and now meets the needs of many on a personal level.
Take Nancy Grace's current show, Swift Justice. There's a new twist on the daytime court scene made possible by conferencing. Grace's set is more like central command for a space ship and video conferencing allows her to "bring forward" witnesses.....from a number of locations without ever flying them anywhere. Many guests will conference in from Proximity video conference rental rooms, saving the cost of travel and video conferencing equipment while keeping guests close to jobs and family.
So even though at first glance, we might not see how conferencing goes together in various areas of our life, we just might find ourself surprised when we take notice of just how integrated video technology is becoming. If television is a window into modern culture, then these examples are evidence that our "love" of far and wide broadcast communication is increasing along with advancements in video technology.
Much of the content we communicate with is increasingly moving to video. YouTube and Skype have become a part of our everyday lives. What will be next?