ITV & Videoconferencing

ITV signals are encoded in MPEG-2 format and multicast to each of the other campuses and Centers over Asynchronous Transfer Modem (ATM) leased fiber optic circuits.

At Centers, these signals are decoded, modulated onto television channels and sent over an in-house cable network.

ITV signals originate from the broadcast classrooms, and on special occasions may originate from the Augusta studio or can be sent from down-linked satellite broadcasts.

Videoconferencing was introduced to the University of Maine System in 1997.

To accommodate courses, the rooms are typically arranged in a conference room style with seating for 8-15 students per room.

With two-way videoconferences, participants continually view the other room. Control of the camera with a remote control allows moving and zooming to get a close-up view of the person speaking. When more than two sites are in a conference, a multipoint bridge connects the locations and is most often set up for voice-activated switching which allows for the video image of room where the person is speaking to be transmitted to all the locations in the conference.