Questions and Answers

Which platforms will be supported by gwTTS?

We plan to support the following platforms:

What is needed to upgrade my machine to gwTTS?

How much does the upgrade cost?

The cost of upgrading a desktop computer will depend on the system configuration. We expect that on the average, the cost for NTSC camera, video-capture board, and audio card will run around US-$ 500.

Some estimated costs:

What kind of hardware should I buy to be gwTTS compatible?

For the Macintosh and Windows'95 platforms we recommend the QuickCam digital cameras from Connectix. These are digital cameras that are connected directly to a serial (Mac) or parallel (Windows) port.

For Unix-based systems that run on PCs we recommend to purchase the Matrox Meteor video-capture board.

When and where can I get a copy of gwTTS?

gwTTS will be distributed freely within the University of Virginia. We plan to have a pre-release gwTTS ready for beta-testing by December 1995 to be used in the Spring semester of 1996. Copies of gwTTS will made available from this web server.

What is the current status?

The following chart summarizes the current (January 1996) capabilities for communicating audio, video, and whiteboard information across different platforms.

Receiving At: ->
Sending From: 		SunOS
Solaris
Irix 		AIX Linux FreeBSD Windows 95 Mac
SunOS
Solaris
Irix 		Audio
Video
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
-
AIX Audio
-
-
Shared Web		 Audio
-
-
Shared Web		 Audio
-
-
Shared Web		 Audio
-
-
Shared Web		 Audio
-
-
Shared Web		 Audio
-
-
-
Linux Audio
-
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
-
-
Shared Web		 Audio
-
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
-
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
-
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
-
FreeBSD Audio
Video
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
Whiteboard
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
-
Windows 95 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
Shared Web		 Audio
Video
-
-
Mac Audio
Video
-
-		 Audio
Video
-
-		 Audio
Video
-
-		 Audio
Video
-
-		 Audio
Video
-
-		 Audio
Video
-
-

How can I participate in a pilot test?

We are currently looking for course instructors at UVa who want to participate in a pilot test of gwTTS in the Spring 1996 semester. If you are interested please contact Jörg Liebeherr (Phone: (804) 982-2212, Email: jorg@cs.virginia.edu).

What are the software modules of gwTTS?

gwTTS employs extensively the existing Internet software for audio- and videoconferencing. The software includes:
gwTTS Home Page

Last modified: Mon Feb 12 21:34:28 1996