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Outline
Goal Existing Tools and Problems VCT Features Technology Used High-level Design Implementation Testing
Goal of VCT
The main goal of VCT is to create a web based video conferencing site that allows users anywhere in the world to join realtime streaming video chat rooms without installing any software
Existing Tools
iChat is a video chat application from Apple. Mac Os has built-in iChat pluggin. Windows users can use iChat by installing AOL instant messenger oVoo is a video conferencing tool. Download and install oVoo software. Currently supports only Windows platform. Stickam is a social networking site that allows users to post their live videos,pictures,start video conferencing. Adobe acrobat connect pro is a web conferencing tool from Adobe. It allows remote desktop sharing, slide sharing, web conferencing.
Features of VCT
No need of additional software download and installation Browser based video conferencing Platform independent Simple user interface
Features of VCT
Create new public or private chat rooms See list of chat rooms with users count Private chat room requires users to enter password
Enter password
Features of VCT
Live video chat with friends See list of attendees in chat room Invite your friends to the chat room by sending an email Friends can join your chat room without creating a VCT user id
Send email
Features of VCT
See list of users who has VCT account View users online or offline status
Features of VCT
Users can record video message and send the link to friends
Record video message
Send email
Features of VCT
Users can play video message by clicking the link in email
Technology Used
XHTML is a markup language used to create front-end of the web page. PHP is a server side scripting language used to create dynamic web pages
Authenticates VCT users in login Creates new VCT user account in signup Allows Flex applications to access MySQL database
MySQL is the back-end database used to store VCT user accounts Adobe Flex is used to create client-side applications that interact with Flash Media Server (FMS)
Flex is combination of MXML and ActionScript MXML used to create the layout of user interface of the application ActionScript used to create interactivity to user Interface Flex applications are compiled into SWF and embedded into XHTML
Apache HTTP Server is used in VCT to host XHTML ,SWF files, PHP scripts Adobe Flash Media Server
VCT Design
Web Server
HTTP
RTMP
VCT consists of three main components: Web Server Web browser with Flash player plug-in Flash Media Server RTMP is Real Time Messaging Protocol
Login
Signup
Find users
Execute scripts
result
MySQL database
LoginSubmit.php script authenticates the user and if login succeeds, it loads Dashboad.php Dashboard webpage has SWF embedded in it
Executes scripts
MySQL database
SignupSubmit.php
Sign-up allows VCT users to create new records in the MySQL database
swf
HTTP
RTMP
Dashboard webpage has SWF embedded in it Web Server sends SWF over HTTP to the web browser Flash player plays SWF and makes connection to FMS
VCT instances
Dashboard initially connect to master instance of FMS application When users joins chat room connection to individual room instance is made Users in each chat room are completely unaware of users in the other chat rooms Instances allows different group of people to access same application without interacting with other group
Applications Folder
Application Name Folder
sharedobjects Folder
instanceName
Sharedobjectname.fso file
VCT streams
VCT transmits audio and video streams between Flash client and FMS for video conferencing The FMS server allows users to publish or play streams. User publishes live webcam streams to FMS server and other users subscribes to the published stream Stream names should be unique
VCT streams
Web Server
query
Flex
PHP
Gets result
MySQL
Flex application sends user data request to back-end PHP script PHP scripts execute the request and queries MySQL database MySQL sends result to PHP which then processes the result PHP scripts sends data back to Flex in XML format
Streams Folder
Streams published for recording are stored in FMS application as Flash Video files (flv) VCT uses stored flv file for playing video message
Usability Testing
VCT is tested among different age groups In the age group of 4-15, I need to guide them to use VCT. But once I walked through steps, they got easily adapted with the tool In the age group of 16-50, they learned the tool fast. They suggested some enhancements to the tool like richer user interface, enhanced authentication etc. In the age group of 51- 65, they found it difficult to create new user accounts and login to web site. They liked the method of joining a chat room without logging in
Usability Testing
Usability
10
Usability Rating
8 6 4 2 0 0 10 20 30 40 Age 50 60 70 80
Graph shows usability rating versus age Usability rating peaks between the age of 35-40
Performance Testing
Total Server Bandwidth
Server Bandwidth(KBits/s)
7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1 2 3 4 Number of Users
Bandwidth graph
Server bandwidth (BW)=(P*N)*S, P is number of publishers, N is number of subscribers and S is streams encoded at constant kbps