TURBOMEETING 4.3RELEASE NOTES

3/22/2011

RHUB is pleased to announce the release of TurboMeeting 4.3

1. Critical Fixes in 4.3

  1. Synchronization is fixed between webcam video image and voice during recording.
  2. Clipboard (copy & paste) feature is properly enabled for remote support and remote access sessions
  3. Mini-control panel no longer becomes hidden when annotation is activated.
  4. Remote access sessions will not be terminated by any routers.
  5. TurboMeeting firewall traversal is fixed for some new sophisticated firewall rules. This is an ongoing refinement of TurboMeeting since firewalls are always evolving.
  6. A computer running a remote access session no longer periodically loses its Window focus when the computer cannot reach the TurboMeeting appliance.
  7. Norton Anti-Virus no longer blocks the TurboMeeting installation.

2. New Features in 4.3

  1. VoIP-based HD audio conferencing. TurboMeeting users can hold audio conferencing over the Internet via the TurboMeeting softphone. That is, you can communicate with attendees using a headset plugged into your computer.

The TurboMeeting VoIP uses a high voice sampling rate at 16kHz, which is twice the sample rating rate of a regular telephone. It is designed to deliver high-definition voice quality. Meanwhile, the average bandwidth consumption per speaker is controlled at 15 kbps.

For voice broadcasting sessions, it can support over 200 listeners. For full duplex voice conferencing, you can configure the maximum number of concurrent speakers. The default value is 5 speakers allowed at one time. Note that the traffic that goes through your appliance will grow quickly with the number of concurrent speakers. When the number of attendees exceeds the maximum number of concurrent speakers, all attendees except the presenter and controller will automatically be changed into the “Push-to-talk” mode.

The basic features include:

• “Mute all” feature for the host

• Mute me

• Push-to-talk

• Display a list of attendees who are speaking

• Record voice, screen updates and webcam altogether

• Auto and manual setup of microphones and speakers

• Auto-detection of new microphones and speakers

• Echo canceling

• Firewall traversal to ensure the voice connection

• Auto-reconnection after Internet disconnection.

Although the system has embedded an echo-canceling function, all meeting participants should use good headsets to avoid echo and reduce background noise. Headsets from Plantronics are highly recommended. Note that when an attendee does not use a headset, everyone else except that attendee will hear an echo. That is, the echo is generated by the attendee who does not use a headset.

Here is a best practice for the host to ensure the VoIP conferencing quality:

When you as the meeting host hear noise or echo, right-click an attendee and change him to use “Push-to-talk”. If this does not fix the problem, change the attendee to use “Free-to-talk” again and then select a different attendee. Once you find the attendee who causes the echo and noise, leave him in the “Push-to-talk” mode for the entire meeting.

  1. User Groups. User group function will allow the system administrators to easily define the user meeting privileges, audio conferencing settings and promotional URLs. Using the user group functions, you can even set up different meeting entry pages for different groups of users by defining the join-meeting URLs for individual user groups. The user group function is also integrated with LDAP.
  1. Recording Converter. A tool to convert TurboMeeting recordings to AVI, Flash (FLV), and WMV formats is available at:

(6.5MB)

The converter works for recordings made with TurboMeeting V4.2 and V4.3. The current version of the converter does not convert webcam images.

3. Open the UDPPort 8889 for VoIP-Based Audio Conferencing

For VoIP to work properly it is extremely important to open the UDPPort 8889 of your firewalls for the inbound UDP traffic to your RHUB appliance. If the UDPPort 8889 is not opened, the VoIP audio will have serious issues like dropouts and long delays. See the Administrator Manual’s “Configuring the Firewall” chapter for directions on how to open the port.

4. Known Limitations

  1. The TurboMeeting softphone is not available for view-only attendees. Therefore, if you host a “Seminar” meeting type, you must use the traditional phone.
  2. The TurboMeeting softphone is not available for PPC based Mac.

5. 1U-Appliances Need to be Replaced

Because of a critical issue in the underlying operating system, we have to replace all 1U appliances (TM600, TS700, TM800 and TM1000) in order to update them to V4.3. If your appliance is under warranty, we will replace it at no cost to you. You are responsible only for the shipping fees to return the existing unit you have. Here is how it works. We contact you or you contact us to set up the replacement schedule. We will first send you a unit with V4.3 installed and the instructions on migration from the existing unit. The migration is as easy as filling in a three-field online form. We will gladly support you, if necessary. After your new unit is up and running, send us the existing unit.

6. New Development in TurboMeeting 5.0

  1. We will continue our focus on the audio conferencing functions by integrating the TurboMeeting VoIP conferencing with PSTN (land line) audio conferencing. Reliable and quality audio conferencing is extremely critical in any conferencing events. We are determined to make it work properly and conveniently for all of our customers including our international customers.

The following lists the key features that V5.0 is going to deliver:

  • Integrate softphone based audio conferencing with land-line audio conferencing so that attendees using softphone or landline phones can talk together. The entire voice conversation can be recorded with computer screen and webcam video.
  • Provide an integrated toll-free audio conferencing service
  • Provide a very affordable integrated audio conferencing service for international users (meeting hosts and attendees). The costs will be close to domestic audio conferencing for most countries.
  1. TurboMeeting client for iPad users
  2. A completely new GUI (Graphical User Interface) with a much polished look and feel. It will provide the layout for many new features to be developed in Version 5.x and beyond.

Your comments are welcome. If you have any suggestions or new features that should be included in coming releases, please send them to . Thank you!

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