Calculating the bandwidth for a VoIP call is not difficult once you know the method and the factors to include. The chart below, “Calculating one-way voice bandwidth,” demonstrates the overhead calculation for 20 and 40 byte compressed voice (G.729) being transmitted over a Frame Relay WAN connection. Twenty bytes of G.729 compressed voice is equal to 20 ms of a word. Forty bytes of G.729 compressed voice is equal to 40 ms of a word.

The results of this method of calculation are contained in the next table, “Packet voice transmission requirements.” The table demonstrates these points:

* Bandwidth requirements reduce with compression, G.711 vs. G.729.
* Bandwidth requirements reduce when longer packets are used, thereby reducing overhead.
* Even though the voice compression is an 8 to 1 ratio, the bandwidth reduction is about 3 or 4 to 1. The overhead negates some of the voice compression bandwidth savings.
* Compressing the RTP, UDP and IP headers (cRTP) is most valuable when the packet also carries compressed voice.

…

Bandwidth requirements for Voice over IP can be a tricky beast to tame until you look at the method and factors involved. This guide investigates what bandwidth means for VoIP, how to calculate bandwidth consumption for a VoIP network and how bandwidth can be saved by using voice compression.
After this some questions may arise in your mind like:

What about bandwidth for VoIP?
Voice over IP (VoIP) is the descriptor for the technology used to carry digitized voice over an IP data network. VoIP requires two classes of protocols: a signaling protocol such as SIP, H.323 or MGCP that is used to set up, disconnect and control the calls and telephony features; and a protocol to carry speech packets. The Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) carries speech transmission. RTP is an IETF standard introduced in 1995 when H.323 was standardized. RTP will work with any signaling protocol. It is the commonly used protocol among IP PBX vendors.

An IP phone or softphone generates a voice packet every 10, 20, 30 or 40ms, depending on the vendor’s implementation. The 10 to 40ms of digitized speech can be uncompressed, compressed and even encrypted. This does not matter to the RTP…

Do you need a lighter version of Office Communications Server? Is your small business in need of a better easier to manage phone system with Outlook integration? This is where Microsoft Response Point comes to the rescue!

 Microsoft Response Point phone system software was designed for small businesses with simplicity in mind. Backed by industry leading hardware vendors like D-Link, Quanta and Uniden, Microsoft Response Point offers a breakthrough voice-activated user interface, simplified setup and system management, and the calling capabilities your business needs.

Microsoft Response Point features include:

• Phone and service configuration wizards
• Phone auto discovery
• One-touch voice commands
• Automated Receptionist
• Built in voicemail
• Voicemail to e-mail forwarding
• Incoming call notifications on your PC
• Microsoft Outlook contact integration
• Two-click backup and restore

Microsoft Response Point will be released sometime around Fall 07.

More information can be found here.

msblog fingerprint tag

In my previous demo of Windows Live OneCare 2.0 (beta) I was pretty general about its features. But I’d like to dive a little deeper into some of the enhancements and features coming with Windows Live OneCare’s next major release. Coming with Windows Read More……(read more)

In my previous demo of Windows Live OneCare 2.0 (beta) I was pretty general about its features. But I’d like to dive a little deeper into some of the enhancements and features coming with Windows Live OneCare’s next major release. Coming with Windows Live OneCare 2.0 will be a brand new way to backup your most important and precious digital photos called Online Photo Backup. With Online Photo Backup you get 10GB of online storage to store your digital photos. Take a look at this small demo I made showcasing Online Photo Backup:

Video: Online Photo Backup with Windows Live OneCare 2.0

Making sure your digital photos are backed up is a high priority for Microsoft and the Windows Live OneCare Team. A user could have many years worth of digital memories stored on their PC and if that PC crashes, those memories are lost. Of course you can back those photos up to another PC, or a DVD but those don’t come entirely risk-free. Backing up to another PC doesn’t mean that PC won’t fail and with backing up

…