Technology and Infrastructure
The core of the network is the Studio where the Instructor sits. The studio is fully equipped with all required audio, video and computer
systems that allow the instructor to teach and interact with students who could be spread across the country. The studio typically has the
following components :
Audio video systems :
These include cameras, audio/video mixers, monitors, encoder et al. In addition the studio is also acoustically insulated for a noise
free environment.
Presentation Server :
This server uses proprietary hardware and software to provide the instructor and the administrators with all the tools needed for learning -
it allows transmission of presentation slides, video, interactive questions (which students answer), quizzes (to test comprehension), voice
interaction and email interaction. All this happens in a live environment where the student and teacher can have full-fledged real-time
interactivity. All results coming from questions/answers and quizzes are instantaneously compiled to give the students and the teacher
real-time feedback on performance. The Presentation Server also has very good class management tools that allow the teacher to control
the class & the interaction.
Control Room Facilities :
These include the control equipment and the satellite uplink equipment. The uplink is done using the Hughes satellite modems.
At the other end, the student sits in a classroom (with one of more PCs connected to the VSAT receive and transmit system) and is able to
follow the lecture, answer questions and participate in study groups and discussions, all using the PC and its multimedia features.
Studio :
Currently 10 studios are already operational - in Gurgaon, New Delhi, Kozhikode (Calicut, Kerala), Jamshedpur, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata
and Ahmedabad. Clients have the option of using any of these studios for their corporate training programmes.
Each studio is equipped with state of the art equipments, set in at least 1000 sq. ft. of area.
Classrooms :
HCIL has put up 215 classrooms , spread over 91 cities of India, namely Delhi - NCR, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Lucknow, Ludhiana,
Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Pune, Nagpur, Baroda, Hyderabad to name a few in India and additionally in Dubai & Sharjah.
Each classroom is equipped with a high-end multimedia PCs and satellite receiver / transmitter equipment.
The Interactive Onsite Learning Platform
The platform is very advanced that combines the critical aspects of verbal and visual communication - two-way video and audio synchronized
with rich content, collaboration, discussion groups, application sharing and live interaction. The communications platform reaches large
numbers of people in real-time. With this platform, live sessions become highly intuitive and effective, as video and rich interactive
content are delivered directly to the desktop of the student.
HNS certification was granted to this platform using the Hughes broadband satellite service and terminals. This demonstrates that this
platform meets the most stringent performance criteria when delivered over the Hughes system. Very small aperture terminal (VSAT) is a
communications technology that enables reliable two-way transmission of data via satellite using comparatively small antennas. With this
certification, the platform is now an authorized HNS Technology Product in its "e-learning for the enterprise" category. The platform is a
scalable application that combines quality video with two-way audio and data transfer to enable live delivery. It offers live collaboration
tools such as application sharing, whiteboard annotations, discussion groups, chats and guided browsing.
In the heart is a Rich Media Conferencing Platform that provides a scaleable, secure, and network-friendly software platform architectured
from the ground up to deliver synchronized, real-time voice, and video and data communication over converged IP (Internet Protocol)
networks.
The platform shares a common user interface for live interaction, which incorporates the foundations of dialogue - high quality video for
face-to-face interaction, clear audio, and rich supporting visuals and virtual collaboration. This interface includes integrated multiple
video windows, application and data sharing, chat, questions, whiteboard and recording capabilities, all of which are designed to enable a
feeling of virtual classroom even as students are geographically dispersed.
Program also available Direct to home through internet.