Since the inception of Web-based real time communications (WebRTC), many have projected that it would have a major impact on the field of conferencing. This is a projection that made plenty of sense; after all, a system that makes near-instant contact without external plug-ins, and from a Web browser, would almost certainly see some use as a conferencing tool. But AnyMeeting is bringing this new technology to its own Web conferencing platform, and showing off the real power of WebRTC. AnyMeeting described bringing this platform out previously, and now, at last report, the wait is over.
AnyMeeting, at last report, is one of the first companies around to bring WebRTC to a conferencing product, allowing for both video and audio conferencing to take place. But thanks to WebRTC's total array of capabilities, there's plenty more going on here than that. For instance, the AnyMeeting system can allow users to share both screens and documents, as well as record conferences for later access. Additionally, the AnyMeeting conferencing system is said to offer excellent audio performance, offering up echo cancellation that's among the best in the field, low overall latency for better performance, and terrific audio codecs.
The AnyMeeting system currently only runs on Chrome 27+, though support for Firefox browsers will be coming soon. This is actually somewhat appropriate, as Chrome and Firefox have been essentially the leaders in WebRTC since it got started. However, AnyMeeting does have conferencing systems and the like available for browsers that can handle Flash technology. AnyMeeting has, however, long been a supporter of WebRTC, having rolled out a hackathon around the technology not so long ago.
AnyMeeting's founder and CEO, Costin Tuculescu, offered up a note of commentary on the new release, saying “As one of the leading providers of web conferencing for small business, AnyMeeting is committed to implementing the latest technology to improve the online meeting experience. We’ve always been focused on building best-in-class web conferencing technology that doesn’t require an external download or software installation, and now WebRTC helps us take this vision even further.”
The changes, of course, have been in the works for some time, and reflect AnyMeeting's commitment to the platform. But perhaps more than that, the addition of WebRTC to a conferencing platform shows just what kind of potential WebRTC has in terms of changing the communications industry as a whole. WebRTC offers huge advantages in terms of staying connected, so seeing a platform that can work with voice and video, as well as documents, get added to a conferencing tool really shows how WebRTC can make a conferencing platform that was already impressive even better.
Chances are AnyMeeting won't be the last company to bring WebRTC into the fold, and that's going to touch off some pretty spirited competition among those who offer such services.
Edited by
Ryan Sartor
