Breeze is a very powerful collaborative tool. However, there
are number of things you can do to optimize your experience
including modifying the Bandwidth settings within Breeze,
letting low bandwidth participants chat but not share audio,
having the individual with the best connection be the meeting
host.
Since you will often be holding meetings
with other participants using a variety of connection speeds,
you may need to employ one or more of the following techniques
to make the meeting run smoother.
Set-up
It is important that your audio be
optimized for the meeting and that you have all the necessary
plug-ins and the appropriate tools you will need for the
meeting.
Make sure the group member with the best
connection is the host.
Breeze supports multiple audio streams, but
this can have a significant impact on audio quality and
performance. The host should promote and demote
participants as needed to make sure only 1 or 2 participants are
talking at one time.
Run Audio Setup Wizard
In order to ensure that your audio is
optimized run the Audio Setup Wizard each time you enter a
meeting sharing audio. Improperly configured audio settings may
result in too low or too high audio levels, truncated audio, and
echoes.
If you continue to experience audio
problems
-
Run the Audio Setup Wizard and at the
end of the wizard,
-
Select Advanced Settings.
-
Deselect Use Enhanced Audio
-
Click OK
Install Breeze Meeting Add-in
All Breeze VoIP users, regardless of role
can benefit by installing the Meeting Add-in. Once this is
installed on your computer, you should not need to install it
again.
-
Breeze Meeting Presenters can direct
Breeze users with a Breeze account to download and install
the Meeting Add-in via their Breeze
Home Page > Getting Started. Then select the
appropriate installation of the Breeze Meeting Add-in under
the Create Meeting section.
-
Otherwise, Presenters can temporarily
promote Participants to Presenter role where they will be
prompted to install the Meeting Add-in.
-
Or direct them to
the
download page
where users can select the appropriate installation of the
Breeze Meeting Add-in under the Create Meeting section.
Test Your Computer
You can test the speed of your
connection and verify that you have all the tools necessary
for Breeze by
- clicking on the troubleshooting
page link on the Meeting entry page or
- By going directly to Macromedia's
test page.
You may be prompted to upgrade software
such as the Flash Player.
Bandwidth
Insufficient bandwidth will result in
various problems within a Breeze meeting, including the
dropping of audio/video, freezing within the meeting, or
increased latency. It is important to optimize your meeting
bandwidth.
Optimize Room Bandwidth – LAN, DSL or Modem?
Room Bandwidth is set by the meeting
presenter/host. The Bandwidth set by the host/presenter
should be the average for the room. Unless everyone in the
meeting is accessing the meeting from a single high speed
network do not choose LAN (the default). The DSL
setting will provide a good experience for users on LAN and
broadband connections.
My Connection Speed
If participants experience latency or choppy audio they
should lower their individual meeting room setting. This is
found under the Meeting menu
Audio
Mic Placement
Generally speaking, a good quality
microphone should be positioned close to the speaking source
but not so close as to overload the microphone. A good
headset mic placement is at the corner of the mouth or tip
of the nose.
Other Audio Issues
Other very important things about the
audio for Breeze –
-
Make sure the audio is coming from
the mic and not the camera
-
Make sure that the participants
Allow darden.virginia.edu to access your camera and mic.
If allow is not accepted the voice quality will be BAD.
-
Disconnect or mute your computer
speakers if you are using a headset during the meeting.
Other Techniques
-
Never use the McIntire VPN
during a Breeze session
-
Close all
network applications except those needed for the meeting
(close email, web pages, etc.). This is especially
important for the host, but is good practice for all
participants.
-
If you are connecting with a low
bandwidth connection, use chat rather than audio to
communicate with the other meeting attendees.
Link to Breeze TechNote: Breeze Live
Bandwidth Calculation Information
Passwords
