Videotelephony
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A videophone is a telephone with a video screen, and is capable of full duplex (bi-directional) video and audio transmissions for communication between people in real-time. It was the first form of videotelephony, later to be followed by videoconferencing, webcams, and finally telepresence.
At the dawn of the technology, videotelephony also included image phones which would exchange still images between units every few seconds over conventional POTS-type telephone lines, essentially the same as slow scan TV systems.
Currently videophones are particularly useful to the deaf and speech-impaired who can use them with sign language, and also with video relay services to communicate with hearing persons. Videophones are also very useful to those with mobility issues or those who are located in distant places and are in need of telemedical or tele-educational services.