ooVoo lets you not only video conference, but also record video messages, create video chat rooms, and share files between meeting participants. the navigation system is straight forward and stylish.

The video quality is impressive and the audio is pretty clear, although I’ve noticed a lot of echoing in my trial uses with the product. Both video and audio quality (and the echoing problem) are going to be dependent on each user’s individual setup. If one user has a low quality camera, their video quality will be lower, and if one user has his microphone too close to his speakers, there’s going to be an echo.

The free version of the service is monetized by annoying ads at the bottom of the video conferencing window. Ads also appear in chat windows, and in most windows that are used in the system. While annoying, remember that the service is free. If you love the service, but hate the ads, ooVoo does ofer a pay service for $10 a month that includes 1000 minutes of video storage, up to 6 people in a video conference, and most importantly, no ads.

The growing popularity of web-based social networking and video sharing sites has become an increasing threat to broadcasters, affecting their ratings and in turn their revenues. Viewers want the ability to be more interactive with the shows they watch and be able to contribute their own content. Broadcasters have been ineffective at meeting these needs as they lacked the tools for ingesting, moderating and publishing UGC into their TV formats, but that will all change with the introduction of iPoint-Media.

IBM Global Media and Entertainment VP, Steve Canepa:

Broadcasters are seeking solutions that help them respond quickly to a more complex, fast-paced and fragmented market. MediaHub offers a foundation to enable business transformation by linking interactive, business and content systems together for effective content management. Integrating iPoint-media’s high-performance video application delivery platform with MediaHub further enhances our ability to provide the speed and flexibility that our media clients demand.

iPoint-media and IBM are working together to address the needs of broadcasters for interactive, UGC-based content with GOliveTV and MediaHub. Visitors at the International Broadcasting convention will see GOliveTV in action at the IBM booth, ingesting multiple simultaneous live video callers and recorded content, moderating the content, then publishing it to a live TV show or distributing it via MediaHub. Visitors will also be able to see how GOliveTV’s content management interface offers broadcasters a simple, unified view of all forms of content, including SMS, MMS, e-mails, live and recorded 3G video calls and live or recorded webcam calls.

The Useeisee PictureFone sells for $249 and requires a monthly subscription of $39.95 which allows for unlimited video conference calling in the U.S. and Canada. While the technology is similar to other videophones that have come and gone, Useeisee owner Fedele says the difference with his product will be marketing. A 30-year veteran of the advertising industry, Usee’s president says videophones have never had enough “jazz” about them, and this failure in positioning has held them back.

People have treated it is a high-tech product, and not as a friendly, simple, isn’t-this-fun kind of product

Using hardware from Boston-based GrandStream and with XCast Labs in Los Angeles as its carrier, Useeisee was designed with ease of use in mind. Installation requires no downloading, just a simple DSL or cable modem connection, all accomplished in less than a minute.

This is a self-funded company. We don’t have the money to do everybody, so we have to be real cautious about how we get there,” he said. “We could easily divert ourselves by getting into the college market too quickly. I’ve got to make an impact with the Baby Boomers before we start trickling down to do everybody else.

But is marketing really the issue holding videophone technology back? Typically, the major roadblock has been social issues such as not wanting to have to look good just for a phone call. Many people multitask while on a conference call such as checking their email or eating lunch when they’re not speaking. Fedele said that he plans on not focusing his marketing attention on businesses, but rather to grandparents with children that live out of state or abroad, or for parents who want to keep up with their kids away at college.