The CU-SeeMe Project

Brought to you by the CU-SeeMe Development Team of the Advanced Technologies and Planning group of the Network Resources division of Cornell Information Technologies.






What is CU-SeeMe?

CU-SeeMe is a free videoconferencing program (under copyright of Cornell University
and its collaborators) available to anyone with a Macintosh or Windows and a connection to the Internet. With CU-SeeMe, you can videoconference with another site located anywhere in the world, or by use of a reflector, multiple parties/locations are able to participate in a CU-SeeMe conference, each from his or her own desktop computer.

A number of universities, non-profit, and private organizations, led by Cornell University, have formed the CU-SeeMe Consortium to support further innovation, development and dissemination of CU-SeeMe.
These pages have been created to bring you the latest information about CU-SeeMe technical, distribution, and training issues, as well as information about innovative uses and projects. You'll also find links to other WWW Home Pages related to CU-SeeMe, including multiple links to San Francisco consultant Michael Sattler's CU-SeeMe Home Page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

* What is CU-SeeMe?
* What do I need to use CU-SeeMe?
* How do I get CU-SeeMe software?
* Reflectors: Everything you ever wanted to know
* Getting Started with CU-SeeMe
* Technical Information
* Subscribe to the CU-SeeMe-L discussion list.

- Collaborators
- The CU-SeeMe Consortium
- CU-SeeMe Licensing and Copyright Cornell University and White Pine Software
Make Announcement, MAY 3,1995!!!
- Clips, Mentions, and Press
- Where do I go for MORE information about CU-SeeMe?
- Who is using CU-SeeMe, and for what?
- Where can I go see or Try CU-SeeMe for myself?
- Up and coming Events - Conferences, On-line events, T-shirt sales


CU-SeeMe Q&A

CU-SeeMe -- What it is, and where it came from.

So far as we know, CU-SeeMe was the first and may still be the only software available ***free*** for personal computers (Macintosh and Windows) that allows desktop videoconferencing with more than one other site. (CU-SeeMe supports up to 8 "windows" to other "parties" on your own computer screen.)

Current versions of CU-SeeMe for the Macintosh include audio, thanks to Charlie Kline (University of IIlinois at Urbana Champagne), who developed Maven. A Windows version that includes audio is due to be released in Spring '95.

The most recent version of Mac CU-SeeMe allows for the exchange of text and slides, thanks to development work led by Steve Erde at the Cornell University Medical Center.

Click if you're curious about the history of CU-SeeMe.

WARNING: Although being improved with each version, CU-SeeMe is not a mature production software--USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.


What do I need to use CU-SeeMe?

At this time CU-SeeMe runs on the Macintosh (with audio) and the PC Windows platform (without audio) using an IP network connection. With CU-SeeMe each participant can decide to be a sender, a receiver, or both.

CU-SeeMe is intended to provide useful conferencing at minimal cost. Receiving requires only a Mac with a screen capable of displaying 16 grays and a connection to the Internet. Sending requires the same plus a camera and digitizer (see specs below) which can cost as little as $100 to add on.

For the MACINTOSH

Specifications to RECEIVE video: Specifications to SEND video:
Possible Sources of Equipment...
Supported as of 0.70b13:
-PLUS-
camera with NTSC 1vpp output (like a camcorder) and RCA cable.
-OR-
Connectix QuickCam serial port digitizer (with camera)
****NOTICE: NO OTHER DIGITIZERS WILL WORK UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE****

For Windows

Specifications for use, and supported products:

How do I get CU-SeeMe?

You can download CU-SeeMe automatically to your desktop,
OR

You can use FTP to obtain CU-SeeMe:

Just follow these directions (and note that you'll find several versions of everything. Higher numbers usually mean newer versions, but not always - it's best to look over the README files):
Server: CU-SeeMe.cornell.edu
UserID: anonymous
Password:(none)
Directory: /pub/CU-SeeMe

Reflectors - Everything you ever wanted to know!

You need to connect to a Reflector if you want to conference with more than one other person/computer. Here is a reflector address list put together by M.Sattler.

Reflector Etiquette
If you plan to test and use CU-SeeMe extensively, you may wish to set up your own REFLECTOR (on a UNIX machine). Follow the ftp instructions as described above in "How to Get CU-SeeMe"

Reflector ReadMe


Getting Started with CU-SeeMe

The easiest thing to do is to load the software on your machine and connect to someone else who is already up and running, OR to install the list of reflectors compiled by M.Sattler and connect to a reflector address. The Cornell reflector is a good place to begin - there's a lot of activity.

To understand what all the icons and menu choices mean, look over the Getting Started "Getting Started" guide compiled by M.Sattler and Jher.


The Cornell CU-SeeMe Consortium

The Cornell CU-SeeMe Consortium is a consortium of universities, non-profit, and private organizations formed to support the rapid deployment and use of affordable, real-time conferencing technology to stimulate creative experimentation among the Internet community.

The Consortium provides resources to the CU-SeeMe project to research, develop, and deliver innovative solutions for real-time multiparty videoconferencing on the Internet and to improve communication and technology transfer between Consortium members. With the leadership of Cornell University, the Consortium is open to any organization interested in supporting the rapid diffusion of low-cost, desktop conferencing software to enable widespread experience which will generate knowledge useful in creating the next generation of network infrastructure.

The demands from the CU-SeeMe user community continue to outpace project resources. In lieu of a licensing or royalty fee structure, the CU-SeeMe Consortium requests membership contributions to supplement existing grant funding to respond to the growing needs of the CU-SeeMe user community.

Learn more about the CU-SeeMe Consortium
  • CU-SeeMe Consortium Executive Summary
  • CU-SeeMe Consortium In Brief For more information contact Martyne Hallgren, Executive Director, CU-SeeMe Consortium at 607-254-8324 or e-mail m.hallgren@cornell.edu.


    Technical Information

    Look at M.Sattler's pages for
    answers to your technical questions.
    You might also check out the CU-SeeMe-L archives maintained by Tim Mulkey and M.Sattler.

    Subscribe to the CU-SeeMe-L listserv.

    The CU-SeeMe-L list generates a lot of mail (about 30 messages per day). It currently has over 1300 subscribers from all over the world.

    Subscribe to the CU-SeeMe-L listserv by sending an email message:

    1. To: LISTPROC@cornell.edu
    2. Subject: (leave this line BLANK!!!)
    3. In the body of the mailfile, type:
      SUBSCRIBE CU-SEEME-L (yrfirstname) (yrlastname)
    For
    more information about the CU-SeeMe lists, check this out.

    Collaborators


    Licensing and Copyright


    Clips, Mentions, Press


    Who is Using CU-SeeMe, and for What?

    There are people using CU-SeeMe all over the world in education, business, telemedicine, art, etc. You can read about some of them in a document called
    "In the Eye of the Reflector"

    (As time passes, we'll add more links here to other web pages.)


    Where May I Go to Try CU-SeeMe?

    Several Science Museums across the country have set up CU-SeeMe displays. If you're in San Francisco, try the Exploratorium. If you're in Ithaca, try the Ithaca Sciencenter!

    ( Oct. 11, 1995 note: I plan to update, then reorganize this site in the near future. If anyone wants to list themselves here, please let me know - jtp5@cornell.edu)


    Conferences, On-line Events, T-shirt Sales

  • White Pine Software, Inc. will be lending its reflector site
    to help broadcast Bill Clinton's Commencement Speech for
    Dartmouth College on Sunday, June 11, 1995 (10:00 a.m. EDT).
    If you'd like more information on this event, check out the Project BillVision web page at:
    http://picard.dartmouth.edu/~oly/BillVision.html
  • Connect to the NEW CU-SeeMe Event Guide (by John Lauer)
  • MAY 4th,1995 Desktop Video Conference, San Francisco (Cornell University with White Pine Software announced free, commercial, and non-commercial licensing of CU-SeeMe.)
  • Order your CU-SeeMe T-Shirt right here!


  • Gradual remodeling underway. Last updated Oct. 17, 1995.