Freeze-Frame Video

Published February 2000

A relatively inexpensive way to add pictorial information to an audio teleconference by transmitting and/or receiving still video pictures over a telecommunications channel, usually a voice-grade telephone line or a lower-speed data channel. In a typical system, the graphic material is placed in front of a standard closed-circuit TV camera. The camera is connected to a scan converter that transforms the picture into a still image that can be transmitted over a telephone line or other communication link. The time required for transmitting a single frame ranges from 8 to 70 seconds depending on the bandwidth available and whether the image is black-and-white or color. The term "freeze-frame video" may also refer specifically to a still-frame video unit that "grabs" the image from the camera or other video source and "freezes" it. See Slow-Scan Video.