It took until 1970 for AT&T to launch the first true video-conferring system, where anyone could subscribe to the service and have the technology in their home or office. These early demonstrations were installed at 'booths' in post offices and shown at various world expositions. While development of video-conferring started in the late 19th century, the technology only became available to the public starting in the 1930s. Videoconferencing has also been called 'visual collaboration' and is a type of groupware. Telepresence may refer either to a high-quality videotelephony system (where the goal is to create the illusion that remote participants are in the same room) or to meetup technology, which can go beyond video into robotics (such as moving around the room or physically manipulating objects).

Videoconferencing implies the use of this technology for a group or organizational meeting rather than for individuals, in a videoconference. A videophone is a telephone with a video camera and video display, capable of simultaneous video and audio communication. Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio and video signals by people in different locations for real time communication.

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