How to screen share during a video conference using Linux?

I need to conduct a video conference between two locations where I can see and hear the remote participants while they can see both myself and a set of PDF slides. Everyone will be on university networks with relatively high bandwidths. Ideally, the solution would not require the remote participants to have to install any software and if software is required it needs to be free (as in beer) and cross platform. For the presenter, any software needs to be affordable (say less than $100) and work on Linux. Is this possible?

I have played around a little bit with both Skype and GoToMeeting and while they nominally meet the requirements they seem to have three downsides:

• The content of the slides is sometimes obscured by the inset boxes that show the video of the people


• The slides cannot be presented in "full screen" mode because then you cannot see who you are talking to


• Pointing at things on the slides is difficult at best


• The experience seems to be slightly detached in my opinion since the presenter is not really linked to the slides.

Is there a good way of doing this? I was thinking of just using a regular classroom and positioning the camera to capture the screen and myself. This is how we sometimes record our lectures. I would then position a monitor in the front row so I could see the remote participants. Is this a more/less reasonable approach? I am a little worried that things will get too small.