Video abilities

selvan777 · Post by **selvan777** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 12:29 pm

I would like to have video abilities with the called party, how would you suggest I get it?

hsweiss · Post by **hsweiss** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:05 pm

Skype, ooVoo, Yahoo Messenger, etc

selvan777 · Post by **selvan777** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:48 pm

Sorry for my lack of knowledge on this subject.

All those you mentioned above, do they provide this service for free?

I don't have a built-in camera, so aside from having to get an external, are there any more expenses related to setting myself up for this?

JohnnyFreightTRAIN · Post by **JohnnyFreightTRAIN** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 1:18 am

I'm not sure about skype and oovoo but I am pretty sure that they wont charge you.
I have never seen any program that makes you pay to send and recieve webcam.

I use Windows Live Messenger, myself.

As long as you have a webcam and the other person does, too (and ur using the same program). It will work for free.

If you can't figure this out it's quite easy... Just send me a PM and I'll walk you through how to do it.

Darkman90808 · Post by **Darkman90808** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:38 am

FWIW, a "friend" was trying to hustle me into an MLM program selling VoIP video phones from an outfit called Link 5, if memory serves. I think the monthly was between $20 -$25, depending on how you paid.

Of course, anyone using the video also had to have one of their phones, but the demo looked good, if you have a use for such a thing. On the other hand, MLM makes me want to run out of the room screaming.

hsweiss · Post by **hsweiss** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:45 am

selvan777 wrote:Sorry for my lack of knowledge on this subject.

All those you mentioned above, do they provide this service for free?

I don't have a built-in camera, so aside from having to get an external, are there any more expenses related to setting myself up for this?

You can get a web-cam with rebates, on sale, etc for $10-$20 (I got mine after rebate for $10 from Staples).

Skype and ooVoo are both free for computer-2-computer calls. Those calls can be voice-only or voice+video. I use it all the time to talk to my son away at college although he took his old machine with him and so 2-way video is not possible because of lack of CPU performance. But my daughter's newer duo-core laptop works great for 2-way video and voice. Skype only charges for computer-2-land/cell phones. Computer-2-computer voice calls are typically *much* better than MJ calls - it usually sounds like the person is sitting right next to you (probably because Skype didn't use international standards or codecs but invented their own to operate in the hostile Internet environment with packet losses and jitter).

selvan777 · Post by **selvan777** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 1:15 pm

Thanks for all the tips!

$10 is great, I was thinking I had to spend more like $70 at http://accessories.us.dell.com for a webcam like the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000. Or do you think that particular one is worth the extra $$$?

So if we connect via MJ for audio we can use Skype (or pretty much any other) for just the video portion?[/url]

I hope my system is beefy enough to support a decent VoIP session.

az2008 · Post by **az2008** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 1:31 pm

selvan777 wrote:$10 is great, I was thinking I had to spend more like $70

If you want good quality, an inexpensive digital camera with a "PC Camera mode" would be better. Those cheap (even expensive) web cams don't produce good quality. The lenses are tiny. They do poorly in low light conditions. A real digital camera (that has the capability to serve as a web cam) will work better in lower light. Just compare the lens sizes. They're like 10 times the diameter of a "web cam."

I got Vivitar (7010? 70 something). It cost about $70 and has that "PC Camera mode." I bought a little tripod with flexible legs. I think that setup works a lot better than the normal web cam. But, it costs more.

Mark

hsweiss · Post by **hsweiss** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:33 pm

selvan777 wrote:Thanks for all the tips!

$10 is great, I was thinking I had to spend more like $70 at http://accessories.us.dell.com for a webcam like the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000. Or do you think that particular one is worth the extra $$$?

So if we connect via MJ for audio we can use Skype (or pretty much any other) for just the video portion?[/url]

I hope my system is beefy enough to support a decent VoIP session.

Not sure why you would want to use MJ for audio. Skype does audio *and* video and like I said, the audio is actually better than MJ. BTW, you do need a headset to use Skype (I got a pretty decent USB headset for $10 on ebay). If you don't want to use a headset, it also works quite well with PC speakers and a microphone (especially laptop builtin speakers and mic). You an also have it work with a USB phone - which can also be used with MJ in place of a phone with an RJ-11.

selvan777 · Post by **selvan777** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:48 pm

Great tip!

Lokked into my digicam, an Olympus C-3030 Zoom, no good. Then I thought why not my videocam, a Sharp VL-Z5, I'm trying it out now.

hsweiss · Post by **hsweiss** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:58 pm

az2008 wrote:
selvan777 wrote:$10 is great, I was thinking I had to spend more like $70
If you want good quality, an inexpensive digital camera with a "PC Camera mode" would be better. Those cheap (even expensive) web cams don't produce good quality. The lenses are tiny. They do poorly in low light conditions. A real digital camera (that has the capability to serve as a web cam) will work better in lower light. Just compare the lens sizes. They're like 10 times the diameter of a "web cam."

I got Vivitar (7010? 70 something). It cost about $70 and has that "PC Camera mode." I bought a little tripod with flexible legs. I think that setup works a lot better than the normal web cam. But, it costs more.

Mark

While I don't necessarily disagree with you, unless you have a dual core machine and can take advantage of Skype's new high res video, anything more than a cheap web cam is a waste. I've got a Creative Live!Cam that works good enough for Skype "normal" resolution video.

selvan777 · Post by **selvan777** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:02 pm

hsweiss wrote:Not sure why you would want to use MJ for audio....

You know what, I'm not either. I will get it all going with Skype!

Well, when I plug my videocam in and open it's drive, I see myself streaming but after a little while it unplugs and the window closes. To fix it I have to turn off the videocam and turn it back on again only to go through it all again.

I went through the videocam's menu and don't see any option to turn off auto-off or anything similar. It is plugged into A/C when I do this but I am not hitting record or anything.

Any ideas how to keep it on constantly?

az2008 · Post by **az2008** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:05 pm

selvan777 wrote:an Olympus C-3030 Zoom.

I have a C-3030-Z. That's an old camera. I got it when it first came out in mid-2000?

Some of the newer ones, over the past 2-3 years have the "PC Camera mode". I think it's just a matter of the camera coming with a driver that will operate it in that mode, making it look like what is commonly called a "web cam."

It's never been easy for me to find out which cameras have this mode. Whenever I asked the sales people at places like CompUSA they'd point me to the real web cams as soon as they heard the word "web cam." The only way might be to buy one with the intention to see if it has that feature, and return it if not. With mine, the only way I could tell was that when I plug it into the USB port (to transfer files), the camera menu displays a choice between acting like a drive, or a PC camera. (The manual also mentions something about the PC Camera mode.).

I don't know if a video camera would work. It's all about whether the camera comes with a driver to make it look like a web cam (and maybe an internal firmware feature to switch it into that mode).

Mark

selvan777 · Post by **selvan777** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:39 pm

az2008 wrote:I have a C-3030-Z. That's an old camera. I got it when it first came out in mid-2000?

Ya, me too. It kills me to remember what I paid for it too. But it's a good one and I still use it.

Well, I'm off googling and searching for help to make this Sharp VL-Z5 work as a webcam while connected via firewire. Otherwise, I'm off to Staples for a cheap one.

Thanks for all the help and Merry Christmas / Happy New Year

selvan777 · Post by **selvan777** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 10:23 am

No luck in finding a driver to trick XP into thinking the Olympus C3030 Zoom or the Sharp VL-Z5U are WebCams so I ended up waiting to pickup the below at Circuit City for $22:

"Logitech QuickCam Communicate MP, Model #: LOG 960000240"
http://www.circuitcity.com/ccd/productD ... ycode=8360

propane-guy · Post by **propane-guy** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 12:35 pm

I have been using Skype phone with video for several years and it is fantastic and absulutly free as long as the person you are calling is also on Skype. If your computer does not have a built in web-cam i have found that the Logitec webcams in the $30.00 range work best. I had one I paid $100.00 for and it was pretty much worthless. I talk to people all over the globe (Germany, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Iraq, Afganistan) an others absolutly free for hour at a time. I use it whenever I travel on my laptop. Just go to Skype.com and check it out.