Webcam - advice, please!

[jeannie]

My son bought a pair of web cameras and gave me one for Christmas so we can videoconference along with my two year old grandson. Wonderful idea, but....

Like all things computer-related, getting set up to use these web cameras is turning out to take longer than I thought it would. It came with software to set it up to use with the Windows instant messenger or the AOL instant messenger, but the web camera manufacturer's online help[ site now says the web camera support is built into the latest version of Windows Messenger, and is built-in to AIM 9.0 (which doesn't seem to be available yet), so AIM seems to be out of the question for the videoconferencing.

The latest version of Windows Instant Messenger hasn't worked for me yet because it's expecting a separate microphone and camera, and this camera has the mic built-in.

The CD that came with the WebCam also had Yaoo Instant Messenger on it - but an old copy. When I downloaded the current version of Yahoo Messenger, it seems to work (at least with the camera on my desktop testing with my laptop without a camera.) Further testing needs to be done with my son using both cameras.

My questions are-

1) what would you recommend for this very limited videoconferencing?
2) Is there an 'instant messenger' software that allows you to communicate with people using other IM software? (I haven't used instant messaging much);
3) If there is a 'generic' instant messenger, does it support videoconferencing?
4) What other ways could we set up videoconferencing? (I had a web cam about 5 years ago and tried to use NetMeeting, but at that time, getting onto a site was nearly impossible, plus it seemed like everyone on the site could see me and try to 'hot chat'. A few of my friends/family had also tried webcams and gave up since they could never seem to hook up with THEIR friends/family and it was too slow - but broadband access is readily available these days).

 

[Jeratain]

I don't understand why you can't use MSN. Have you installed version 6.1? It has built-in webcam and microphone support. I don't have a webcam but I still have the option to send a webcam stream when I'm on MSN.

And that's strange it says AIM 9.0 - AIM is only up to version 5.2 - It probably meant AOL 9.0, seeing how that's their newest version.

I think your best bet is MSN Messenger. But webcams are a foreign concept to me since I've never actually used one.

 

[GenghisK]

Okay, here you go ma'am

1) Actually, a quite unknown though excellent and free software called Eyeball Chat. As I said it's free and it also *compatible* with other text-only IM. I clarify:
Eyeball itself is working like any other IM but has also an option of videoconferencing. The protocol is of course proprietary. Beside this, it features also a compatibility with AIM, MSN and Yahoo, although it comes with only and strictly the minimum, i.e. allows only to interop with those 3 IM but no logs, file send, avatar, advanced stuffs, etc.. Just the basic chat, period. Actually I only use eyeball for the video chat and not for Y!/AIM/MSN. The voice quality is pretty fair, and the video size depens on your bandwidth (I use 640x480 with my logitech webcam).

2) If you don't like your taskbar to be full of icons of 3 or 4 messengers at the time, you can use either trillian (the pro version is not free though), or gaim. Nota: I like Gaim, since it also has html syntax recognition. It means in your chat you can format, use color and html basic tags Still miss the file transfer though, it's in the todo list. It's open source btw.

3) cf. (1)

4) If you are more than 2 people to videoconf then use the free Ivisit

5) Never liked Netmeeting. Plus, now Microsoft has officially abandonned it. It is no longer built in nor supported in windows (at least from Longhorn)

PS: happy new year btw

 

[nihilistic]

MSN seems to be able to do everything you listed (except the communicating with other clients part; if you want that capability, look into trillian). MSN s in fact a better Im client than either AIM or Yahoo. The only thing AIM has is its immense user base inertia.

http://messenger.msn.com/

 

[GenghisK]

And also the fact that your @hotmail.com address is prone to be spammed Well although you never broadcast it, you still get spam. Probably because spammers search on hotmail directory. Anyway, now that you can register any email and not necessarily a hotmail passport, things are better.