Skype with video?

August 21, 2005 8:47 PM

I read an article a year or so ago about free IM services. One of the ones mentioned included the ability to use webcams and get video. I have a three year old, and live 1000 miles from her grandparents, so I'd love to get this service and have them be able to see each other while they talk. You know - the good old Jetson's-style videophone stuff.

I thought it was Skype, but I downloaded and installed it and can't find any settings or anything in it for video.

My requirements are simple: I need it to be free (both the software and the service), and run on Windows XP Pro. I haven't purchased a webcam for myself or them yet, so webcam compatibility isn't an issue - I'll get whatever will work with the service.

posted by robhuddles to computers & internet (16 comments total)

iChat and AIM now provide interoperable videochat.

Unfortunately, only Mac-based iChat-to-iChat with Apple's iSight really provides a satisfactory experience. It is free, given that you own Macs and iSights, which I realize is out of your scope.

However, I have been using this setup to keep in touch with my parents for over a year now and I gotta tell you - it rocks. To the point that I feel some of the feelings one has when one's parents live in the same town. :)
posted by mwhybark at 8:53 PM on August 21, 2005

I should calrify - when last investigated, AIM on Wintel (XP and up, i think) offered free videochat. iChat and AIM use the same network.

WinAIM, however, limited the video window to a native-resolution display within the AIM UI. iChat does not.
posted by mwhybark at 8:55 PM on August 21, 2005

AIM, MSN and Yahoo all offer this. ICQ doesn't but no one uses it.
posted by abcde at 9:08 PM on August 21, 2005

Thanks, abcde and mwhybark. However, I don't want a text-based IM like Yahoo that merely lets me view a webcam. I also need audio support, since my 3-year-olds spelling isn't too great. :) From the looks of the FAQ, it looks like AIMs doesn't offer the audio side of things, either. If I'm wrong about either of these, please let me know. But the ability to actually *talk* to each other is also of paramount importance - sorry I forgot to list that in the original post.
posted by robhuddles at 9:20 PM on August 21, 2005

Robhuddles...My brother & I chat monthly (along with my 4 yr old niece).
He has XP, a webcam and a USB microphone.
I have OSX, and an isight.

We get a 320x240 10fps conneciton - good enough that lips + sound are in sync.
Two macs can get 30fps.

All of this is only possible on a highspeed connection.

No text. It's like a video phone call. No additional chargers.
posted by filmgeek at 9:56 PM on August 21, 2005

I've used MSN Messenger to have a video/audio chats between the UK and Australia with no problems (and no cost). Both sides were using Logitech webcams which seem to have good driver support in XP.
posted by bruceyeah at 10:20 PM on August 21, 2005

Like Skype but with video would be vSkype.
posted by geekyguy at 11:06 PM on August 21, 2005

MSN Messenger has worked great for me doing this. After much trial and error using other webcam software/messengers, I always end up going back to MSN. The sync and speed are great, plus its free.
posted by phox at 12:54 AM on August 22, 2005

filmgeek, is that with AIM/iChat, or what?
posted by kimota at 3:17 AM on August 22, 2005

Yahoo's instant messager handles audio and video.
posted by Goofyy at 4:31 AM on August 22, 2005

There is a video plugin for Skype called Spontania. I was very impressed with both the video and audio quality of this service, but had some trouble getting it to install on different machines. I would recommend going this route if you can.
Currently, my girlfriend and I are using Yahoo Messenger to communicate between North Carolina and Denmark, and it works pretty well. The quality isn't quite as good as with Skype and there seems to be a little more lag (maybe 1-2 seconds). It supports text, audio and video.
posted by Who_Am_I at 5:12 AM on August 22, 2005

All three also handle audio, I should say.
posted by abcde at 10:17 AM on August 22, 2005

Creative Labs sells a number of sub-30.00 cameras that are more than passable for use over the major IM video/audio chat networks. Having purchased a pair of cameras 2 years ago, I was able to set up a passable video chat from the east coast to the midwest on Christmas eve, and connect up various branches of the family. Worked like a charm.

Only thing I can advise is to try and remove any routers/switches/firewalls for the time when you're going to be connecting the cameras up. Even though they provide passive resistance, it's enough to drop your frame rate noticeably.
posted by thanotopsis at 12:15 PM on August 22, 2005

I've used Netmeeting successfuly for video chat and it is shipped with XP. Go to Start -> Run -> conf to access.
posted by Mitheral at 6:33 PM on August 22, 2005

iChat/AIM video does indeed handle audio.
posted by mwhybark at 11:31 PM on August 26, 2005

Skype has recently released Skype 2.0 with built-in video capabilities. Good stuff.
posted by geekyguy at 5:55 PM on January 12, 2006