Private Webcams

For Video Conferencing and such

[Visit Thailand]

I would like to know the best software available for me to be able to see and talk to other people on the net using my webcam etc.

Ideally I would like to set it up on my server so that the other people do not have to install any software.

It would not be for the general public just special clients overseas.

Can this be done? and if so how and what is the best software for it.

[bill]

Never found one package that did it all...The best I've been able to do lately is to use Webcam32 to stream my video out and Skype for voice. Another passable low level video option is to use the Super Webcam option in Yahoo Messenger, if you can get it to work consistently.

[Visit Thailand]

Thanks Bill, I had looked at Yahoo Messenger it looks like a decent product but it requires both users to have broadband which I do not.

Have since located eyeballchat.com which is simple to install but is not really what I was looking for as it requires each user to download a copy etc.

Will have a look at the other two you mentioned. Thanks.

[bill]

The Webcam32 software will let you set up a video stream to a web page that will perform quite well if only one or two people are receiving. Your viewers only need to have Java enabled. (There are other options that don't require Java) They have a voice chat applet as well, but I could never get it to work well. The problem with this setup is that they can see you, but you can't see them.

If you're stuck without broadband you could always use NetMeeting. That's included free in every version of Windows, but it might be tough to locate depending on your version. I used to use NetMeeting on a 56kbps modem back in the mid-90s, and you could have a pretty good connection sometimes. The downside to this is that getting connected can be tricky/difficult.

[monsterhosting]

I have found MSN easy to do this with and it's free :)

[bill]

MSN is sometimes OK for voice, but video is terrible. I have 100Mbps fiber optic broadband at home, and connecting using MSN Messenger with a friend who has 30Mbps cable there is an enormous lag in the video. The frame rate is maybe 1fps (at best) at times but dips to 1 frame every few seconds at times. But the lag really kills it, as it is several seconds behind. If MSN is that bad with my broadband I'd hate to see it on dialup.

[Visit Thailand]

I can only drool at an 100 Mbps connection. I have seen MSN on a computer with broadband (don't know the speed) and a user on dial up and it would have been better to just call!

I am amazed though there are no simple solutions for this. An emerging or underdeveloped market?

[bill]

Well, only a few years ago Japan was a developing market (internet connection-wise). I got by with NetMeeting for voice and video via dial-up speeds for years. I know what a pain it is.

You really might want to take a look at Skype for voice. It requires software on both ends, but the quality is excellent even on slower speeds.

Video is still a rough area for some reason. I have all the accessories like dedicated webcam capture cards and bandwidth out the wazoo, but I can't find a good streaming app either...

I've read that there are VoIP video phones available...but then you'd need hardware on each end and I doubt dial-up could handle it...