Windows Live for mac?
Discussion
Sorry to be vague....
I'm chatting to a friend on msn wanted to try and chat via a webcam but I think I need windows Live to do that??
We did it on Skype earlier but that fcuked up pretty fast and now says there is an error lol
Any ideas? Just want to chat via webcam? (I have a built in i sight on my mac - they have webcam and XP...
I'm chatting to a friend on msn wanted to try and chat via a webcam but I think I need windows Live to do that??
We did it on Skype earlier but that fcuked up pretty fast and now says there is an error lol
Any ideas? Just want to chat via webcam? (I have a built in i sight on my mac - they have webcam and XP...
IME Skype works well between Mac and Mac, and between Windows and Mac.
Just needs to be cleanly installed and you need enough network bandwidth.
The early versions were buggy as hell. I found that I'd get 20 minutes video chat before Skype would lose packets right left and centre and I had to hang up and call again. But it was workable.
And this is on a hacked-to-bits G5 Quad with old-school Firewire iSight webcam. Skype is rock solid on my Macbook and Macbook Pro (and my sister's Macbook, which is my old Macbook) with the built-in USB video cameras.
You really shouldn't be having any trouble with Skype, unless you have a particularly random firewall setup that prevents the two machines from talking to each other without going via proxy. Skype's code is very clever in the way it probes networks to find the most efficient way to connect, so if you're having big trouble with Skype, it's probably a firewall port forwarding issue.
I found I just needed to forward one port for TCP/UDP for Skype and then put that particular port number into Skype itself to tell it where the hole in the firewall was. I chose a random number between 10000 and 10500 - you can choose whatever you like, though you need to put it in the Skype preferences on your Mac.
If you don't know what I'm talking about with regard to port forwarding or firewalls, then perhaps check out the Skype forums regarding network connections because that sounds like your issue. When the two machines connect directly, even a Mac and a Windows PC run Skype video as smooth as silk, IME....
Just needs to be cleanly installed and you need enough network bandwidth.
The early versions were buggy as hell. I found that I'd get 20 minutes video chat before Skype would lose packets right left and centre and I had to hang up and call again. But it was workable.
And this is on a hacked-to-bits G5 Quad with old-school Firewire iSight webcam. Skype is rock solid on my Macbook and Macbook Pro (and my sister's Macbook, which is my old Macbook) with the built-in USB video cameras.
You really shouldn't be having any trouble with Skype, unless you have a particularly random firewall setup that prevents the two machines from talking to each other without going via proxy. Skype's code is very clever in the way it probes networks to find the most efficient way to connect, so if you're having big trouble with Skype, it's probably a firewall port forwarding issue.
I found I just needed to forward one port for TCP/UDP for Skype and then put that particular port number into Skype itself to tell it where the hole in the firewall was. I chose a random number between 10000 and 10500 - you can choose whatever you like, though you need to put it in the Skype preferences on your Mac.
If you don't know what I'm talking about with regard to port forwarding or firewalls, then perhaps check out the Skype forums regarding network connections because that sounds like your issue. When the two machines connect directly, even a Mac and a Windows PC run Skype video as smooth as silk, IME....
cyberface said:
IME Skype works well between Mac and Mac, and between Windows and Mac.
Just needs to be cleanly installed and you need enough network bandwidth.
The early versions were buggy as hell. I found that I'd get 20 minutes video chat before Skype would lose packets right left and centre and I had to hang up and call again. But it was workable.
And this is on a hacked-to-bits G5 Quad with old-school Firewire iSight webcam. Skype is rock solid on my Macbook and Macbook Pro (and my sister's Macbook, which is my old Macbook) with the built-in USB video cameras.
You really shouldn't be having any trouble with Skype, unless you have a particularly random firewall setup that prevents the two machines from talking to each other without going via proxy. Skype's code is very clever in the way it probes networks to find the most efficient way to connect, so if you're having big trouble with Skype, it's probably a firewall port forwarding issue.
I found I just needed to forward one port for TCP/UDP for Skype and then put that particular port number into Skype itself to tell it where the hole in the firewall was. I chose a random number between 10000 and 10500 - you can choose whatever you like, though you need to put it in the Skype preferences on your Mac.
If you don't know what I'm talking about with regard to port forwarding or firewalls, then perhaps check out the Skype forums regarding network connections because that sounds like your issue. When the two machines connect directly, even a Mac and a Windows PC run Skype video as smooth as silk, IME....
I'll check the setups now...Just needs to be cleanly installed and you need enough network bandwidth.
The early versions were buggy as hell. I found that I'd get 20 minutes video chat before Skype would lose packets right left and centre and I had to hang up and call again. But it was workable.
And this is on a hacked-to-bits G5 Quad with old-school Firewire iSight webcam. Skype is rock solid on my Macbook and Macbook Pro (and my sister's Macbook, which is my old Macbook) with the built-in USB video cameras.
You really shouldn't be having any trouble with Skype, unless you have a particularly random firewall setup that prevents the two machines from talking to each other without going via proxy. Skype's code is very clever in the way it probes networks to find the most efficient way to connect, so if you're having big trouble with Skype, it's probably a firewall port forwarding issue.
I found I just needed to forward one port for TCP/UDP for Skype and then put that particular port number into Skype itself to tell it where the hole in the firewall was. I chose a random number between 10000 and 10500 - you can choose whatever you like, though you need to put it in the Skype preferences on your Mac.
If you don't know what I'm talking about with regard to port forwarding or firewalls, then perhaps check out the Skype forums regarding network connections because that sounds like your issue. When the two machines connect directly, even a Mac and a Windows PC run Skype video as smooth as silk, IME....
Thanks for that
GHW said:
Skype is horrendous on my G4 iBook - constantly crashing/hanging in the middle of conversations 
Unfortunately it's the best video conferencing client I've found so far for Mac-Windows use..
Using what webcam? That's the biggest problem with Skype IME - the integrated kit works *so* much better than the external iSight firewire cams (that aren't sold any more) that it's hilarious.Unfortunately it's the best video conferencing client I've found so far for Mac-Windows use..
It's also a stupidly resource hungry app, and this could be some of your problem... I've got a G5 Quad with 4.5 GB of RAM and RAID-0 dual Raptors... it's a
ing fast box - and Skype will eat one of the 4 CPUs without any trouble.And one 2.5 GHz G5 is probably a bit quicker than your single G4 - especially in an iBook... what do Skype claim about minimum specs for the app on Mac?
It's piss poor really, given how quick and smooth iChatAV is on Mac-to-Mac connections even with older / slower Macs.
But I've had enough aggro with the Firewire iSight (and Apple's oddball 'stop selling it entirely' policy seems to prove me right) that I reckon there are fundamental bugs / problems with it. They're worth quite a lot on eBay as a result.... in high demand... in your position I'd sell the iBook and iSight (you'll get £100 or more for the iSight) and get a first-gen intel MacBook... Skype works so much better...
GHW said:
Skype is horrendous on my G4 iBook - constantly crashing/hanging in the middle of conversations
Unfortunately it's the best video conferencing client I've found so far for Mac-Windows use..
Camfrog might be worth a look for crossplatform use.. Small vids, but it works. If you come across iVisit in your searches, give that a wide berth.Unfortunately it's the best video conferencing client I've found so far for Mac-Windows use..
For those Mac users that insist on MSN, AMSN might be worth a go.
P,
we had some issues when we first used skype on our mac (all our mates use windows), but i think it was more related to the amount of people on the network (skype reckons anywhere between 6-8.5 million users when we are on; at 8 million it goes slow as f...)
I regularly update my software and have had few problems these days. Occasionally sound, but video is usually good. Don't know how often you update, but could be worth it now..?
Incidently, i have found that most of the problems have always been caused by the other party using the cheapest, crappest plug-in webcam they can find. These seem to cause a lot of trouble between video and sound, particularly if the mike is integrated in the camera; just can't seem to get a good balance. The mac set up (MBP) is pretty good, but of course being fixed to the computer it probably better optimised. Since my girlfriends parents (main users of skype for us) changed to a more established camera/mike make, the quality is much improved.
I regularly update my software and have had few problems these days. Occasionally sound, but video is usually good. Don't know how often you update, but could be worth it now..?
Incidently, i have found that most of the problems have always been caused by the other party using the cheapest, crappest plug-in webcam they can find. These seem to cause a lot of trouble between video and sound, particularly if the mike is integrated in the camera; just can't seem to get a good balance. The mac set up (MBP) is pretty good, but of course being fixed to the computer it probably better optimised. Since my girlfriends parents (main users of skype for us) changed to a more established camera/mike make, the quality is much improved.
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