Getting HD on Skype

[coldel]

Afternoon all - my wife is doing a skype session tomorrow, we have tried using two laptops in built cameras, and I hooked up an action cam running 20mp but whenever we run a skype conversation with cam it comes up really pixelated. We have sufficient lighting etc - when I use the action cam with the camera photo function on the laptop it looks great, when I turn on skype and try a laptop to laptop conversation using the same cam in the same room it looks terrible. I have a neighbour dropping off a (well sanitised!) ethernet cable, we are going to try hook the broadcasting laptop up directly to the router to see if that makes any difference. Failing that - any ideas why skype would turn an HD video signal into a really low res one?

[megaphone]

What is your BB internet speed? Run a speedtest. https://www.speedtest.net

[coldel]

69 download 9 upload - thats on wifi

[megaphone]

Well speed shouldn't be an issue then.

[coldel]

Thanks, yeah I am stumped, tried multiple laptops, hooked up an action cam running 20 mp quality - works ok on other apps the second you use skype its really slow, pixeled and a bit rubbish!

[bitchstewie]

Free Skype or Skype for Business?

It could be some form of traffic management by Microsoft as I know they were/are prioritising different components of their 365 voice/video offerings to maintain service with half the world working from home.

[mmm-five]

Unfortunately I've never found any resolution options in Skype/SkypeforBusiness.

According to our helpdesk, the picture/sound quality is down to: bandwidth, network congestion, latency and computer performance.

Some days our built-in HD cameras are perfect, other days it's like looking at an 8-bit Gameboy camera picture (and this is on HP ZBooks).

[coldel]

Thanks, yeah you could be right. Its free skype.

[coldel]

Just tried Zoom and it definitely looks better, so must be a skype thing

[The_Jackal]

Maybe try just a basic HD USB webcam if the GoPro is theissue?

[coldel]

The_Jackal said:

Maybe try just a basic HD USB webcam if the GoPro is theissue?

We need it for lunchtime tomorrow so no time to get another piece of equipment. We have tried two laptops with 740p cameras built in as well as hooking up the action cam and all show a poor quality on the skype call. To confirm, when I access the cameras using other apps the quality is fine. I am going with the idea that the sheer traffic on Skype has had them reduce quality for free accounts.