Best Webcam program

[[JiF]zougathefist]

Hi guys,

since I've been working away from home during the week I have managed to use up all of my minutes allowance on my mobile each month. this has led to some pretty hefty phone bills cos we all know how women can talk for hours about .... well....nothing really
So to solve this problem I have bought a webcam for the wifey (less of that you dirty minded buggers) and one for me so that we can chat for free over t'internet
however, having NO experience of this whole webcam chatting thang I don't know how best to utilise them
I need some recommendations on which program(s) are best to use for Voice & Video chat
we have 2 fairly high spec comps, both on 2mb DSL lines, cameras are Logitech and good quality picture
I have never used YIM or MSN
any or all help will be appreciated
I want to avoid the 'stop motion' effect common to webcam movies

Cheers ppl

[[JiF]LtWaterboy]

Z,

The instant messenger way is the simpliest & cheapest.

Should check & see who most of your friends use (AOL, MSN, Yahoo, MSCommunicator) and set up this account (its free).
ALL of them support a webcam in a simple way.

Then all you need to do is click on a couple buttons on the drop down menus to share your webcam and audio.

Each one of the above the EXACT process will differ slightly.

With the bad weather here, was working with one of my plants (he lost his phone). We just turned on the audio while we were IM'ing on MScommunicator and it was fine (saved MY cell phone mins too!).

Hope this helps.

LT

[[JiF]Mini Rambo]

I use yahoo,MSN and ICQ.
MSN and Yahoo are near the same with the quality of sound and cam.
Easy to setup. With yahoo you can send files at the offline mode. That works with MSN not so good.
When you download the MSN, look that it is the MSN Live Messenger becasue that is the newest MSN.
With other MSN (5 or 8 ) you can have problems at the instalation because MSN block the old Messenger.

At MSN you can start a Video/Voice discusion with one klick. At yahoo you had to start first the Cam and then you can start the Voice.

ICQ is not my favorite Messenger because it works not so good ,offline message two month later and other things and the setup and using is sometimes complicated.

Hope this help!

Mini

[[JiF]zougathefist]

cool,
thanks guys
I guess i'll go with MSN or YIM
what do most of the Jiffers use?
let me know and I will go with that one so as I can chat to you lot as well
ZtF

P.S Rambo, saw your new vids, pretty cool
will try to make a sniper ( ) montage this or next week
Joined the site so will post there

[[JiF]FrenchAfroman]

Well MsN is alright but nothing goes over SKYPE, i think skype is even written on the box of my logitech cam as the programm to use. its easy to set up almost never crashes and has good video and sound quality. ive used it once a week when i used to live in the states to call home in germany, i had it run for over an hour everytime and i m sure if ur internet connection is good then skype won't crash

www.skype.com

Ps: no charge but thats what we expeckted

[[JiF]Lt Gav]

The people in our art studios use MSN to share picture concepts with each other.
They can hold sketch ideas up to the camera & chat about them.
My point is that if people that hardly know their a**e from their elbow when it comes to IT can make this thing work it must be easy.

[[JiF]rix]

We use skype, works fine.

[[JiF]zougathefist]

do you need a phone handset for SKYPE? or will a mike and headphones do?

[[JiF]rix]

do you need a phone handset for SKYPE? or will a mike and headphones do?

No phone handset needed in this case. Mike and headphones work fine. Easy to install and startup even for us half computer-analphabetics.

[[JiF]FrenchAfroman]

like rix said mike and headset or speaker box work fine thats what ive been using for years. and like i said skype works with logitech and is recomended by logitech (take a look at ur box i m sure it was even written on mine when i bought it at walmart) my skype has an automatic recognition (only word i could think of) of logitech webcams, or at least mine does

[[JiF][AARP]Tissueman]

Even I was able to set up and use Skype. The biggest problem I had was my son-in-law couldn't hear me until I realized the switch on my headphone mic was set to 'off'. Once I did that it went well. It is a great way to talk to my grandkids.

Of course if you are on camera with your wife you can't play solitaire or do crossword puzzles while 'talking' to her. You have to look into the camera and not roll your eyes, etc.

[[JiF]Mike]

Tissue got it right at least.

Mike == ME!!
MIC == audio device

Oh yeah, Skype is the way to go from what I hear. I don't do much chatting online but I know people who do and they all use Skype and love it.

If you really wanna get interesting check out Digsby. Though I don't believe it does Video chat....yet.

[[JiF]FrenchAfroman]

we're just a bunch of morons. but u could try to talk to Mike and have him talk to ur wife afterwards

[[JiF]Mike]

lol

[[JiF]Lt Gav]

Z man

Just read this review!
Seems like just what you're after.

http://www.computershopper.co.uk/news/2 ... -easy.html