Users of LifeCam, a camera from Microsoft sometimes encounter problems when such device is used in MSN messenger. In the middle of the online chat with a friend, you may experience hearing echoes or no audio at all using the LifeCam. This article will focus on the troubleshooting steps on how to resolve the video call problems in MSN Messenger.
• You get the following error message during the use of LifeCam in MSN Messenger: “Your conversation cannot begin because your camera is currently in use or not plugged in. Make sure that your camera is available and try again.”
• You can’t hear a sound, even though your contact can hear you.
• You hear a sound of your contact but your contact can hardly hear you.
• LifeCam dashboard is invisible in the video window.
• You can not hear any sound or echo.
• A conflict between video and audio that they can’t get synchronized.
• There is a delay in capture of images.
The following are the causes of the incompatibility of LifeCam in MSN Messenger.
• If another application is using the LifeCam
• The MSN service provider is experiencing technical difficulty
• There are two MSN programs installed in your computer, the other is old.
• The settings for audio/video must be modified and adjusted
• There must be a firewall blocking the ports that are necessary for connection.
• The contact you are trying to reac and have conversation with may have low bandwidth Internet.
• Your contact may have turtle speed computer.
Resolution
1. The video call can fail if the MSN messenger has difficulties. You need to verify for the network status of the messenger.
2. Make sure that the latest version of MSN is installed.
3. Use the Internet Explorer 6 or the later versions in running the MSN application
4. Make sure to configure the audio settings and video options in MSN.
5. In configuration of the MSN make sure that you close all MSN windows and load it again as well as the LifeCam. Load the MSN program again and follow the steps:
• Use the Audio and Video Set up wizard
• Start the Windows Live Messenger
• On the page for Tools, click on the Audio and video set up
• Follow the steps and instructions in the wizard to change the settings for audio and video features.
• Check the settings for audio:
1. Click the Start
2. Go to Search programs and files box and type in the: mmsys.cpl
3. Click on the mmsys.cpl file
4. In windows Vista and Windows 7, you may select the LifeCam device you want to set as default device. You can do this in Playback and Recording tabs.
5. Then, click the Set Default button
6. If you are using the Windows XP, then click the Audio tab and select the Use only default devices check box and hit OK.
7. Check if your firewall is blocking the ports needed for the video call.
By: Mark Jim Borbon
About the Author:
Filed under Communications by on Nov 21st, 2010. 
You might have encountered problems about your camera from Microsoft-the LifeCam the first time you installed its software. If you experience the following issues, then this article is for you.
• The picture or the video appears to be out of focus.
• The preview of the video is not visible.
• You can see black screen.
• The software suddenly crashes or freezes
• The screen begins to scramble
• The LifeCam software does not function at all
• You receive an error message that goes like this:
Error: A minimum of 800×600 and 16-bit color is required
The above issues should not stop you from using the lifecam with any instant messenger such as Yahoo or MSN or Skype.
Resolution
Step 1. Installing the latest version of the Software
1. Go to Microsoft Web site.
2. Click on Software for Microsoft internet communications (webcam and headset) products.
3. In the window, Select type of product and choose Webcams.
4. In the Select your product box, specify the LifeCam product.
5. In the Select your operating system box, specify the Windows version.
6. In the Select your operating system language box, choose the Windows language.
7. Click the Go.
8. Download the newest version of LifeCam software.
Step 2. Installing the newest video driver for the adapter
In order to know the name as well as the manufacturer of hardware, you may follow the steps.
1. Open DirectX Diagnostic tool.
2. Click on the Display tab.
3. In the Device window, check the Name field and Manufacturer field to know the name as well as the manufacturer of the video device.
4. Click the Exit to close the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
Step 3. Adjusting the Display Settings
1. Open Display Properties or the Display Settings in the control panel.
2. Click on the Setting tab.
3. Move the Resolution slider or the Screen resolution slider up to 800×600 pixels setting.
4. In the colors box, specify the highest.
5. Then save the settings when you are prompted.
Step 4. Reducing the hardware setting.
The following steps are essential in determining whether or not there is a problem with the adapter or the video driver.
1. Right click on the desktop, then choose or click Properties.
2. Click on the Settings tab, and click Advanced.
3. Select the Troubleshoot tab.
4. Then move the Hardware Acceleration slider to left. The Hardware Acceleration setting must not reduce to less than 3 notches from right side. The Hardware Acceleration setting must follow:
• Disable all cursor and advanced drawing accelerations. Use this setting to correct drawing problems
• When you reduce the Hardware Acceleration setting, you may experience further problems with video rendering.
5. Click on OK twice.
By: Mark Jim Borbon
About the Author:
Read more on Troubleshooting "No Video" Problems When Starting LifeCam Software…
Filed under Communications by on Nov 21st, 2010.
If you are looking for a phone that can provide you the best video recordings and one of the best video calling experiences, then the Nokia N8 is the phone for you. When it comes to videos, this touch screen mobile phone has the features that you are looking for.
When we talk about video cameras, the phone comes with a camera that is superior over the competition. It comes with a 12 MP digital camera, which is one of the most powerful cameras in the mobile phone market today. You are sure to record nothing but high-quality videos.
With this camera, HD video recording is entirely possible. You can record videos in 720p resolution. This will offer you nothing but HD quality videos. This simply means that anything recorded on the N8 will be shot in rich and vivid colors.
Video cameras will never be complete without the ability to zoom in and zoom out of a shot. With this touch screen phone, you get 3X digital zoom. This simply means that you can zoom into your subject and zoom out when needed.
No matter how well shot a video may be it cannot be considered a good video with lousy audio. This will not be a problem with the Nokia N8. The phone comes with ambient stereo audio recording. In addition, the phone comes with new algorithms that reduce noise caused by the wind and other sounds caused by harsh environments.
For low light settings, you can set the phone up for reduced frame rate, white balance, and color tones. Plus, you can also make use of the phone’s video light. This will give you high-quality high-definition videos no matter how inadequate the lighting conditions may be.
If ever you need to make a video call, you never have to flip the phone around to make use of the primary camera. The phone comes with a secondary camera mounted on the face of the phone. This will make it easier for you to make and receive video calls on the Nokia N8.
When it comes to video sharing, there is an assortment of options you can take. If you feel the need to share your video on a larger screen, you can connect the phone to an HDTV via HDMI cable. This will allow you to enjoy your high-definition videos on a larger screen.
Since the phone comes with high-speed internet capabilities, you can also upload your videos on popular video streaming websites such as YouTube. These are the video cameras on the Nokia N8.
By: Sethe Gomez
About the Author:
Filed under Communications by on Nov 17th, 2010.
The birth of “Guerilla Video” sites, such as Peekvid.com, Alluc.org and Youtube.com have given users instant access to a plethora of free media files. Although streaming video technology offers instant access to video files, zero loading time is not always possible. There are many factors that attribute to your computer’s ability to start videos immediately. Other factors such as choppy PC video playback and slow video streaming also hinder your viewing experience. There are easy fixes to these problems. Sometimes choosing another site for the source of the video streaming or a lower quality version of the video can award you with instant play. These alternatives are not always available. However, there are a number of tweaks that help speed up your streaming video startup times, eliminate choppy PC video play and stop slow streaming video.
Before we start with the tweaks to speed up slow streaming video, lets get a basic understanding of streaming video technology in order to stop choppy video. Streaming video is a prerecorded video files that can be distributed as part of a live broadcast “feed.” The video signal is converted into a compressed digital signal and transmitted from a Web server. This server is able to be multicast the same file to multiple users at the same time. When you click on the on the video it is partially loaded before you can access it. This is known as “buffering”. This helps you to load and play the video instantaneously. Now lets take a look on how to cut down on buffering time, stop slow streaming video and eliminate choppy PC video playback .
Common Streaming Video Problems
Problem #1: Choppy PC Video Playback–Choppy video is usually a PC performance related issue. Here are a few things you can try to stop choppy playback and improve computer performance.
Solution A. Turn Off Hardware Acceleration-All media applications require different aspects of your computer’s hardware. Depending on the task, the requirements may change. Turning off hardware acceleration allows the application to set the requirements itself and not be forced to use one universal setting. Hardware acceleration has been to known to cause choppy PC playback, application crashes and slow streaming video problems.
You can eliminate the problem below:
1.Click on “Start”
2.Click “Control Panel”
3.Select the “Settings” tab and click on the “Advanced”.
4.Click on the “Troubleshoot” tab.
5.Disable the hardware acceleration completely by dragging the slider to the extreme left.
Solution B. Turn off Video Acceleration-The reason for this tweak is the similar to hardware acceleration. This act frees up resources in your media player and not your hardware. However you will need to decrease video acceleration in your chosen player. Some sites like Youtube.com don’t offer this option. However, Windows Media Player gives the ability to easily alter this problem, follow the steps below. Other players’ instructions will vary.
1. In Windows Media Player
2. Click the “Tools” menu tab
3. Click on “Options”
4. Select the “Performance” tab.
5. Move the Video Acceleration Slider to “None”
Solution C. Adjust your Windows Desktop Visual Effects-You computer will get a significance boost in
speed. This tweak will also free up more resources for your media player and PC performance.
1.Click “Start”, and then click “Control Panel”.
2.Click “System” and Choose “Display”.
3.Find the “Advanced” tab and Click
4.Under “Performance”, Click “Settings”
5.Under “Visuals Effects”, you may choose from a list of options such as “Adjust for best performance” or custom. If you choose Adjust for best performance all the features will be unchecked.
For more performance tips check the “Speed Up PC” to free up more resources to stop PC choppy playback.
Problem #2: Slow and Constant Buffering-This problem can be attributed to two factors internet speed and your media player. You can tweak your PC setting in both areas to cut down on slow streaming video. Remember that each player has its own buffer settings. Below is an how to change buffer setting in Media Player.
Solution A. Adjust Buffer Settings– To change the default buffer settings in Windows Media Player, use the following steps:
1.Start Windows Media Player
2.Click the “View” men
3.Click “Options”
4.On the “Advanced” tab, click “Streaming Media”(Windows Media)
5.Click “Change” to alter the buffer settings.
Remember that the higher you set the buffer the more of the clip will be loaded. The waiting time before you can see or hear the file will be longer, but there should be fewer interruptions once the clip begins to play.
Solution B. Use a Video Specific Proxy-A proxy allows for popular files to be loaded onto its servers. This eliminates the need for your computer to load the files. For example if you use the proxy, YouTubeProxy.org, you will not have to wait for your computer to download popular YouTube.com content because it may be already loaded in the server. This is a great way to stop slow streaming video.
These are just a few tips to eliminate choppy PC video playback and slow streaming video. However, there are more advanced ways to stop this problem. Depending on the site, there may be independent software developed specifically to speed up slow streaming video. Also, remember the general maintenance is a good way to avoid choppy PC video playback.
By: Gaelim Holland
About the Author:
http://www.delete-computer-history.com/how-to-speed-up-my-computer.html
Filed under Communications by on Nov 16th, 2010.
With videoconferencing people can interact as if they were talking face to face with both images and sound relayed in real time. This article is designed to guide you through the various options to arrive at the system type best suited to your purpose.
There are various types of videoconferencing; which is suitable for your application will depend upon the IT structure available and what it is that you actually want to achieve.
Video conferencing has in the past been relatively expensive, but prices are coming down and it is possible for anyone with a fast enough internet connection to operate a video conference.
Systems are available for hire, lease or sale.
Systems may be installed at all or any of the following: – on the desktop PC a dedicated videoconference suite mobile – for use when and where the need arises.
Each has various advantages and limitations which may be critical to your purpose.
Paradoxically it is far more critical that audio connections are maintained than the video. You may loose a video signal or it may be intermittent but the conference will still proceed – if you lose audio, nothing can be achieved (unless both parties are versed in sign language!)
Video speed for equipment is often shown as frames per second abbreviated as FPS.
In the UK video from most sources runs under the PAL standard which 25 frames per second – e.g. domestic VHS players. In the USA the system is NTSC which runs at 30 frames per second. Videoconference equipment commonly is specified as 15 fps or 30 fps. In layman’s terms – 15 fps will be jerky, it shows every other frame, 30 fps is full motion video.
The higher the frame rate the greater the data load, so the faster the connection required.
A minimum requirement for full motion video and audio between two points is 768 Kbps.
This made up of:- an encoding rate of 384 Kbps (typically used) is selected. This is broken down into two parts – 64Kbps is for the audio 320 Kbps is for the video.
The resulting 384 Kbps stream is compressed and sent (from you – the source) to the remote point (the destination). Similarly a 384 Kbps stream is received from the remote point to you. Thus twice 384 Kbps in bandwidth is required.
If there is a lot of motion in the video, very little compression is achieved. If there is little or no motion in the video, the savings can approach 50%. It would, however, be foolish to design a system which relied on the participants being forced to remain static.
There are two types of video conferencing, each has sub-types. Point to point – a live video / audio communication between any two locations. Multipoint – links between a three or more locations
Point to Point (P2P)
Point to point – a live video and audio communication link between any two locations.
P2P – Application
Where the need is to communicate between two points only at any one time: – Two offices of the same company Yourself and a business partner company, e.g. Yourselves and a major supplier Senior management/ teams from two divisions – e.g. research and manufacture.
P2P – Use
Virtual meetings on a one to one basis Project workgroup co-ordination of effort, live adjustment of data, drawings, documents or prototypes Virtual board meeting between two groups of people in specific locations – say 5 in one and 4 in another
P2P – Limitations
Bandwidth required increases in proportion to the amount of data being exchanged. Audit trail of actions taken by whom with a timeline sequence often required. Extra equipment is necessary to show physical objects, using a visulaiser for say engineering parts
Point-to-Point Videoconferencing
Consider two videoconference terminals (vct) that are connected to the Internet.
The vct and its associated peripherals allow the user to make a call to another client, send the local audio/video stream to the remote client, and hear/view the received audio/video stream on a local speaker/monitor that is connected to the vct.
Assume one user (the local user) uses a vct to call a user at a remote vct by entering the IP address of the remote vct. The clients setup a call between the stations following the specifications of the H.323 protocol. Once the call is setup, the clients exchange audio/video streams over the Internet. The point-to-point videoconference continues until one of the users “hangs up” the call.
IP numbers are difficult to remember; some users have dynamically assigned (DHCP) IP numbers that can change every time they boot their system and problems in using IP addressing when different vendor systems are used.
The Gatekeeper
To alleviate the problem of IP dialing, the H.323 standard defines the use of a gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper is a system that connects to the Internet just like the client terminals. The IP address of the gatekeeper is configured into the client terminals and when the clients “power up”, they communicate with the gatekeeper and transfer certain information to the gatekeeper that describes the vct.
When the clients register with the gatekeeper, they pass their IP numbers, H.323 alias, and H.323 extension to the gatekeeper where it is stored. This allows a local user to dial a remote user by entering the remote users H.323 extension in effect their video telephone number.
The local vct communicates the H.323 extension to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper then checks to see if the remote client is registered with the gatekeeper, then sets up the call between the two clients.
Once the call has been setup, the audio/video streams flow directly between the clients over the Internet.
Multipoint
Live video and audio links between a three or more locations.
To handle this situation, the H.323 standard introduces the concept of a Multipoint Control Unit (MCU). The MCU can be thought of as a “video bridge”. The MCU connects to the Internet and registers with the gatekeeper.
A MCU, depending on its design capacity, can handle a certain number of simultaneous videoconferences each with each videoconference being logically separate from the others and with each having a specified number of users.
When users want to join a particular videoconferencing session, they dial the service number/password combination. The gatekeeper checks to see if that service has been registered by a MCU. The gatekeeper completes the call by connecting the client to the specified videoconference on the MCU.
Once the call has been connected, the client’s audio/video stream is then sent over the Internet from the client to the MCU. Similarly, other clients connect to the session and send their audio/video streams to the MCU. The MCU selects one of the audio/video streams on the videoconference and returns that audio/video stream to all of the clients (that is all except the client whose stream was selected).
There are several methods for selecting an audio/video stream. Audio switching and chairman control are two alternatives. Typically, the method that is chosen is audio switching where the MCU selects the stream that currently has active audio (someone is talking or is talking the loudest).
As the user(s) at one site stop talking and the user(s) at another site start to talk, they capture the MCU. The process is repeated with the video from the newly selected site now being sent to all the other sites.
Streaming
To participate in a H.323 videoconference, users must have appropriate videoconferencing client terminals and have Internet connectivity with sufficient bandwidth to support the videoconference.
Some users may not have these capabilities but would still like to be able to participate even if that meant that they could only see and hear conference participants but not be able to interact with them. (Watch and Listen)
Users can receive the stream using a browser on a computer. They enter the URL of the server, and the server starts the encoded audio/video stream over the Internet to the computer.
Plug-Ins for the browser exist that are capable of decoding both RealVideo and Windows media streams. The user can thus see and hear the participants in the streamed videoconference in near real-time.
Alternatively, a user can connect to the server at a latter date and view the archived version of the videoconference.
By: James Hunter
About the Author:
Filed under Communications by on Sep 18th, 2010.
P2P Video Conference
When a face-to-face meeting with someone far away becomes a necessity or a compelling presentation must be given to a remote person, video conferencing is always your best choice. This means that you will get the exact solution you need for a productive and successful.
Here we are going to design peer to peer conferencing package designed to be a complete solution for all LAN conferencing. Leading Video conferencing Products are very costly and some products are not a Standard based, they are following their own Standards. So the quality and compatibility of the various products may differ.
To design a standard based video conference, we are going to use Java Technology. For the communication related Programming, the JMF 2.11e API is very helpful. The Java Media Framework API (JMF) enables audio, video and other time-based media to be added to applications and applets built on Java technology. This optional package, which can capture, playback, stream, and Trans code multiple media formats, for multimedia developers by providing a powerful toolkit to develop scalable, cross-platform technology.
In the architecture, the JMF Server applet captures the audio/video and stored in buffer then transmits into the JMF client applet as a RTP stream.To implementing the project we use G.711, G.722 audio codec, H.263, H.264 video codec and RTP Protocol.
Real-time streaming of media allows users to play media as they receive it. Users don’t have to wait for the whole media file to be downloaded before watching. To enable real-time streaming, dedicated streaming media servers and streaming protocols, such as real time Protocol (RTP), are required. RTP is an Internet standard for transporting real-time data.
Ref:
http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/jmf
http://www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-04-2001/jw-0406-jmf1.html
By: Lakshmichandrakanth Thangavelu
About the Author:
Lakshmichandrakanth.T
+91-9840082443,
http://www.sathisht.blogspot.com
http://www.linux-osfop.blogspot.com
Read more on Point To Point Video Conferencing Using Java’s JMF API…
Filed under Communications by on Sep 18th, 2010.
In these difficult economic times, companies are often looking for ways where they can cut costs. One obvious place where many companies can spend less money and still have similar results is travel. Especially when the travel is just for meetings, it can be an incredible expense that will never be recouped. Aside from the obvious costs (hotel rooms, airfares, and dinners in restaurants), there is also the cost for travel time of staff. When employees are in airports or traveling, they are unable to respond to customer requests or problems. Rather than loosing productivity in travel, technology makes it possible to conduct a meeting with participants throughout the country (or world) without anybody having to leave their office.
A video conference is typically very easy to set up. There are many different vendors that provide conferencing service to choose from. There may be some minimal technological capabilities that all participants’ computers must be capable of. Sometimes a small piece of web conferencing software will need to be installed. After the details of the conference are in place, participants will be given an 800 number to dial into. They will also have a code to get into the conference. If there are a large number of people in the conference, it is best for a moderator to guide the meeting.
Depending on the video conference vendor that is being used, there may be several additional capabilities. Some conferencing have the ability to utilize web cams so that people in the conference can see each other. Many times people conducting a conference want to share information on a computer program or application with members of the group. Using the web conference, they can give access to all participants to see their computer screen. Other conferences will include the ability for participants to instant message with each other and the moderator. Although this technology may appear overwhelming at first, many users can learn to use it proficiently in only a short period of time.
By using this modern conference technology, employees can be more productive. Communication between office locations may even be improved, since video conferences can be set up more often than in-person conference (due to the ease and cost savings of setting them up).
By: Charles Cheow
About the Author:
Filed under Communications by on Sep 15th, 2010.
Video conferencing has become a part and parcel of almost all the major meetings and it has provided solutions to lots of communication problems. It is very important to get the right kind of video conferencing equipment so that you can perform the conference without any trouble.
You must make sure that the equipment provides a clear picture as well as clear sound. There are various companies which manufacture these equipments. It is also very much essential to choose the right kind of company.
Other than this, video conferencing requires more than single equipment. All these equipments are equally necessary. The video conferencing systems are quite cost effective and have proved to be quite profitable for the users, specially the companies.
Other than the business institutions this equipments are equally popular among the first responders such as the police, fire fighters as well as the medical team. Conferencing has helped save lots of time as well as money. It provides a lot of support when the lives are at stake.
The users of the conference must have a desktop or a laptop with a webcam. Other than this, it must also have a microphone and internet connection which must be of high speed. You also need to have the proper software for the conference.
It is very important to purchase these products from trustworthy company which will provide a guarantee for the software and will also provide the product at a good rate. You can even compare the price of the various companies with the help of the internet.
There are certain rules which need to be followed during the video conference. It is very important to maintain decorum. The participants of the conference need to behave properly. Other than this, you also need to make sure that the participants can see as well as hear each other.
If you find problems in seeing or hearing a particular person then you must ask him to take his position in a better way. This must be followed more by the first responders. It has been found that many a times they work with the help of the video conference.
People on the other end provide instructions which they need to follow. So it is very important to see as well as hear clearly. The other thing which you need to follow is that try stay in one place.
If you move from one place to the other the person on the other end might get distracted. When you are speaking to the first responders during the emergency situations always try to be calm and speak slowly so that they can understand the instructions well and carry out the necessary steps to save lives.
By: Pam Nene
About the Author:
Read more on Video Conferencing Equipment For First Responders…
Filed under Communications by on Sep 14th, 2010.
The history of video conferencing has gone from expensive video equipment and “in room” systems that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars back in the 70’s and 80’s to the recent advent of desktop video conferencing services that use the Internet, web cams and cost under $100. per month for unlimited usage.
Read more on Affordable Desktop Video Conferencing Benefits the Small Business and Consumer Markets…
Filed under Communications by on Sep 13th, 2010.
For a small business trying to decide on a network solution which will be required to support video conferencing …. the journey can be aggravating.
Basically ….. Give me an open check and I will spend every dime on bandwidth pipes. Give me a fixed budget and I will squeeze every dime of bandwidth with compression techniques and accept the quality trade off.
Therein lies the dilemma ….. bandwidth vs quality.
So this is really not a question of bandwidth, but QoS (Quality of Service).
If you’re willing to accept some risk in QoS to keep your budget under control…..there are options open to you.
With the bandwidth, you would scale to the number of users using the video/multimedia streaming network. About 384kbps per active connection per direction is the scaling for basic video conferencing(320×240). For 640×480 double it, and for 1080i HD 3-7Mbps for each feed.
LAN – Local Area Network, the one you buy and build
WAN – The one you lease and pay for, DSL etc
DSL – Digital Subscriber Line, 3-7Mbps
VPN – Virtual Private Networking, key technology for your solution
For your LAN network topology you want Ethernet at each video conferencing location. This is standard for most all LANs. Your WAN or Wide Area Network connection is the one that needs speculation. Just 10 years ago your choice would have been either a few T-1’s at 1.5Mbps each, T-3 at 45Mbps, or Fibre for near limitless bandwidth depending on the above calculated bandwidth need.
Today’s internet backbone is much more developed and can handle VPN over cable/DSL very well. VPN is creating a virtual software driven dedicated connection over a broadband connection like DSL.
Many (Linksys) network routers come with VPN capabilities. This should be the first solution attempt because it is exponentially cheaper than any other way. All you would require is a VPN router (Linksys $100) and 3-7Mbps DSL/Cable at each video feed location. Don’t forget to get static IP’s for each DSL location so you can make your VPN a permanent structure of the internet.
That’s the basics. If you need help finding a DSL or cable provider in your area that won’t steal your wallet …. visit us at Broadband Nation.
By: Michael Lemm
About the Author:
Read more on A Cheap Solution For Small Business Video Conferencing…
Filed under Communications by on Sep 13th, 2010.