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Low Cost Videoconferencing and GNOMEmeeting?
aht asks: "OK!, here is my problem: I'm about to install a LAN of about 20 computers. Each computer must have a soundcard and a videocamera to videoconference with each other and to the outside (Internet). As Netmeeting compatibility is required, we're trying GNOMEmeeting with a USB Logitech QuickCam, but results have not been satisfactory at all. We're not sure if that bad results come from Logitech's USB driver, GNOMEmeeting or both."
"If we're not able to get videoconferencing working with GNOMEmeeting, we will be forced to install Windows 2000. :-(
We're considering moving from the USB videocamera to a BT8{4,7}8+videocamera, but we have economic restrictions: computer and videocamera and everything should stay close to or under $1000.
If we do choose to abandon the USB setup, what combination of hardware, videocamera and software would we need to satisfy our requirements?
We're using Debian Linux and we'd like to stick with AMD processors, if possible. Any help will be welcome!"
Damien Sandras, the lead for the GnomeMeeting project, has snapshots rolled of the forthcoming 0.12 release of GnomeMeeting.
:
Ripped from Mailing List
There are a lot of new features
* ILS rewrite (you can browse several ILS servers at the same time)
* full ILS support
* videograbber support (you can now make changes on the fly)
* gatekeeper support
* docklet support (Miguel Rodriguez)
* image zoom support
* jitter buffer delay support and other advanced codecs settings
* devices auto-detection
* bandwidth control support
* preferences reorganisation
The drivers are the problem. There will hopefully be a user added section for Camera ratings on the site soon.
On the V4L mailing list there have been a lot of discussions about which cameras are best and how to take advantage of a bttv based card to use a camera for video input. The mail list is here. And you have to be a list member to see the list archives. You might also check out which cameras are supported at http://www.linux-usb.org and match that up with something on the V4L list and/or GnomeMeeting list and archives .