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D-Link DVC-1000 Videophone Review
Milton Linkle writes "One of the first H.323 compliant videophones, that doesn't require a PC, is slowly but surely making it's rounds. This review provides a very good overview of the product, and even includes a few video caps of the device in action. If this product, or others like it eventually take off, we may get to a point where we no longer have a need for traditional telephones."
Um..yeah, I can't make it in today. I've got such a cold I can't even come to the screen. Honest.
"Can you see me now?.... Can you see me now?..."
Trolling is a art,
"If this product, or others like it eventually take off, we may get to a point where we no longer have a need for traditional telephones."
Well, I guess I'm done conducting phone interviews naked.
Technology ruins the Perverts life...
"It's a tarp!" -- Dyslexic Admiral Ackbar
look - the only way i'm going to buy any new electronic equiptment, particularly stuff that relies on the inherently insecure TCP protocol is if it implements some of the new TCP security features.
Specifically, does anyone know if this supports RFC 3514 ?
thanks in advance.
... hi bingo
Or old fashioned automobiles!
Where's my flying car? I was PROMISED a flying car with my videophone!
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
I seem to remember AT&T trying video phones a looong time ago.. Has anyone ever tried those before. I also remember they went nowhere and were quickly discontinued.
If this product, or others like it eventually take off, we may get to a point where we no longer have a need for traditional telephones." I personally haven't gotten a phone hooked up at my apartment after I moved out of the dorms. I typically use IRC, or ICQ for communication, but for the calling home to ask for mone, I set up one of the Creative labs phone blasters at my apartment and home. I've been using it since after Christmas break, and it works like a dream. Even my mom doesn't have a problem calling me. (I'm just lucky I can get a static ip from my ISP)
--fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
This is part of a wave of all consumer devices to make it more palatable for the average consumer at the expense of sealing it away from people like us.
Remember, once upon a time you could adjust the timing of the distributer of your car.
Implementing DRM is easy with sealed boxes like this.
It's Christmas everyday with BitTorrent.
No longer will I get to ask... ... what are you wearing?"
"So," pant, pant "..Oprah,
Best Windows Freeware
This article is a lie. The videophone was never reviewed. Even now, Iraqi soldiers are crushing the bastard American invaders! Victory is within our grasp.
Former Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf
Yeah this is great being able to see what someone looks like the morning after or the women/man they picked up :)
Rus
Cheap UK and US VPS
Has anyone used Vonage? My office is getting it soon and wanted to know what people who are currently using it have to say.
So far I can think of the links below, WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE? ESPECIALLY OPEN SOURCE!
Yahoo Super Webcam for broadband users.
http://messenger.yahoo.com/messenger/superwebcam/
Micro$oft MSN crap (also pre-installed on XP boxes)t =1
http://messenger.msn.com/support/webcam.asp?clien
.. how many of you are going to hook yours up to your DVD player so you can pretend Natalie Portman is calling you?
Check out 8x8's videophone. I saw a demo of this at their Santa Clara, CA office -- it's really cool. I have their VoIP service -- these guys are just really cool. Check it out.
... my new nickname will be Mooner.
"Derp de derp."
The technology for videophones has been around since the 40ies. Try and search the web if you don't believe it. The point is, users don't want it. No matter how many times a year a technology start-up pops up and tells us that yes, they can do it, users don't want it. Shouldn't be that hard to understand.
there's no way that I'm buying something that ties up the tv everytime somebody wants to make a phonecall. you'd think that for $269 they'd put some sort of display on the thing.
aoeu
no longer have a need for traditional telephones
the floppy disk...
sig
What's that you say? I'm overreacting? "Get a grip?"
Ok, let's see how we like it when people aren't just holding these things to the side of their heads and blabbing, but holding it out front of themselves like a make-up compact and blathering away and/or showing everyone all the great video, too.
Sometimes the future isn't all it's cracked up to be.
"Hi, I'd like an e-bomb, just a small one, do you have something that could knock out electronics within a 15ft radius?"
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
..to Vialta's piece of crap
Jason
ProfQuotes
Would somebody please explain to me why we have two standards for VOIP, and tell me which one lets me call the most people? SIP or H.323??
-russ
Don't piss off The Angry Economist
packages complete with a small condom-like rubber cover to protect the lens during shipment
I always figured that ejaculate on the lens would only be a problem AFTER shipment and receipt.
Seriously, though, I see major problems with this device with the Slashdot community. What happens to your online relationship when your significant other wants to call you on the videophone? I see many broken hearts in the future.
If you're against whats going on, grow up and protest it constructively. You sound like a 3-year-old.
At one time, someone was working on a Linux masq module to get h.323 to work with a linux box used as a firewall, although (again, last I checked) this didn't work too well. If you use a linksys or other "dsl/cable" router, you'll probably be SOL.
Roving Web-Teleoperated Robot
I'm not terribly interested in videoconferencing (unless it's really well integrated, with comfortable high-definition whiteboard functionalities as well as document scanning/faxing).
On the other hand, I'd be interested in a simple-to-use encrypted phone, even with low quality voice, for business purposes. Maybe inside a GSM phone.
Are there any such things being sold?
(Yes, I know of things like the STU-III, but I'm talking of cheap, easy-to-use gizmos, not cold war-designed US government hardware.)
No kidding. I laughed at this, not so much because it's funny, but because I know exactly what you mean.
Here's the rub. As of January 1st, 2003 it became illegal to drive while talking on a cell phone. Think it's had any impact? None that I can see, every other car that goes by someone is on the phone and virtually every one that cuts me or someone else off, appears to drive with disregard, or erratically, is the same (except for that one car where it looked like G. Bush Sr. having a debate with the passenger, waving hands all over the place except in the vicinity of the steering wheel.)
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
What, do you mean when she has to put the thing across the room just so she can fit in the picture? Or when she de-focuses it so you can't tell just how hideous the beast is?
-Looking for a job as a materials chemist or multivariat
She: You're picking your nose and it's grossing me out! We're through!
Trivia: Popeye's first words were, "Ya think I am a cowboy?"
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
do you ever get the feeling that people you see on the television are trying to communicate with you?
If you mod me down the terrorists will have won
Anyone else recall the vignette in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, where the introduction of video phones led to a downward spiral of self-consciousness and vanity until eventually people were talking with cardboard cutouts of their idealized, distorted selves staring at cardboard cutouts of the other persons idealized, distorted self?
Perhaps we should embrace the benefit of non-visual communication: "the bilateral illusion of unilateral attention..."
(2,3-Benzopyrrole)
If the video phone rings while I'm in the shower, I'm not going to rush out and get it.
they just bought linksys
netgear and dlink are the two major 'low-end' vendors now
Let's not confuse the technology and the poor implementation of the technology.
People talk loudly on their cell phones because the microphones are crap. They have to yell into the phones to overcome the background noise to get over the noise filter.
The technology exists to put a microphone in a cell phone that would let you speak at a barely perceptible level, but that would add, say $20, to the cost of the phone. Most people don't buy cell phones, they get them as loss-leaders from their service provider, so you can imagine how fast that's going to catch on.
Yes, corporate-greed/cheap-dumb-people are ruining your life once again.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
In their minds, you're getting free video phone service without paying them anything; in their minds, your cable modem bill is only for web surfing and e-mail.
I predict that they will specifically disallow these devices in their service contracts unless you pay a stiff extra monthly fee. They will probably also take technical measures to detect and block this "theft" of their service.
Companies like Polycom and Pictel have been making H.323 videophones for several years. Of course, they tend to be so expensive that I'm not surprised /.ers haven't heard of them.
WRT to the grub client...
Sorry, nevermind, wrong grub. I'll shut up now.
we may get to a point where we no longer have a need for traditional telephones.
But you can't walk around and multitask when you're on a videophone...
Ummmm... anyone who has to communicate with someone using NetMeeting or any other device that doesn't support tunneling? Was this a trick question?
Roving Web-Teleoperated Robot
I'm unsure about this. I hesitate to say "this is a bad product", but I'd want something that works more like a conventional phone. Having to run to the TV everytime a call comes in, throwing everyone off the couch, and positioning yourself for the camera seems a little bit of a production for a simple phone call. It's also totally lacking in privacy.
Instead, I'd like to see a shorter-range, desktop version with small LCD. The camera would be aimable, so you could pre-orient it to your height, and the LCD would be small so that you could view it privately. Obviously, the camera would have to have more of a webcam range than 5-10 feet. Microphone would be built into the case, of course, along with headphone jack.
-Erwos
Plausible conjecture should not be misrepresented as proof positive.
Well, 1964 the PicturePhone(tm) was demonstrated (took a full T1 too).....39 years later and still no need for it. Who wants to have to look at someone while you talk to them on the phone? For what? I can't even stand to look at my own buttugly face in the mirror, let alone someone elses.
Another reason not to answer the phone.
Good points all around.
ISPs say this violates their TOS due to the famous "excessive bandwidth" clauses? I vote the Comcast does it first.
I think not,imagine trying to call 911 and your link is down...
I'd say they're more likely to replace face-to-face meetings than traditional phones. Requiring both aural and visual focal points in day-to-day phone conversations is a step backward, as it interferes with, if not totally prevents, the multitasking we typically engage in while on the phone, whereas using such technology in lieu of an actual meeting would better allow participants to access resources and take notes, as well as eliminating the cost and time of getting people to a meeting, reserving a room, providing the obligatory coffee, etc.
Maybe a little offtopic but 3 are already advertising a mobile videophone 3G service on TV in the UK. I don't believe the videophone service is ready to go yet but by the looks of it most of the infrastructure is in place and you can already buy the phones and voice service.
It's not cheap though.
Get off your Cellphone rage and think of the lives they save when they are used to call 911 or to report an accident. I say, don't bug me about my wired car either. When it comes down to it, I could be drunk.
Ahhh. Sorry - i just thought you were distracted.
Schrodinger's cat is either dead or really pissed off...
I do. I miss my family and I think seeing them while talking to them would be really nice. (Of course it will never happen because they'll never pay for broadband.)
Certainly I wouldn't want to use it to talk to strangers. Work associates occasionally. Friends now and then. But definitely family.
Dilbert has just bought the first videophone and has plugged it in, waiting for someone else to buy one and call him.
Dogbert muses that the scary part is that without that kind of insanity on the part of early adopters there would be no progress.
How is this the first "videophone"? Whats the difference between this "videophone" and anyother h323 endpoint? The fact that they marketed as a videophone for the general public? Take a look at http://www.polycom.com or http://www.tandberg.com. They both sell standalone, no pc required, h323 endpoints that do the exact same thing. For $300 this thing has to have a pretty shitty camera. Why don't people just use netmeeting or gnome-meeting?
The camera has a long focus, making it unsuitable for parking on top of your monitor like a web cam. They already have a "condom-like device" for covering the lens for guaranteed privacy. Why not a snap-on corrective lens for 3-foot focus?
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
From using videoconferencing for work and living in japan (who's had these devices for a while one ISDN), it's clear that these devices are not meant to replace the phone. Rather they enhance communication for some situations like:
-multiple person meetings possibly involving the showing of a demo or powerpoint
-broadcasting an event to a remote location (or if you're a college coed making a little money)
-language learning (the language schools give them as a part of a package so that you can learn and interact with 4 other people from home)
-girlfriends and potential girlfriends. You get to show off how smart you/cute you are compared to the other trolls out there.
Telephony is cheap. Overabundance of network capacity has saw to that-which is exactly why this product could work this time. The World's Fair demo (the sixties?) relied on a network that didn't have near the modern day capacity.
I hope you haven't owned T since before March 2000.
How exactly are they still in business?
I refuse. I'd like to point out, particularly where I do my ~38 mile, each way, trek each day the traffic is such that a 911 call is usually from a stationary vehicle, as accidents tend to stop traffic. There's actually three components to my daily drive:
Fairly predictable Highway 17/880 from Los Gatos to near Highway 101, cell phoners tend to congregate in the left lane, to avoid worrying about merging traffic. Usually identifiable by slow reaction to changing traffic and/or driving slower than surrounding traffic.
Highway 17 winding through the Santa Cruz mountains, from ~sea level to 1,800 feet, back to ~sea level. Slow reactions, distractions, failure to compensate for variability of grade, turn, camber, as well as the occasional scumbucket speed-racer/lane-changer cause no shortage of accidents. Both hands on the wheel and eyes forward are highly recommended. Every trip is an adventure.
City driving. I honestly don't know how people do it. Driving city streets at rush hour requires absolute undivided attention. I've seen more than a few drivers drop their phone to avoid an accident. I've also seen a few who incorrectly decided their precious phone and/or call were more important than avoiding said accident.
It's like smoking. There are those who smoke a 3 packs a day and live to be 100. There's also those who smoke less than a pack a day and develop lung cancer in their 30's. Some get away with the roll of the dice and others don't. Best not to claim mastery of the situation and jinx yourself.
I've had 3 cell phones (first was a bag-phone, yeah, early adopter) and learned early on that you can't drive a stick and use a cell phone. Tricky enough with an automatic. I leave calls to when I'm stationary. I've had various cars in the body shop over the years and, though there's a hit-and-run ding on the front right of the current set of wheels, the inconvenience of doing without while it's in the shop is enough to encourage caution, if not just to keep insurance low.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
There is also a `set top box` version as well, which has been used in some, interesting products such as FastWeb in italy. This an ISP who has fibre into homes who is pushing a video communication solution.
Haven't tested it yet, but it looks like it will work.
Masquerading H.323 has worked on the 2.2 series since 2.2.16.. it's pretty useless if you're running 2.4 though (which means you get to choose between 2.4.x, or H.323.)
In my case, I needed features in 2.4, so no masquraded H.323 for me.