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Persistent Home Videoconferencing Solution?
An anonymous reader writes "I'm moving very soon for work, and will be several hundred miles away from my young family for six to nine months. Obviously I'll travel back as often as possible, and there's always Skype and XBLA video, but the whole 'now it's time to talk to dad' thing seems ... a little weak. I was wondering the Slashdot community could help me come up with a more persistent solution. Ideally what I want is an always-on connection between a pc/monitor/camera/speakers in my old kitchen and my new kitchen, so if we're in the kitchens, we can see each other and interact semi-normally. (We're a kitchen-focused family.) Most solutions I can find time out pretty quick, or require some knowledge on the part of the users, and the tech-savvy people are only going to be in one kitchen, to put it politely!" (Read on for a few more details.)
"I do have a reasonable number of Windows PCs and Macs (and game consoles), but no alt. OS machines, so something for retail OSes would be better — I haven't tested the PS3 camera for long durations, but I know the conferencing quality with a PS3 is pretty good, and that could be an option too. Any camera recommendations would be good. We have sweet access at our house, but it will need to be wireless to the kitchen from the router."
Maybe something for surveillance? It's basically what you want to do, just "in a good way".
Sorry but that is creepy dude. I do the long distance thing, and trust me, I wouldn't even want what you suggest. But that being said I like to try and be helpful so my suggestion would be a Network Web-Camera which you can purchase from NewEgg (wired or wireless), which you'll be able to remote into, and then have a PC with Skype or Live Messenger running, with auto-answer enabled, that has your face / audio. Then get a router with Dynamic DNS support, you then visit the Dynamic DNS address on a particular port that you have forwarded to your network web-camera, and dial the Skype/Live Messenger account - which will auto answer. They can then speak to you by approaching the computer and talking into the desk microphone, and you can see everyone from the web-portal/Java Applet provided by your network web-cam.
very IE dependent, but we had a setup with a microphone (internal to the device) and external speakers,
my wifes family from overseas could manage it without a problem
the remote viewer had 'click to talk' functionality- we'd be in the office and suddenly the speakers would crackle 'szia' and they could see the grandchildren and we could talk clearly...
setup was technical, using it was not...
video was one sided only..
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Create a dedicated Skype account which is set to auto start video and accept calls from it's contact list, add your skype to that contact list and you're all set. All you have to do is click call whenever you're in your kitchen and there will be a video uplink. Runs on windows or mac with any old x86 box and webcam, pretty close to $0. Just make sure the PC doesn't go to sleep (more than $0).
We're a kitchen-focused family.
You sound fat.
Projecting?
Isn't that was that thing is supposed to be for?
what you want is a cisco telepresence system
http://www.cisco.com/web/go/telepresence
they are amazingly fun and give you that 'in the same room' feeling
everything else would just be some hacked together video chat.
quit your job, or move your family with you.
Nope, I am a fairly typical scrawny nerdy fellow.
Do you have any idea how much bandwidth video consumes?
I live overseas, and a couple of times I tried to "sit in" on family gatherings (Thanksgiving & Christmas) by virtually "being there" via a webcam and wireless laptop. I literally had a seat in the living room with a laptop sitting there. It didn't work as well as I would have liked. Why? Well for one I couldn't move the webcam about, so as to look at people. Eye contact is very important, I discovered. It gets tiring staring at the same scene directly across from the laptop, and people can't be bothered to move you about. Sort of like being a head in a jar on Futurama - they all have Kabuki-style dedicated assistants to carry them (or robotic bodies). Second, as you're remotely in and your voice is tinny by being on a laptop speaker, it's kind of distracting for everyone else. It always seemed to sidetrack the discussion whenever I said anything. Maybe this was due to novelty, I'm not sure if your family would get used to it after time. Third, even though I was eating the closest thing I could get to a nice dinner (the fanciest bento box they had at the department store, like fifteen bucks which I would have never bought ordinarily), it still wasn't the same as having dinner with the family. Fourth, the time zones although if you go north-south this isn't an issue. I gave up after a few times and just telephoned in and the family handed the phone around until I had had a chat with everyone. Maybe if they fastened the laptop onto a Roomba or something that would have helped.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
It sounds like you want to create a "media space". This idea has been floating around since around the 1980's at Xerox PARC. See http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?doid=151233.151235 for more details. While this work is quite old, they may have good ideas on how to best integrate persistent video conferencing into a shared/public space. See also: http://www.springerlink.com/content/l17xvjr522l16v62/. Sadly, both links are pay sites, but if you are studying at a university you may have access.
But a no longer anonymous scrawny nerd!
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Doh!
I'm not seeing the most obvious answer. Put two laptops in the kitchen. Use wireless internet. Use laptops with built in video cameras. Run any of the IM programs that have video capability. Just leave the laptops turned on. Someone walks in, looks over, and says "Hi!"
Agile Artisans
you have your kids turn on chatroulette, and you do the same. if you don't see each other, and you're kids are still not mentally scarred, you bogosort until you find each other
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Well you certainly have the social skills and tack of a stereotypical fat basement-dwelling nerd.
"linux is just DOS with a UNIX like syntax" -- Galactic Dominator (944134)
Nice idea. Such software may already support the feature that video is only sent when there is movement/change. So, you're not wasting bandwidth.
Perhaps this Mac software suits your needs http://www.bensoftware.com/ss/
Bert
You might want to take a look at these IP connected video cameras:
http://www.axis.com/products/video/camera/ptz/index.htm
They have pan/zoom so you can control them remotely.
If all you need is a persistent video stream between two locations, isn't this just setting up a PC/laptop with a webcam in each kitchen, openening an IM video chat session, and leaving the session up and running?
Neil
what about NetMeeting?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_NetMeeting
have fun
What if you or your wife want to bang someone on the kitchen table?
And you have a total lack of ability to get a joke.
I said it only for humor value.
Seems to be what you need...all in one unit.
We have always on video for at least one person at my work, it's as though he's sitting at his desk, but he's actually 500mi away. Works very well.
Keep it simple, mate. Use a telephone. Or Skype. If you want to see pics of the family, have them email them to you. Gmail account is good for this. Having dad call around dinner time could become a very treasured memory for the family. Also remember, you're the one who's taken the remote job, you didn't have to do that.
Now, if you are thinking surveillance, that's a whole different ball of wax. Might want to have a chat with the fam about that.
Bibo Ergo Sum.
to make sure he's not up to things more than work while away. It's not like a girlfriend would be in the kitchen anyway.
Maybe you shouldn't next time. You are not that funny.
There are only 6,863,795,529 types of people in the world.
Openmeetings should do what you want, and be more controllable than Skype.
It allows for encryption, for authentication, and it lets you do all sorts of nifty things.
Get a decent webcam on each side, and you're in business.
Here is some info: Building an Embodied Social Proxy or Crazy Webcam Remote Cart Thing
Perhaps a WowWee Rovio (http://www.wowwee.com/en/products/tech/telepresence/rovio) would have worked better for you? Video is only 1-way, though.
You're not being very helpful. Or friendly, for that matter. Jeeze, who pissed in your cereal?
Or judging by the content of your post, cheated on you while you were away?
I use security cameras in my home, and watch them on the internet remotely.
Buy a set of security cameras with sound included. Most decent DVR security recording systems (QSee) have webservers to allow you to check in on your camera on the internet. That's only a one way street though to show you a picture of your house. http://www.smarthome.com/_/Cameras_Surveillance/_/13/land.aspx Costco has a few models, but pretty limited as compared to smarthome and qsee online.
There may be a wireless survelliance variety that allows you to plug into the internet easily and monitor remotely.
DLink can host their cameras via Ip connection. Or use your MS homeserver as a DVR http://hq.dlink.com/whs
http://www.dlink.com/category/productcategories/?cid=7
Since there have been useful direct suggestions already, some of which have pointed out the liability of not actually feeling "there" by virtue of separation by screen, I have an alternative that can actually help you feel together, as if you are both in the same place (although not useful for kids).
"Second Life"
Lots of people in long distance relationships use it to actually feel as if they are together sharing space. Businesses have found the same thing, instead of feeling the "distance" video conferencing confers, everyone feels as if they are in the same room.
You can present yourself how you desire and decorate how you all desire including have pics of kids on the nightstand. You can have shared experiences like going to live music events, dancing together, attending Burning Life (the virtual Burning Man alternative), participating in games or treasure hunts, watching videos, sailing, amusement parks, exploring different places, etc.
You can even explore intimacy, including in ways you might not feel comfortable in your own bedroom. (I know a couple who both logged on in their apartment together, one in one room, the other in the living room, who enjoyed certain adult activities that just made them giggle were they trying them in their own bedroom together.)
The only big catch is there is a significant learning curve, many people log on and try it, to never log on again--so you might not "get it" (it seems more women and stay at home moms do).
But I can tell you that it's amazing how good a virtual hug feels when someone gives you one and you virtually experience it happening, far more than a verbal "love you" or textual "*hugs".
I know there are many here who ridicule Second Life, but this is an area in which it excels, and I know of no other similar substitute--plus it's free!
"If you cared about your family, you wouldn't leave for 6-9 months at a time. "
I'll put this kindly:
You're an idiot.
If you and family are so desperately co-dependent that being gone for less than a year is going to break things, you have much worse issues than being gone for a bit. Economic survival nowadays often means going to where the work is.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
I think you'd probably want something like Rovio.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/rc/c7b4/
It's not like he was the only one thinking it.
I would use projectors not screens. Set up a whole wall of the room (or a large bordered portion) to act as a window.
... little things like cameras being the same height off the table are important to make it feel continuous.
...... But it'd be pretty damn cool!
The goal is to have it close enough to something that people are comfortable with allowing for some suspension of disbelief. Working towards that end have the camera in each room in a similar position to make it as close as possible to acting like a window. Stick a pointless frame/trim on the wall to encourage the illusion. Continuous lines and such when standing and looking into the 'window' from the most common position are important. Similar rooms would help as well. Or common elements
It would not be the same thing as a window of course because of the lack of 3d. One thing you could do though to partially alleviate this would be to use head tracking to determine how close you are to the camera and as you move closer have it zoom to match the right field of view that you would expect. This would help add some realism. Another thing you could do would involve 3d sound recording + reproduction which is doable. It makes the connection feel more real if they can hear you move across the room.
More expensive the better pretty much. Costly internet connection helps a lot. Good camera and microphones would be good. Good projector would be very important. Fancy business telepresence stuff probably is good and expensive too.
I'm sure a good driven programmer/engineer could set this up and get it working smoothly with under 20k and a month or so
This isn't very secure, but something like http://mebeam.com might work
Check out http://www.ustream.tv/ one channel going either way seems like it would work.
I Need someone to rebuild a Digitech Digital Delay pedal for me....for me...for me...for me.
so you are the fat one :p
-- the comic jk cocaine troll
iChat on the Macs has kept two of our offices chatting for a few months now - without needing to be restarted.
It needs some motion detectors on both sides to start the video call automatically when both sides are active and you're set.
The Asus AiGuru SV1T just wouldn't work for this purpose, you need a real screen and good sound so that any member of the family can approach the screen and start speaking to dad or dad speaks to the family, no handheld device.
You can use the remote monitor to leave text, audio or video messages visible to the whole family, or use it for any normal "kitchen" use, such as Internet recipe lookup, shopping lists, tasklists, digital post-its, online radio, music, TV, you can even use it at the office during the lunch break, etc. Sounds like there is a potential for a great app.
I don't see anything creepy with this kind of application, and you can always stop the program if necessary, or mute the sound on any side.
The only "creepy" thing is that most people talk to the screen, not the camera, so until some manufacturer comes with a monitor with a camera embedded within the screen, you will always have this unfocused side look that is slightly creepy when you talk to a person.
Some years ago I saw a paper (maybe ACM Siggraph) on something related. A meeting room had a video camera every few feet and the stitched together signal was then projected from a few projectors onto a wall. I made it seem as though you were looking at another room, with a table and the people sitting behind it. Using multiple cameras / projectors (and maybe rotating their orientation) allowed a big portion of the room to be transmitted, while maintaining enough resolution to see their faces, it was all about life size.
I think I understand what you want, though some people are talking about it being creepy, you might want to arrange for some time of day when two rooms can be connected similarly. This couldn't be done in the kitchen of course. Maybe what you want is something simple. A button can be pushed from either side and it will start the link, then depending on the age of your child they can run and ask you a question. Maybe it is easiest to just have a Mac display on the kitchen table, maybe with a usb button like the griffin powermate to start and stop the connection. All the time on is going to be a distraction to everyone, is the screen going to be on when the kitchen is dark, etc.
Probably Skype or iChat will be easy and give you high quality. If you can script it with AppleScript and get a PowerMate button then it should be easy.
Besides AppleScript I'm not sure what you can use but Quartz Composer seems to be able to use the Apple Remote and can be used for motion detection.
There seem to be packages for the Mac that can do motion detection as part of the video streaming too. Logitech I believe makes a Skype compatible camera on a stalk with high resolution that swivels and zooms to track. That is, it is so high resolution that you can probably pan from your side within the image.
Hope this helps. My guess is you do not want to have a hot, loud projector running all the time somewhere so forget the augmented reality thing, and also an iPad would be great but it seems too limited camera and software wise and maybe cpu wise now. But check it out possibly you could plug a camera into it and maybe there is a skype app for it. Otherwise hide the computer under the table.. Hope this helps.
P.S. I found an Applescript Skype library though haven't looked into it at all. Also google for mac os x camera motion, this may help too. Don't see encryption much. Also don't forget to get a dynamic dns account for both computers or else, with ichat you could do without, just use jabber.org to set up the connection.
I'll be honest; I don't know the solution to your problem. But I've been reading the replies, and between people giving you career advice (without any concept of what your job is, how much you love it, how hard it may be to change it, etc.), disregarding the flamingly, ass-poundingly obvious (normal IM won't work because you have to be close to the laptop, it times out on its own, etc.), or simply telling you that what you're asking about is creepy, I can see you have your work cut out for you.
Hang in there, man...and remember, this very thing that you are doing, this clear and persistent description and communication of a need, is what drives innovation in the IT and consumer electronics industries. Go for it, and keep it up until you get what you want!
For your security, this post has been encrypted with ROT-13, twice.
If you have to point out that it's a joke, it's not funny.
Its super cool and uses basic broadband : http://www.ojophone.com/
If your UID is any indicator, you are both much older and much fatter than anyone else in this thread. :)
A quick google search showed several free "Turn your webcam into a CCTV" products that may fit the bill. Most of them allow for internet transmission and while I'm not sure about their longevity, It may be another option.
Personally I'd rather have my idiots at home glued to the TV than out doing idiotic things
Shut up apple fanboi. He's already ruled out standard video conf solutions. Besides, he's hot gay, he has a wife and kids. Why would a heterosexual male buy gay apple gear?
And if anyone in Washington actually gave a damn about family values then making someone choose between unemployment in a brutal job market and being separated from family for months on end would be strictly illegal. But guess what?
So, what would you suggest as an alternative?
Not a complete solution, but possibly part of a solution. WowWee (The company that made the Robosapian) has a mobile webcam 'robot', the Rovio
http://www.wowwee.com/en/products/tech/telepresence/rovio
They sell it for pretty much your situation. So, whenever it's wondering around, the family can know "Dad is here !"
How about the Rovio - WiFi Roaming Bot from thinkgeek. Then you're not limited to the kitchen. 1 way video tho. http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/c7b4/
Sounds to me like you're trying to virtually join 2 separate houses together. Perhaps this is the future for all of us.
Seems to me that always on web-cam solutions have been around for a decade or more. Some number of young women paid for their college educations that way.
"It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
Perfect the cup-string-cup method to the point of full duplex audio and video transmission!
What about www.x10.com cameras? They seem to offer multicam solutions as well. I know they used to have some scary voyeuristic ads but I believe the product to be useful in the right hands.
Lastly a Sony PS3 with camera will work with your current TV. You can also leave it running Folding@home during the day. It also gives your family a nice BluRay player, web browser, media centre and gaming system. No monthly charges aside from your Internet connection and it has wired and wireless networking.
you might "walk in" to see something you didn't want to. Or even worse, one of the "home team" might catch something from your (remote) end!
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
he's hot gay
Well-placed typo!
Its simple get over it !
Young birds have to fly.
Your family doesnt need a big brother facility
Have you looked into Google video chat? I haven't used it as a regular consumer (I'm an employee) but it seems to work pretty well. It's probably at least worth checking out. http://www.google.com/talk/
Apple's iChat works excellently for me for long-distance connectivity. We connect via Jabber rather than Apple's MobileMe ($$$$!) service. It works flawlessly, in my opinion.
Whew! This water sure is cold!
There was this mac store (not apple, but 3rd party) in brooklyn that had 2 stores at one point. They had a big plasma on each store's wall that just had an iChat video connection full screen (all day every day) so they could yell over to the other store and find out if they had something in stock without having to make a phone call or check inventory computers... So... I'd just get a couple mac mini's & flat screens, they come with iChat.
Video conferencing is for two parties to voice chat, video chat, and share data, etc for a set period of time. I think what you really should think about is a webcam streaming service. There are many sites out there that allow you to embed a live feed from a webcam in a webpage for a small fee. A lot of them will provide the page and give you direct URL and provide the local client software to stream the feed to the web page. You get one for your computer, your wife gets one for the home PC. You watch their page and they watch yours. All of this is designed to run full time as long as the PC is on, can be set to start at boot up, will save your settings and logon info etc. That way you have an always on solution. I don't remember the service I used to use. A quick look at google got me to ustream.com
At work we sometimes work on projects which span multiple offices. We have used a pair of Tandberg units, one sitting on our desk in California, the other sitting on a desk in New York. It is great to be able to say "hey Bob, can you explain this bit of code?" when you see that Bob is sitting at his desk and not deep in conversation with someone else. Much more productive than resorting to email, phone, or IM all the time.
Sadly, I've heard that those Tandbergs are super expensive...
Trying to communicate AND keep eye contact will be more of a problem than just using audio. However, you can use video or make it available for use 'sometimes'. I'd use something like Team Speak. You can even put an FM radio transmitter on your family computer so they can use boom box to carry "you" around. The mic could be sensitive enough to not have to be moved around but it's placement would be critical if you do need to use the boom box. Further, the Team Speak solution could allow you to communicate with other friends one on one or in groups.
For the video side of your question, I'd use simple web cam. I know some web cam vendors supply cam to cam (same vendor) communication applications with their products. Logitech does or has in the past. If you want to get complex, you could use something like D-Link 920 (wireless) in various rooms and perhaps BlueIris on your end to switch from camera to camera.
Good Luck,
bob
I would look into the Slingbox. It is designed to send full TV channels to remote devices, so it should be able to handle a very good picture with good quality for long periods of time over the internet.
http://technologizer.com/2010/08/17/anybots-qb/
I, Robot: Life With a Remote Presence Bot
How Anybots' QB let me spend a week working in an office without working in an office.
By Harry McCracken | Posted at 8:05 pm on Tuesday, August 17, 2010
How exactly would you write that law? What about people who go to work on research stations in Antarctica, who go to sea on merchant ships, who are loggers in the backwoods? There are lots (or at least a certain number) of jobs in places where you might not want or be able to raise a family. That's just how the world works; you can create policies favorable to families, but you can't change these realities.
.sig withheld by request
Such as deaf people use.
1. Tandberg or Polycom. I would guess this is out of the question due to price, but it needs to be mentioned since these folks install systems like this all the time and is used in mission critical operations.
They'll support remote pan&tilt of the cameras, microphones placed throughout your kitchen and lots of nice options. Be prepared to refinance your mortgage, though.
2. Surveillance cameras + PC on both ends, with a web browser w/ full screen camera view bookmarked. Expensive, and the picture quality will be nowhere near the #1 option, but still very reliable. I have good experience with Panasonic cameras, and they have wireless options available.
3. Macs with iChat + MobileMe. I'm pretty sure this will Just Work, although I haven't tested how timeouts / reconnects work. Still, with MobileMe or by opening some router ports, you'll be able to log into the computer on the far end and do whatever needs to be done to get it up and running.
4. If you want something a bit more portable, the iPhone 4 with FaceTime might be an option.
There are a lot of other options, like using SIP softphones like Eyebeam and setting up a software PBX, but this is probably too much work unless you happen to be very interested in IP telephony :)
As for webcams, the built-in iSight cameras are good, as are some of the high end Logitech and Microsoft cameras (Microsoft just released a quite cheap + high quality one). Keep in mind, however, that these are built for sitting close to the computer, so it won't be as good for people sitting far away. Option #1 or #2 is better for this, since they're optimized for viewing an entire room.
You can do a few things. First, make it illegal to ADD the requirement to a job that doesn't currently have it and you can make it less critical that people accept whatever employment they can get even at the expense of their family.
There will indeed always be jobs where going away for an extended time is intrinsic. Let them be filled by people who freely choose them (and by freely choose, I do not mean choose or loose everything).
Then, there's a heap of jobs that could easily be made mostly telecommute but for managers who can't wrap their heads around the idea that someone who isn't miserable in a cubicle farm can still be productive.
(Score:5, Furry)
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~£60 on eBay: http://www.foscam.com/Products_List.asp?id=128 This may be ANother security camera idea reply for this post, but I have to agree the idea's a good one. It can be left on permanently and constantly streaming. Buy one for both parties and then each can move the camera around to follow what the other is doing and feel much more a part of the scene. It even claims to have a microphone and speaker for talking, but I've not managed to make mine work. Perhaps a more expensive version would be easier to use, although I'm happy with mine. Leave a low powered computer and a low powered screen constantly showing the stream, or maybe you can get the motion detection feature to work on the one I've suggested and set that to wake the screen up whenever it detects you're in front of it. If you can get it to wake the screen then you can probably get it to run a batch script and auto-start a skype conversation. In fact, it sounds like you need a motion detector and a simple web cam with skype at both ends. The only trick is to get the motion detector to wake the computers in both locations. Surely someone here knows how to do that? Good luck!
You just dont take jobs hundreds of miles away from your family...
Having access to the remote machine(s) will be very useful, because there will always be something that breaks and you'll need to admin that computer. I maintain a Windows 95 computer trans-Atlantic via remote VNC access. Basic setup:
Dynamic DNS:
1. Signup for a DynDNS.com account. Free.
2. Install the DynDNS client IP updater on the remote machine. Having it update its IP number at the DynDNS.com account. This will
You'd need to do some port-forwarding in each router (UDP 5060 + the RTP ports) and 'dial' the other site by IP address - it's not hard on the GXV phones and it saves setting up proxys/sip servers/asterisk, etc. If you set each phone to auto-answer then it's not hard to re-establish the link if it fails for whatever reason.
Failing that, if you want to be PC/Laptop based - look for Ekiga...
I use a combination of GXV3000 video phones, Ekiga and my Nokia N900 to make/take video calls from my family and in-laws, although I use an Asterisk server to co-ordinate everything and we don't stream 24/7!
Personally, I'd just hook up vlc...stream it to a port of your choosing, and then log in from each side...both computers would have 2 instances of vlc running, but it's pretty simple to set up and it's user friendly
The 2010 Panasonic Viera TVs have Skype built in, and you get a great new HDTV in the bargain:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/18/panasonic-launches-skype-for-2010-viera-cast-tvs/
(and by freely choose, I do not mean choose or loose everything)
So it has to be someone with no debt? or what? You don't seem to have really thought this through. Let's just say I have a position to fill that requires significant time in a remote location with no qualified locals. It is a new position so I won't be changing anyone's job requirements. I advertise the position. Out of the qualified responders, how do I tell who really wants it and who is forced by their circumstances to try and get it? If I find that one applicant will lose their house because of debt if they don't take the job (they're "forced" into it) should I deny them the work and give it to someone that doesn't really need it?
Since being married I've never travelled away for work, but I've done shift work I didn't want to do. I didn't like regularly leaving my wife and kids alone at night but the extra money meant my wife didn't need a job and could be a stay at home mum while the children were young. If that hadn't been available I would definitely have considered working away for the right pay.
Nobody is obliged to make your life the way you want it.
You REALLY missed the point. The idea is that the social safety net allows the family man to pass your job offer up without losing everything in the process. You just offer the job and you can assume the applicants want the job.
Nobody is obliged to make your life the way you want it.
Whatever you say massa.
http://www.sybase.com/ianywhere/ivananywhere
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IvanAnywhere
http://news.therecord.com/article/236315
You could always use something like tinychat. Just create a room and password protect it so you don't a bunch of horny perverts telling your wife to show her boobs. It may not be completely private as I'm sure that someone at the provider could monitor, but who cares. If someone wanted to hear me talk to my kids about Mickey Mouse or my wife about the electric bill, I pity them because their life must suck.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
back in the day i had a vhs camcorder that could play video directly to a TV. if you could find something like that you could plug it in to something like a sling-box. being meant for TV it never times out at least my sling player has never kicked me off even when i forget and leave it running over night. i haven't done much with video streaming but maybe with some playing around you will find you can make something like VLC,windows media player,real player, or quick time work.
if its a quick time stream and you take RJFerret's idea and use second life then quick time streams can be played in second life so you could avoid having to change programs to use video chat when playing the game and second life can be set up to not auto log you out. one thing about second life though is that well it is free to play having your own house there and being able to set up you own video streams would cost money so it would probably not be free to use it the way you seem to want to but it would be free to just hang out there.
i would stay away from projectors personally because you want this always on and a any projector i have worked with would not last long being used that way.
if you do go the rout of setting up your own video server i do agree with who ever it was who told you to use dynamic DNS (sorry cant find who said that now) i would go a step further if there the people on the other computer are non-techies and also set up something like logmein so that if something goes wrong that isn't computer braking you can just log in and fix it your self.
I'm sorry i could not be of much help but i hope that looking for stuff to do live webcasts rather then video chat leads you to something that will do just what you're looking for.
You could put these to on each side of the connection. Then use ekiga ( or something else similar ) to hold open the connection. At least then you'd be able to follow each other around the room. http://www.buy.com/prod/cobra-digital-pc1000-ultimate-web-camera/q/loc/101/207906616.html
I have been on the road for 3 weeks using iPhone 4 daily for over an hour after work talking and interacting with my family. My 4 year old calls me and says "Daddy we're almost home so we can FaceTime." He knows WiFi is required and we only have that at home. Whatever hotel I'm in I make sure I have wifi and if not I bring my AirPort Express to set up the wifi. I do have to reboot the iPhone sometimes before the video works but here's the real reason to use a mobile solution: My family was working on the backyard and they could show me what they were doing. It was awesome. Also my little ones would show me what they are playing with and I would show them the hotel room I was currently in and it was just so much more like being there and not having to be stuck with a 6-8 pound laptop on my chest. It kept me sane and I highly recommend it for anyone with a family in an extended work situation away from home. The little ones forget so easy what you look like / and they are SO much more engaged with conversation when they are stimulated with their eyes and ears. My conversations before with just voice were like (literally): Hi Dad. Hi love you how are you. Good. What's new. Nothing. Bye Dad. It really sucked and there was no bonding. This way the bond was kept and interestingly enough made stronger cause when I got back on Friday my little one said, Dad I wish you go back again. I said why. He said so you can bring me more presents and we can do FaceTime. It was priceless.
... one of those little Atom based mini PCs on each end. They are truly tiny and you can get versions for under $300 each. Now they even have dual core models.
Stuff the PCs in a cabinet and hook them up to a wall mounted flat screen monitor with built-in speakers and a USB Camera(wide angle)/Mic attached. The bigger the monitor you use, the more "telepresence" you'll experience. You can get a 20" for $120 or less. Then just run Skype w/video, 24/7.
I'd recommend this setup over a netbook or laptop solution because a) Most laptops really can't handle running 24/7, b) netbooks probably can't either and the screens are too small, c) this is not that expensive... maybe six or seven hundred if you really shop around, and d) You will loose no (or very little) counter space.
If you plan to suspend/resume these PCs, make sure your camera & mic solution will work after resume. Sometimes they don't.
They are pricey but what you want are a couple of Polycom VSX 5000 or similar units. Maybe you can find some on ebay or something. They are nice because you don't need to be technical to run them and they come with an easy to use remote control. You can even control the other units camera direction and zoom. The quality of both the audio and video are very good but, and this goes for all of your solutions, depends on the reliability and quality of your internet connection. You just need a TV or Monitor and an Ethernet connection for the unit. If you can find a couple older models on ebay it will be your best solution.
http://www.polycom.com/products/telepresence_video/video_conference_systems/room_systems/vsx5000.html
~Petaris "The world is open. Are you?"
Use two high quality webcams and run yawcam (yet another webcam software). Both PCs will be running web servers that won't time out and each PC keeps it full screen.
Try some inexpensive TelePresence solutions. The folks at Vu (http://www.vutelepresence.com) have an inexpensive solution payable on a monthly plan and the HD quality is a big plus. You will never get that feel with any desktop solution. Another product I have heard is Vidyo though a lot more expensive....
Scott Hanselman has a couple of posts that are very similar to what you're looking for and easy to setup.
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/VirtualCamaraderieAPersistentVideoPortalForTheRemoteWorker.aspx
http://www.hanselman.com/blog/SkypingTheWifeFoolproofVideoConferencingWithYourFamilyWhileOnTheRoad.aspx
We use google chat via web browser. Quality is great. No firewall issues. I have a logitech notebook webcam and achieve from 20-30 fps.
There are a number of Skype-enabled TV's these days. Get one on both ends. Simple, straight-forward and nice big pictures.
From some of the long-distance workers I've known, you don't want the live video feed in the kitchen when you, the absentee dad, turn to drinking your nights away in your bachelor pad. That's a common outcome for those who don't immediately start a new-location family on the side...
Thats what me and my brother do. I live in idaho. he lives in florida. When i want privacy i drop a dixi cup over my camera. I have a notch clipped out for the camera cord. And the camera sita on top of my monitor. Have your family set theirs up on the counter pointing away from them as they enter in the kitchen so they can drop something over the camera to cover it up. Might want to leave audio on all the time so the kids can see if your monitoring. like on nights you cant sleep. Or you can hear them sneak into the fridge and you can bark at them to get back into bed. Scare the crap out of them too :)
What you want is this: 2 webcams with the right software, and 2 webpages. They can be on the same site (domain). One web page shows the video (with sound) from Dad's camera, the other web page shows the video from the other camera. You set the web pages up to be accessed only via SSL (HTTPS), and allow only a single account to access each page.
What you get is this: it's always on, so each kitchen can see and hear the other at all times. (If somebody wants to turn their end off, they can always just turn off or unplug the webcam). It's pretty secure. And it's dirt cheap. You don't need a "special" web page or service, just the right code to embed your video. Many webcams today include suitable software for doing exactly that, and if not there are freeware versions available on the Net.
I don't know why so many people want to complicate it so much. If you really want always-on, then that's a simple and cheap way to do it that has been around for 10 years or so.
Also, if two of your Macs are new enough to run Leopard or Snow Leopard, you can just put one in each place and run iChat. The video is pretty good, and if it ever goes down it's really easy to show someone how to start it back up.
I have done something similar for quite a while. Mostly to chat with sub-ordinates in another country. I setup Skype hooked up to a Windows laptop, hooked up to a Logitech Camera I could rotate. (Logitech Orbit AF). I also setup the laptop so that I could remote desktop into it. I configured Skype to auto-answer. Sometimes the connection would drop, but it was super easy to re-establish the connection without bugging the other other party. And the remote desktop ability let me debug any issues remotely, again without bugging anybody on the other side.
Whatever you setup, make sure to test it well. When you are gone there may not anybody that can fix problems for you. And use good quality cameras. Don't buy anything from D-Link. They make absolute and utter crap. Their cameras are worse than junk.
Why don't you get your hand on a Rovio? Rovio is a groundbreaking new Wi-Fi enabled mobile webcam that lets you view and interact with its environment through streaming video and audio, wherever you are. It embarks a 1 x Head-mounted VGA camera as well as 1 x Speaker and 1 x microphone for 2-way audio. You can control it from your computer (you log in through your web browser) or from any flash enabled mobile phone. This little bugger will make you feel like being at home with your family! They will just need though to get used to you being a few inches plastic big bug... Else a Nokia N900 with built in Skype (built in Skype is COMPLETELY different from any downloadable version of Skype on any other device, as it is perfectly stable) can do the trick: you can do great video calls in a matter of seconds (thanks to the multitasking ability of its Maemo OS you can keep Skype running in the back), see the people you're talking to, and thanks to the built in camera, they can also see you! I have one of those, and I have to say it completely changed my approach of using VoIP. a must try :)
You REALLY missed the point. The idea is that the social safety net allows the family man to pass your job offer up without losing everything in the process. You just offer the job and you can assume the applicants want the job.
No, you missed the point. I'm the guy that's taken travel and shift work, the job offer was hypothetical. Where does your safety net come from? The guy that takes the higher paying more inconvenient work pays the higher proportion, having earned more. You want to take it from the people who do take the work (for whatever reason, either willingly or in desperation) and make that work less rewarding for them by giving the proceeds to someone who doesn't want to do it so they can have the rewards of the hard conditions while doing the cushy jobs.
In other words, you are a thief that pretends virtue by having the proceeds of that theft distributed to others than yourself. It isn't virtuous it is still theft.
Whatever you say massa.
Hey, you're the one that wants to take the rewards of my work and give it to others, not because they have need, because they don't want to do that same work. If they aren't sick or disabled I don't feel one bit of obligation to make their life more comfortable at my expense. You are the one that wants to be the massa.
...when I moved country. I thought of doing it on a grand scale - which is probably why it did not happen. Think 'two walls at the end of two rooms, two video projectors and two (sets of) cameras'. The projectors would ideally project against the back of the walls, the cameras would be integrated into these walls. The image from the cameras in room A would get projected on wall B and vice versa. Microphones would do the same trick.
And that is only the beginning. To make a real impact this trick could be tried in 3D... finally something where 3D can be useful instead of just a gimmick. Don't make it to realistic or people might start walking into the wall to get an apple from the table on the other side of the planet...
--frank[at]unternet.org
This is why I still got some hope on slashdot.
Really, WTF was that with all the noise? (get a new job, forget it, wife banging, etc etc...).
Parent's post is the solution. Where did all the geeks from slashdot went?
A quick search through my memory after parent's suggestion lead me to VLC streaming features ( someone posed a relevant question here.
Back around 2003 when I started reading slashdot I liked the comments because the sentiment around was that *nothing* was impossible with technology.
Nowadays I just read a bunch of grumpy kids or old guys without any interest in technology :(
Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
That day, it'll come from you. Next year YOUR safety net will come from him. When you're too old to work, it'll come from his children.
Most of the taxes would come from the people who have very cushy jobs and collect hundreds of times as much for golfing badly as you do logging in the cold.
Note as well that I was saying that's what they would do *IF* they truly supported family values. Perhaps they actually don't and the Christian right would be better off changing parties or forming one of their own that better follows their moral and ethical principles (or at least one that doesn't actively oppose them).
I got one of these when I went back to work and then I just call my wife on the phone. http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Linksys-Wireless-N-Internet-Monitoring-Camera/dp/B002OHDFOA
ACN makes an awesome video phone - Iris 5000. It works over an internet connection and is only $29.99 per month for unlimited use and the phone only costs $129. I have two and it's GREAT!!! I know someone who uses them for surveillance in their business and keeps it on 24/7 (it's a conv. store/gas station). It's also rumored to soon have an app to work with the iPhone 4. I've had them for over a year and absolutely love it!! It will depend on your internet connection, but who doesn't have unlimited internet these days. As for the kitchen, I have one in my upstairs office, but the one in my kitchen I had to run/extend an internet line downstairs.....it was very easy. Hope this helps.
Also, I see there are people giving you hell for leaving your family. Don't listen to them! Do what you need to do. My husband is a Marine and our military does it all the time. Yeah it sucks, but you're an adult and obviously gave this a lot of thought before making your decision. You're asking about how to 'stay in touch' with them - no asking to be 'judged' on why you're going in the first place. I'm sure you wrestled enough with this decision, don't let those who think they need to play puppet master give you a hard time. When they walk a mile in your shoes.......
Have a great time, make sure to stay in touch with those little ones and ESPECIALLY your spouse and do what you have to do!!! Wish you the best of luck!!!
That day, it'll come from you. Next year YOUR safety net will come from him.
In the case of someone that CAN'T work, sure. In the case of someone that just doesn't want to take a particular job, no fucking way. My safety net never comes from such people because I'm willing to do the work. Now in the case of a disabled person, they will never contribute to my safety net and I don't care because they NEED it. It's not about payback, it's about common decency. If you have a job offer that will pay you, if you have any decency you should take it in preference to taking money from your neighbours without providing value.
Safety nets are called that for a reason. Safety is to protect from danger. Is there danger from accident or illness? Absolutely, it's a valid concept. What you're talking about is people being in danger of being offered a job they don't like. That's a convenience net, not a safety net.
As for the religious, I've had a college graduate churchie express outrage that her benefits were going to be cut if she didn't take a job. She didn't seem to appreciate that I was doing a far less pleasant job than the one she was being "forced" into and being taxed to pay her way. Here in Australia, no one I know begrudges help to those who need it, but if you are capable of work you are expected to work. That is both our culture and our law.
No - YOU'RE THE IDIOT!!!!!!!! Our military goes away all the time and wanting to talk with a spouse, child or parent has nothing to do with being co-dependent or breaking things!!!! It has to do with someone who has to do what he has to do and simply wants to keep in touch with family. You obviously have no sense of what a close family relationship or a good marriage is all about!!! I'm sure it was a hard decision for this person to make and he took all factors into consideration. It may not even have to do with economic survival, but maybe passion for his work. How sad is it that someone asks about how to stay in touch with his family because he loves them and asking about how technology can assist with that - this IS 2010 by the way - and all you can do is call him an idiot for wanting that closeness and to be able to still love his family and be 'seen' by his kids. You're just an ASS - how dare you!!! If you have nothing to say to assist don't bother writing anything....IDIOT!!!!!!!!!! You need to look in the mirror DICK.....everyone is fighting their own battles in this world and I'm sure you are fighting yours, but don't put the fact that you're so pathetic on someone else.
I know you're new here, couchslug, but please don't feed the trolls.
There are other considerations as well. For example, children do better when parents have more time for them. Communities only hold together when people have time for them. In the past, we managed that by having single income families. It's true that it was driven as much by sexism as anything else, but there was a beneficial effect.
In one generation, the norm shifted to two full time incomes (where a simple non-sexist solution would be either 2 half time incomes or one full time with no gender bias for who works and who takes care of the home and community).
It's no coincidence that shortly after we went to 2 incomes as a standard, we started noticing that neighbors don't know each other. In short succession, we quit letting children wander around the neighborhood (for safety reason because it was a bunch of strangers and empty houses) and then were amazed that given nothing to do but play video games and stuff their faces they got fat.
Given a choice between a parent continuing to look for work or being forced by desperation to practically abandon their family to provide for it, there is a significant benefit to society if they do the former. Consider the safety net as saving the children if you prefer. Meanwhile, there's probably a single person out there who will be glad to get that job that remained available because the dad didn't have to take it.
I don't know the economic structure in Australia, but I know in the U.S. that 10% of the population enjoys 90% of the wealth but certainly are not doing 90% of the work that creates the wealth. Meanwhile we have people who are willing to work being told there's no work for them. Apparently we're not all that hard up for labor, so why are we so adamant that people do more of it for less?
I think this would really add some color to the statement "Big Brother is watching you."
Honestly, just buy a bunch of iPhones and use Facetime. I've gotten really sick of Skype interrupting me when I'm using my computer for work. There is this thing called privacy, and I don't think you want to look at your computer to see your parents getting nasty on the kitchen table. Likewise, I don't think you want your parents seeing you stumbling home drunk with some slut that you picked up at the local bar.
On the other hand, maybe you actually do want to see your parents get nasty on the kitchen table while you get it on with the slut that you just picked up at the local bar. To each his own!
No, I will not work for your startup
Seriously.
My wife and two toddlers just spent 4 months in another state dealing with the loss of my wife's grandparents. Cancer sucks. We used Skype and things to keep involved. It was no fun but it worked. I grew up military. Skype would have been great.
You could use Polycom PVX software, it is similar to the tandberg as someone mentioned above but it is really cheap (about £80 per license).
You can do a two way video conference between the two locations as you want and leave it forever. It may at somepoint time out if the connection fails but otherwise it will work a treat. I use it all the time.
You can download a demo copy that will run for five minutes for free.
Good Luck.
He can simply use a VPN/remote desktop connection to fix it. He's asking about how to provide a live video/audio feed over the internet that will handle long periods of uptime and has a quality audio (noise cancelling) and video (pan/tilt). This is Slashdot.