Mac users Help: How do I do video conferencing?

gusanitoverde,

Well this is a good question with a few answers...

First I am going to assume 3 things...

1. you say G4 Mac so you mean you have a PowerMac not a G4 iMac (if you have a G4 iMac you have a mic built in to the screen.)
2. you want to video chat with NON MAC Users.
3. you are using OS X
4. you have or are going to get a HIGHSPEED connection (I think I saw your post about Comcast vs DSL)

My recommendations are to get a Firewire web cam...two choices:
1. Orange Micro's iBot ...99 USD
2. Apple's iSight...149 USD

Both have a mic built in. I have an iBot it's a good cam, I haven't used an iSight yet but I have heard good things.

Now to chat, you have to have Yahoo Messenger, it's about the only chat app that has cross platform video chatting and it's free to both Mac users and Windows Users.

If you are chatting with another OS X Jaguar user you can use iChat AV too.

Yahoo does NOT have great quality but it's not to shabby either. I never use the voice to voice on it, but I believe it's there.

On iChat AV, the sound and video are both pretty good.

I hope this helped...

By the way it's my 100th POST whoo hoo!

MacBoyX

I had the same problem when I switched. Yahoo Messenger under Mac OSX DOES NOT support voice, but it supports video, so go figure!

I am not sure what other options are out there from cross platform tele-conferencing. Check Microsoft's website to see if netmeeting for the Mac supports voice/video.

Oh, and do provide feedback to Yahoo asking them to add voice support to their Mac client!

Gus,

I am also a switcher...Do what I did...since I switched last February (2002) 13 of my friends and family have bought Macs lol.

I am on my 5th Mac...

Off topic but may be enjoyable to you...

my timeline...

-November 2001 - bought HP Pavillion laptop
-Feb 8, 2002 bought classic iMac (G3 500) from MicroCenter for kicks...just thought it'd be neat to lookin to OS X
-Feb 18, 2002 sold my HP Pavillion to a coworker
-Feb 2002 buy 5G 1G iPod
-July 5, 2002 found a hell of a deal on a Titanium PB 667 1799!
-July 5, 2002 gave the iMac to my sig other (owned a ThinkPad)
-August 14, 2002 sig other sells ThinkPad to buy G4 iMac
-September 1, 2002 best friend buys iMac classic, uses it for 4 days sells it to his sister and buys iBook 14"
-September 1, 2002 use the proceeds of the iMac sale to get 10GB 2G iPod give 5GB 1G to sig other.
-October 2002 my other best friend uses my PowerBook for 10 minutes, goes and buys eMac
-November 2002 my sister uses my PowerBook goes and buys 12" iBook.
-December 2002, take 3 different friends to the Apple store, at different times, each comes out with a Mac, 1 Powermac, 2 iBooks
-January 2003 4 more friends come to see my PowerBook, 3 of them buy a PowerBook, 1 buys an iMac over the next 3 months
-January 2003 take another friend to the Apple store, he is skeptical until the salesman says the phrase "Premptive Multitasking" he buys a DP PowerMac G4, 23" Cinema Display and a 10GB iPod
-Feb 14, 2003 buy iBook 12" for sig other, loves the iMac but wants portablity, i take possession of the G4 iMac
-March 2003, best friend brings over his best friend, we go to the iPod launch he falls in love with 15" PowerBook, offers to buy mine and my 10GB iPod.
-April 2003, sell my 15" PowerBook and get an iBook 12" and a 15GB 3G iPod
-May 2003, convince my Dad that they should get my Mom a 12" iBook, she likes it so much she cries!
-May 2003, my friend sees my iBook and loves it so much he upgrades from his PowerBook G3 233 to a 14" iBook G3.
-July 2003, talk to my uncle, he wants to get my cousin a laptop for high school, I suggest an iBook, he is skeptical til i say "OPEN SOURCE" he becomes intrigued, next I tell him OS X is UNIX underneath, he's out lookin for one now.

Totally off topic sorry but love to share my story.

To my knowledge there is no Netmeeting for OS X. Yahoo does not support talking...

Do what I did, get the important people to switch to and make some new Mac friends!

MacboyX

There is VC support for mac out there via an app called ohPhoneX (http://sourceforge.net/projects/xmeeting/).

It's a bit "beta" but it does work. I have trouble with my iSight audio and this app though, so maybe the other cam mentioned might be a better bet.

It's H323 compliant so should happily talk to NetMeeting. It's free too!

Simon

Re: Hey Thanks!

Originally posted by gusanitoverde
I would like to know a little more about it, so you think that this software could let me do conferencing with Windows users?

The issue here is that iChat AV is the only software for videoconferencing and is really good, but it has no support for Windows and is not free. So How could I communicate with my loved ones, even if I have the best technology in Video Conferencing if I could only use it with Mac Users?
Not that it is something bad, but I am a loner among my loved ones, since I am the only Mac user among all of us. All of a sudden, I found myself isolated

Click to expand...

iChat AV is "free" if you get the Panther upgrade, soon to come Why would it have support for Windows? I doubt many Windows users would like to use an Apple app . About your dilemma, perhaps someone out there will write an app that lets you video conference across different platforms.
Hey, it's only Mac users because Apple took the effort to innovate, unlike any other company that makes computers...
convince your loved ones to switch lol

Yeah you might try to get your siblings to maybe get an eMac or iMac.

there is a free Video Conferencing program out there called iVisit.
No affiliation with Apple. It works pretty good. The only draw back right now is they are trying to fix the bugs in their OS X audio. I sound like Darth Vader under water...
But, I've been able to VC with my sister in Rhode Island and it works pretty good.
http://www.ivisit.com
Good Luck!
PS: I will say the quality is still better with the mac to mac on iChat.

PSS: I have an iSight and it works good.