Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

[arochester]

"If you’ve been wanting to use voice and video chat on Linux (our top video chat request), then we have good news for you: it’s now available! Visit gmail.com/videochat to download the plugin and get started. Voice and video chat for Linux supports Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions, and RPM support will be coming soon."

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/0...-chat-too.html

[sithlord48]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

awesome. i wonder if this also supports the screen share feature.

[MoonRise]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

Cool and Thanks!

[Zhao]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

Really nice, thanks for sharing

[GreyGeek]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

I've installed it and I can see myself and it responds to my mic, but I haven't used it yet. I "assume" that to use it one merely has to start a "chat", since I didn't see any function marked "start a video chat".

Also, it appears that must have a Google account and you can chat only with those in your Google gmail contact list.

I did not see anything that suggested that "share your screen" was an option.

[kapil]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

thanks for sharing..

[upro]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

So glad companies like Google care about Linux users.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

I'm anxious to try this thing out. Anyone want to give greygeek77@gmail.com a call?

[sithlord48]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

ill give u a call

[GreyGeek]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

Sithlord48 and I connected with Google's video/chat app. I was impressed with the quality of the video and sound (except that I couldn't hear him all the time -- a mic issue). The full screen is nice, too. When his sound started working what I heard was my voice coming back to me, but that was intermittent.

Now all it needs is "Share my video"

[sithlord48]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

Sithlord48's post chat with GreyGeek google video chat review:
as GreyGeek stated above we have tested this on our systems. At first i had some mic issues getting sound on the netbook , for that machine mic issues are nothing new. So bit later i had set up a web cam and mic on my desktop, and we started to chat again. the Video is nice a responcive the sound was also clear. its easy to setup.You basicly download and install the plugin then restart firefox (im using FF so idk about other browsers). Log in to gmail and then you can video call or regular call people. there are only two things i don't like about it currently. they are that you have to do the video from your gmail in a browser (im sure kopete support will come eventually) and no "share my screen" feature. If you looking for video chat this works nice.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

While it is fresh in my mind I'll relay some experiences Sithlord48 and I had using Google's video chat.

First, I am in Lincoln, NE and he is in the Catskills of upper New York.

Pro:
The synchronization between the movements of the lips and the hearing of the words was within a fraction of a second.

The quality of the video and sound are outstanding, as is the full screen video.


Con:
The video chat is VERY unstable IF you move your video dialog around on the screen or manually resize it. At least on mine it is. Several times during the course of our 45 minute discussion moving or resizing my video dialog crashed FireFox. On one occasion the crash brought down my Linksys WRT54GL wireless router, which I had to reboot to get reconnected.

There is no "Share your screen".

The video and audio controls are not on the video dialog, save for the Mike mute button.

When I close the video dialog to terminate the video chat it crashed FireFox 3.6.8 again.


Other remarks:
It remains to be seen if one can open video dialogs to several contacts at once.

It also remains to be seen if Google will do like Skype and use Linux boxes as server relays for Windows users connections (Skype super nodes).

BUT, if one leaves their video in one location and doesn't try to resize it too much, or uses the full screen, it is runs without crashing.

EDIT:
After reading Sithlord48's remarks his comment about having to open GMail to get it running reminded me of the advertising graphic Google showed. It was a piece of the Ubuntu screen showing the video dialog window. At the top of the screen was the GNOME toolbar. In the tool bar was the Google video conference icon. Apparently the install puts the icon on the GNOME toolbar but not in Kubuntu's menu on its panel.

[Zhao]

Re: Google - Use Linux? Now you can video chat too

Thanks for the reviews guys