iChat video with Skype user

Your Mom will need Skype for Mac



10:32 PM Tuesday; June 17, 2008

I have a macbook pro and my boyfriend has a pc. I am leaving for college and we want to be able to video chat when I am away, but since he doesn't have a MAC we don't know what to do. I am aware of the program SKYPE, so if we were to both buy webcams and then I install the SKYPE for Mac software and he installs the skype windows software should it work? I was told that you can chat with the built in camera and then chat with a pc user but I figured the way I just described with the webcams may possibly work. Am I right. thanks for the feedback!

Thanks for the points.



6:32 PM Sunday; June 22, 2008

Mom has a friend with a PC and that friend uses Skype for video chats. QUESTION--In order for my Mom to video chat with this friend with a PC and Skype, will Mom also need to download and use "Skype for Mac".....

Your Mom will need Skype for Mac

If you are aware of Skype then you are aware it does Video chats.

I am not sure why you need to re-ask the question using different words.

The important thing will be getting cameras that work on your OS, but, as you have an Built-In one that is a non question as well.

To be clear.
Skype works with cameras that work on your computers be they PCs or Macs.
That means they will do video chats from Macs to PCs.



6:39 PM Sunday; June 22, 2008

i was told by apple that it wasnt possible to chat with a mac and pc using the mac's built in camera thats why I was asking.

I have never seen a post in iChat 3, the Leopard iChat and iChat Sharing or the iChat 2.x and earlier forums that says that.

Nor can I see a question or topic in the iSight Forum

I don't actually have Skype on my MacBook Pro but it is not something I have heard of from people who test with me either.

There is nothing here to say you need an External Camera
http://www.skype.com/help/guides/skypeformac/skypefeatures/video.html

The Download page says nothing about specifically using an External cam
http://www.skype.com/download/skype/macosx/
It does provide a link to Drivers for external cams which most people would have had to use with External cams anyway on their Mac pre UVC (USB Video Class) being added to the OS (Or if they have a non UVC camera) (or used the macam drivers for Logitech)

See http://support.skype.com/index.php?a=knowledgebase&_j=questiondetails&i=830&nav2=Skype%20for%20Mac%20OS%20X

to Quote

To set up your webcam, please follow these steps:

- Download and install the most recent drivers for your video device. If your video camera does not have drivers for Mac OS X, please use the drivers available from http://webcam-osx.sf.net

- Select your video device in Skype under Skype Preferences- Video. This step is not required if you have an Apple iSight. (Edited here)

Your Mac obviously has drivers for the Built-in Camera and it seems you do not have to do one step of the set up procedure.

I hope this helps.

Yahoo works in producing a Video feed from Macs that PC can see (there is no Audio to it)
iVisit does video with audio on both platforms

GizMo5 Is also like Skype and does Video with Audio and has version for both platforms (And Linux)

OphoneX allows contact with Xmeeting on a PC in Video

The Current AIM version (AIM 6.8) had not been proved one way or the other yet.
AIM 6.5 was very Difficult bordering on impossible to get to work with iChat (not available now)
AIM 6.1 was the best of the bunch for a long while but is no longer downloadable
AIM 5.9 has an impossibly small Video window but does work but on on XP (Still available)

Bootcamp now has drivers for the Built-in Camera for running it in Windows.

The information you seem to have received is in error.

List of apps that are known to work with Macs with cameras of any sort
http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/EZJim/EZJimpage7.html (Thanks to EZ Jim)

MeBeam Just use a web browser.



7:45 PM Sunday; June 22, 2008

my dad actually talked with someone on the phone, back a few months ago when we were trying to chat with my Uncle who lives in California. He has a MAC and we had a PC and my dad went out and bought a webcam and everything and it still didn't work. Thats the only reason I was asking but I will for sure try what you told me and then if it doesn't work for some reason I'll let you know.

Thanks

also to what you said about the skype will I have to download the mac cam so that I can talk or what? those links confused me.

See your other thread.

No.

I said, and so did the quoted link, that if your camera already had drivers you did not need to download them.
This was on two counts.

1) If someone already has an external camera they are likely to have got drivers if needed for their camera to work in other applications
2) You have a Built in iSight which has drivers in the OS.

External Cameras fall in to three categories
Firewire like some camcorders and the Original External iSight (No Drivers needed)
UVC able cameras. This is the newer USB Video Class and requires no drivers on the Mac if the camera is compliant but you do have to have USB 2.0 ports. You also have to have the Mac OS at 10.4.9 or above.
Ordinary USB cameras If it is Not USB 2.0 capable and also if it is NOT UVC compliant then it will need drivers to work in any app on your Mac.

What the Skype page that I linked and Quoted points you to is a site that does drivers for many USB Cameras.
Another site for this is the one by macam

You have a built-in iSight which effectively has drivers in the OS so you don't need any Drivers.
I wrote this before and I don't see what is difficult about about it.

I spent some time looking at places to support the information I gave you.
I am sorry that you seem not to appreciate the help or the links to things you could have looked up yourself but seem unable to follow and take the time to digest.

Defcom (UK) has indicated that you have another thread on this and I am sure he has tried Skype on a Laptop and that the answer is Yes



8:24 PM Sunday; June 22, 2008