Application to share screen AND audio?

Hello.

I've been using a Mac mini setup with 5 different Windows installations (various OS/browser configurations) for the testing of website and other digital projects. Developers connect to this Mac mini via OS X's built-in screen sharing. I've now been asked to "enable sound" (so the person who's sharing the screen can hear the audio from the computer they're sharing with), which isn't possible via Screen Sharing (or Apple Remote Desktop). I'm wondering if anyone knows of any screen sharing applications that would also transmit audio? It only needs to be a Macintosh solution.

I'm going to be testing Timbuktu to see if it transmits audio, but from what I remember (it's been a while since I've used Timbuktu — switched to a VPN/ARD solution for remote support), but I have to find a couple machines that still have it installed.

Thanks,
Kristin.

Message was edited by: kristin.

20" Intel iMac 2.16 Ghz, Macintosh SE/30, Mac OS X (10.6.2), Xserves (Early 2009, Early 2008, G5), Mac Pro

Posted on Mar 17, 2010 11:53 AM

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11 replies

Mar 18, 2010 12:13 PM in response to BobHarris

Yea, I'd already looked into that — unfortunately, it's a subscription-based service and the sharing runs through the web. While that might work, really, I don't need to be going from the LAN->WAN->LAN when the two machines are in the same physical place. Again, it all else fails, this would be an option, but I'm looking for something a little more "local".

Thanks again,
Kristin.

Mar 18, 2010 12:17 PM in response to BobHarris

Thanks! While this solution didn't work (couldn't get it running on my machines), it did leave me to AirFoil by Rogue Amoeba — I got that up and running, but unfortunately, because of the how the software delays the transmission of audio (I suppose for the ability for multiple devices to "sync" audio, when I introduced screen sharing, there was a delay between what was happening on-screen and the resulting sound (by about 1-2 seconds).

So, looks like I'm still on the lookout for an all-in-one solution...

Thanks again,
Kristin.

Mar 19, 2010 6:08 AM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Yea, iChat was almost a winner (one of the first things I tried after I realized ARD didn't transmit audio) — the one thing that made me put it aside, for now, was the fact that when you're screen sharing, you can't hide the "my screen" box that floats in the corner. I realize this is a small thing, but I need the unobstructed view.

I've looked around and haven't found a way, either in-app or third party, to hide that. Any ideas?

k.

Mar 19, 2010 1:04 PM in response to Ralph-Johns-UK

Very creative.

But, I've "learnt to live" with the floating "my screen" box, I think I've ended up going with straight up iChat Screen Sharing (with some "tweaks", as follow...).

I'm using Soundflower to redirect audio output on the machine level (this also results in sounds not playing through the computer speakers, so that's nice) and then again on the iChat level setting the mic to Soundflower so what iChat thinks is audio coming from the mic is actually coming from the machine). So, this gives crystal clear audio (rather than relying on the mic trying to pick up machine sounds which resulted in a lot of ambient noise, plus the sound pumping out of the mac mini speakers, which is sitting in a server room).

I used Chax (iChat plugins kinda app) to enable auto-accepting screen sharing requests, and while not "password protected", Chax allows me to specify on a "buddy" level when it auto-accepts. So, that worked out well as well.

Overall, other than the annoying floating "my screen" box, all testing is working out really well at this point. We'll see what happens as time goes on...

Thanks again,
Kristin.

Mar 19, 2010 1:29 PM in response to kristin.

Yep,

I am aware of Chax.

I was going to suggest Showmacster http://www.pleasantsoftware.com/showmacster/ but it is not ready for Snow Leopard.
It has feature for playing the Audio from the Movies at least (I have not tried on Web sites/Screen area with sound)

(I would also have to play with possibly having the iChat Preview/Own Video open and the Screen Area Pre-selected as the drawer moves with the Current "Front Window")

Although iChat "sees" the Desktop as a Virtual Camera I don't think the Hide Local Video Button works in this case.

User uploaded file

8:29 PM Friday; March 19, 2010

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

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Application to share screen AND audio?

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