Google Video chat with iChat

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Google Video chat with iChat

I may be reposting a question, but I have searched and searched and have yet to find a solution.

I am trying to video chat and the camera isn't even registering on my friend's computers (beside my "buddy" icon. They are using gtalk on PC and I am using iChat with Snow Leopard. There icons should have cameras beside them in my buddy list, but they do not. My camera works fine with Skype and Gmail. Am I missing a plug-in or a setting somewhere. I can get a round a mac pretty well, so this is extremely frustrating for me. I never cared until someone told me the video quality with iChat was phenomenal compared to Skype.

Thanks so much for your help.

Macbook Air 11.6", Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Dec 13, 2010 8:01 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 15, 2010 2:43 PM in response to rtdarnell

Hi,

Welcome to the  Discussions

You are not missing anything except for an important bit of Info.

In this case iChat does Not Video to the PC app by the Name Of GoogleTlak.
Nor does it Video to any Other Video able Jabber app on PCs (or Macs) or to the Google Chat from the Web Mail Chat option (Browser Plugin) whether the Buddy is on a Mac or PC.

It will Video, iChat to iChat to GoogleTalk Buddies (or Jabber ones).

See this Article

Basically Jabber app that can Video use an Add-on Module called Jingle.
This is the Protocol developed by the Jabber/XMPP organisation for doing this.
Google has a Varient that also does not work from Google to other Jabber apps.

iChat uses SIP to Connect and the Quicktime H264 (or H263) Video Protocols to send Video. AIM uses this same Protocol and those Apps that have been backwardly engineered to do Video also use this method (So iChat to AIM on a PC works as does other Apps that can do AIM Video Chats - The AIM for Mac app does not do Video)

I would suggest Mebeam (It seems to now be called Koowy)

This uses the Flash Plug-in for your Browser to access your Camera and to Video Chat with your Browser (A pops up appears with an Allow Check box and a tab that can select your Camera)

10:43 PM Wednesday; December 15, 2010

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

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