Lion to Snow Leopard missing audio during video chat

Hi,

So on the Snow Leopard end they see no incoming Audio in the Connection Doctor and also hear nothing.

The Mic is set in System Preferences >> Sound > Input and the volume is set high enough and the same Devices is chosen in iChat as the Mic.

If it is a headset do the following

Change both System Preferences and ichat to another Device (Line for Instance)

Then set the System Preferences "First"

Then set iChat to the same device

I take it the System Preferences were checked for the Blue Bar movement and the iChat for the Green Bar ?

And that in the Video Menu Microphone Enabled is ticked ?

With such potential differences in Internet speeds and the potential for major speed changes with just a 5% variance in either direction I would have though using the Bandwidth Limit was almost obligatory.

I would have suggested 500kbps as this is fast enough for 4 way Video chats as Host and should keep you below any variance issue or even speed difference issue.

In the Connection Doctor what do both ends report the Bit rate is, the Frame Rate and the pic size ?

Up to iChat 5 the max Pic size is 640 X 480 and will list other 4:3 ratio sizes like 320 X 240 if it has to drop size.

8:54 PM Sunday; September 4, 2011

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

 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Hi there,

We are experiencing the exact same issue with the in-laws!!

Up until the household Lion upgrade, we had our Sunday night video chats and all was hunky-dorry.

Now we're stuck doing the ol' speaker phone for audio - macbooks for video.

This is pretty bunk.

I was able to do a screen sharing session with them and was recieving audio then.

I was also able to recieve audio in an audio chat.

This must be a bug that'll be fixed with an update sometime in the near future.

Anyone have any idea where we could submit such a bug???

BTW.

To clarify...

They have Snow Leopard and we have Lion.

They can hear us but we can't hear them.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/ichat.html

You will not get a reply.

It can be used for different sorts of Feedback.

7:18 PM Monday; September 5, 2011

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

 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Has anyone else had this issue?

Is there a fix?

If not, is there an easy way to go back to Snow Leopard? Cuz Lion's kinda sucking on this front...

Hey, i am having the same problem and i can't find a way to fix it!!!

Please let me now if someone has a solution.

Joost from Holland

Hi,

Any Sound Add-on Software like SoundFlower ?

SoundFlower can help with capturing sound in one app and using it at the same time in another. It has Play Through options and appears in the Input section/tab of System Preferences > Sound.

It has issues with iChat now and then during it's version history.

(it has a broader feature set than I state here)

8:38 PM Sunday; September 11, 2011

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

 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Was that a question?

If the question was whether or not a third-party sound app is installed, the answer is "no".

Hi,

Yes that was the implied question.

The Library that is in the Home Folder is now Hidden. (invisible)

If you have the Finder as the "Front" app, showing in the Menu bar, go to the Go Menu > Go to Folder

Enter ~/Library/Preferences

You will now be able to see all the .plists

In Lion there are also .lockfiles.

Delete the com.apple.ichat.plist and the corresponding .lockfile (Drag to Trash)

Restart iChat if Open.

7:40 PM Monday; September 12, 2011

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

 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Did anyone on this post find a solution to this problem? I'm having a similar, if not identical, problem. I have a Lion (10.7.5) iMac and my parents each have Snow Leopard iMacs. When I video chat with them, I receive no audio from them, from either of their computers. If I switch to my Macbook with Snow Leopard, I can video chat with them without any issues at all. Further, if I screen share with them via Lion, I have no issues with audio. I only lack audio on a video chat. They can hear me, but I can't hear them.

Here's what I've tried thus far, to no avail.

• Deleted ichat .plist and .lockfiles on my Lion computer and their SL computers
• Checked their Mics, which both clearly work since I can connect via my SL Macbook
• Checked for SoundFlower, but don't have it, or know what it is.
• Set bandwidth per one of Ralph's other posts

So, I'm perplexed. I'd like to be able to video chat via my Lion iMac, especially since it's got a much bigger screen. Did anyone ever find a solution? Any suggestions?

Hi,

SoundFLower is an Add-on to the System that then appears in the System Preferences > Sound pane as well as being an App.

It allows the Mic (or input device) to be used by two apps at once.

It can also take the output of one app and get in to another.

Sound.

IN certain versions of iChat and with certain Headsets you can have issues if the iChat is set "first" the the System Preferences are set Second.

In both iChat and System Preferences > Sound > Input chose any other device/input other that the propsed headset.

The chose the Headset's mic for the System Preferences

Now set the mic for iChat

Repeat for System Preferences > Sound > Output and the Headphone side.

What is Arriving

Whilst a chat is going on open the Connection Doctor (Video Menu)

On the Stats tab/button you will get a live read out of Bitrate and Framerate and a visual representation of the incoming Video and Audio feed.

Bit rate will vary based on what you pay for and what the Bandwidth Settings is. (you can change it "Live" during a chat and see the Buffering change the rate slowly).

The Framerate should be at least 15fps

Intels can be higher whit 30fps being the top rate.

The Visual bars should be green and 100%

They may vary if your service varies to much.

Buffering

Any Internet service will vary.

iChat has buffering mechanism to cope with this

Earlier versions of iChat were limited by the Quicktime Streaming setting that used to be in System Preferences (Up until Leopard).

Now iChat and Messages can make use of All your bandwidth.

The Buffering will drop frames in an effort to keep up if someone is sending more data than you can handle.

There comes a point when it judges it will lose sense of the Audio due the number of dropped frames and it will cut the Audio.

If the Audio bar is showing nothing then check the Bitrate.

Let me know what you see.

Comparisons with you other computer would be useful.

9:21 PM Monday; October 8, 2012

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

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Hi Ralph,

Thanks for the quick response. Here's what I've done.

• Verified that I don't have SoundFlower; thanks for the description of what it is :-)
• Had my mom initiate a video chat with me...and voila, I can hear her and she can hear me. Bizarre!

  Connection Doctor report

  • Local Frame rate (fps): 14.2; Bit rate: 1273; Frame size: 640 x 480
  • AIM connection Frame rate (fps): 15; Bit rate: 456.6; Frame size 640 x 480
  • Audio and Video Quality are at 100%
• I initiated a video chat with my mom, and I can't hear her at all. Maybe it's a problem that way only

  Connection Doctor report

  • All numbers are nearly identical to the previous report (fps, kbit/s, etc)
  • Audio quality is 0%
  • Video quality is 100%
• Had my mom initiate a video chat with me again, and voila, I can hear her and she can hear me.

• I initiated a video chat with my mom from my SL Macbook and I can hear her and she can hear me.

  Connection Doctor report

  • Local Frame rate (fps): 13.9; Bit rate: 1360; Frame size: 640 x 480
  • AIM connection Frame rate (fps): 15; Bit rate: 452.5; Frame size 640 x 480
  • Audio and Video Quality are at 100%
• Had my mom initiate a video chat with me on my SL Macbook, and I can hear her and she can hear me.

  Connection Doctor report is the same

So it seems I'm only having this problem when going from my Lion iMac to her SL iMac. Any thoughts on what might be happening?

Cheers,

Kevin

Hi,

Thanks for testing the Invite and call in both directions.

The remote end and 15fps and a bit rate under 500 sounds like either a machine that cannot go any faster, a low speed connection (relative to "todays" averages) or it is capped by iChat itself or the Quicktime setting.

However it is over 384kbps and this in the Minimum for 4 way video chats as the Host (Inviting end)

(so there is spare capacity).

I had a similar problem the other day with a frequent but irregular Buddy.

For us no matter who did the Inviting he could not hear me.

I checked the Mic Settings in System Preferences > Sound > Input and compared those to the ones in iChat.

I adjusted the volume in the System preferences place to no result.

My Buddy then rebooted Messages (we were both using Messages)

A reboot of his computer sorted it.

Technically once set up (volume and Device in System Preferences) and then set in iChat the System Preferences > Sound > Input can be then used to set up other apps.

It would seem that somewhere your computer is not "remembering" what has been set.

I am a little surprised it is different between in coming and outgoing calls.

8:02 PM Tuesday; October 9, 2012

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

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Ralph,

Thanks for the response.

Hmm...I'm at a loss. I just tried Skype without any issues (although Skype's video/audio quality has always been inferior to iChat's, but that's a whole other issue, and a reason I prefer iChat). I looked at my sound input and output settings as well as my mom's, during our iChat video chat and after. No changes occured.

At least I know I can video chat with my parents via iChat, albeit only if they contact me, which is always dicey considering they are very much computer illiterate :-)

I am planning on upgrading my iMac to Mountain Lion in the next few weeks. Maybe things will get sorted out after the upgrade. I'm also going to upgrade my Macbook Pro to Lion. If the video chat breaks on that machine as a result, hopefully that will be a clue. But hopefully it won't break at all :-)

Thanks again. If you think of anything else I might try, let me know. I'll try rebooting on both ends again, but I'm not too hopeful.

Cheers,

Kevin

Hi,

Things such as the Internal Camera are connected as internal USB items.

This means they get allocated ID numbers so the systems knows where they are.

Sometimes the System loses track and a reset is needed.

This can be done with a PRAM reset.

Shut down the computer.

Restart it holding down Apple/CMD ( or ⌘)+ALT( ⌥)+P+R Keys until you have heard three Start Up Bongs.

It might pay to try this even though the Audio side is not USB.

7:58 PM Thursday; October 11, 2012

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

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously