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Lemur
11-09-2008, 17:27
Okay, for the last ten years I have studiously avoided the whole world of video chat and video conferencing. However, my parents have retired to a distant state, and they want to video chat with their grandkids, so I am forced to enter this seedy world.

Anybody care to give me a quick primer? What are the best, cheapest (free?) services for hooking up a couple of technophobic grandparents? I've heard of quite a few people using Yahoo! video chat -- does it work? Is it reliable?

What should I be thinking about, what are the pitfalls, and what's the optimum set-up? I'd like to stick with free and/or open-sauce when possible.

Thanks in advance for your guidance and wisdom.
CBR
11-09-2008, 18:03
The only one I have used is MSN(Windows Live Messenger) and it worked ok and it is free.


CBR
Husar
11-09-2008, 19:54
I've also got MSN but hardly ever used it to videochat.
The open-sauce Messengers I have seen so far all just support the text and file transfer at best, not the voice and video chat functions.
Xiahou
11-10-2008, 22:47
Skype (http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/videocall/).
Whacker
11-10-2008, 23:32
All Hail our Lord Prosi... wait, he's not in charge here anymore. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

OK, serious response. You want to get a decent webcam first. I've always had good experiences with Logitech products, my friend has a Logitech webcam (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8763028&st=webcam&lp=9&type=product&cp=1&id=1203815035036) and says it's great, but it's about $80. That one comes with a built in mic too.

Next, there are a number of quick and dirty programs for videoconferencing. Xhole mentioned Skype, I have no experience with it so I can't say how user friendly it is. I also heard the MS Messenger program can do it relatively easy, that's what my friend uses, but he's also technically inclined. The one I used when I had a cam years ago was good ol' Netmeeting! It's free, prepacked with Windows (C:\Program Files\Netmeeting\), and I don't think it's too hard to figure out. Of course I am a veritable IT God as it were, so your mileage may vary. I believe the Logitech cam above also comes with it's own version of software that might be easy to use.

Please note every time I say "easy" above, it's all relative. I have no doubt that you can figure it out Lemur, but technophobic older folks are invariably going to need help with anything more complicated than switching a monitor on, and even then sometimes they still need help with that. If there's someone near them who could help, that would probably be your best bet, or perhaps the next time you visit them you could take el Laptop and set it all up then and show them how to use it.

Good luck!
Husar
11-10-2008, 23:50
Well, MSN found my notebook's included cam all by itself so you just start a chat with someone, send an invite for a video chat and once the other person has accepted, you're ready to go, of course you may need a microphone to actually talk etc but with that logitech cam that's included so.
Skype should be similarly easy, I didn't mention it as I wasn't sure it had video either, pretty good program as well IMO.
Lemur
11-12-2008, 15:03
Hmmm, I see Google is adding video to the Gmail service (http://mail.google.com/videochat) as well. Grandma and I both have Gmail addy's as our primaries, so that might be the lowest-pain solution. Assuming it works. Man, I hate trying to anticipate how the technically clueless will react to an application.

[indent]
LittleGrizzly
11-12-2008, 16:05
The MSN messanger one is very simple to use, is you both have msn messanger then it is simply a case of you sending a request for a video chat and an option comes up on the other side to accept or reject....

Im figuring the hardest bit then would be installing msn messanger but with a direct link its just a case of following the options (and ticking the login at startup option...)