Desktop videoconferencing
From Acorn
This refers to videoconferencing enabled by small web cams and software installed on client computers.
Trillian Pro on the PC can communicate well with iChatAV on the Mac. More on iChatAV
AIM for Windows also works with iChatAV, but the window is smaller and vido quality not as good
Xmeeting, Alpha download, OhPhoneX (H.323 compliant) and directions on how to use it.
Click to Meet, help and a Demo. H323 compliant.
Educational Web Video Conferencing Project Case Study
Conference Recorder Records iChatAV sessions
SightSpeed may be worth a look (Mac and PC)
Gnomemeeting for Linux
If you are looking for a small scale video conferencing unit, the Polycom VSX 3000 is a very nice unit. Good for 1-2 people. If you want something a little larger in scale (say 3-8 people) the VSX 7000 is nice.
As far as PC based solutions, I have been really happy with Polycoms PVX. The app works extremely well provided that your machine is fast enough. (and is significantly cheaper than the low end hardware solutions). Polycom has a 5 min trial
Also you may want to try the 30 trial of this from VCON
Jim Raber, Video Conferencing/LAN Support, Kent State University
Desktop Group Collaboration, including video
Showmacster streams photos, movies, sounds and screen captures into iChat video conferences
Marratech - is SIP compliant - supports most H.323 endpoints - supports Mac OS X, Windows and Linux - supports H.264 on Mac OS X, Windows and Linux - supports data collaboration including presentation slides, collaboration tools, application and desktop sharing
Clients are free, but you have to pay for the server, though there is a limited functionality freeware server that you can download. If you have static IP addresses on both ends, you can use the clients point to point without a server.
ConferenceXP is PC only
Instant Messaging
Jabber and Jabber Clients
ChatCreator free on-line client
Screen Sharing
TightVNC Real-time screen sharing with remote computers
Microsoft NetMeeting, PC only
Internet2 feedback
Megaconference Listers,
Thanks everyone that responded to my inquiry about current status of H.323 on a Mac. There were some good comments that indicate reliability in products such as Xmeeting; but some features are yet to be developed or ported into Xmeeting, such as H.264, HD and H.239.
Some of the responses came to me direct and not via the email list. I have copied them all below in the order they were received for your review or enlightenment.
Jamie Diana Poindexter, Manager of Teleconference Operations Internet2 Commons Coordinator for UW Madison & UW Extension
I don't know all too much about video conferencing but I use Mac all the time. A couple of things: the new iMacs come with a camera installed. We have used Macs for point-to-point thru iChat or some other chat set up and they worked great. Maybe not too much help, but my 2 cents...
I have used Xmeeting on both my MacBook Pro (highest end laptop) and a regular MacBook (out of the box) and both worked great. I can connect to our older conferencing systems and our new LifeSize HD systems.
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/30244 - XMeeting info
I connected to the ResearchChannel annual meeting last year from home (cable modem) using an iSight camera, a pre-Intel Mac mini, and xMeeting, and I thought the result was excellent. I don't recall any significant breakup of the video; there was no freezing.
I love Macs and h.323 ;-) I use xmeeting and it works great. no sense in running of to the conference room if you can vc from your desk ;-)
check it out! http://xmeeting.sourceforge.net/pages/index.php
The link above has this statement: “Since XMeeting requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later, users of older Mac OS X 10.3 still need ohphoneX if they want to use a H.323 compatible videoconferencing client for Mac OS X.” Jamie
In my experiments its been safe to say all of the current Mac products will run video sufficiently. You might show preference to the iMac, Macbook or Macbook Pro as they all come with a decent built in camera.
I am running a pilot project with Macs and h.323. I am very interested in this discussion. Please include me in any answers to this question. When we finish the pilot group testing, I will be glad to point you to our results.
We've had nothing but success with xmeeting.
Not to hijack the subject, the biggest trouble with xMeeting is the muting feature. You **can** mute, it's just the button shows the state your system *will* be in if you click it. So it *looks* like you're muted when you're not and vice versa. It is a great solution for the Mac, but not as fully featured as it does not yet support some of the newer sub-standards of H.323 such H.239 (people+content, duo video, natural presenter, etc) or H.264 (probably because of licensing of MPEG 4.)
As far as I understand, Hannes is working on H239 for Xmeeting (and I’m sure on the mute “feature” ;-). Here is an evidence that XMeeting IS supporting H264 (as seen from a Codian MCU). Don't know why my outgoing call is H263+, but note that I'm (as we speak) receiving H264.
Hannes and I had a long discussion a few months back at an open source conference in Paris. We actually shared a room for a couple of nights and he is really a very nice guy and I'm glad he is having the success he is with XMeeting.
Hannes will be porting my H.239 implementation in OpenH323 . There are some major architectual issue Hannes has to resolve first which I understand he has done however the changes have been put on hold due to some other design issues which some other members of the design team are working on. So it may be a little while before it is available in XMeeting. H.239 will be available in PacPhone in the next couple of months.
The H.264 implementation is Mac specific and uses the built in apple quicktime H.264 codec thereby avoiding licensing issues. The rest of us on Windows/Linux don't have the luxury and are dependent on the open source FFMPEG library for MPEG4/H.264. Damien Sandras (Ekiga) has done both the MPEG4 and H.264 codecs in SIP and I have just finished the H.323 implementation of H.264 (up to 720p frame size) and will be looking at (if someone else doesn't first) the MPEG4 codec over the next couple of weeks.
There is a lot of other H.323 development going on in open source including H.235, H.350, H.460 etc which will eventually work its way into the various subprojects (XMeeting, Ekiga, GnuGk and PacPhone)
The end.
