6 ms·

Frankly video conferencing that doesn't suck would be huge.

cdiamand 10y ago
Agreed!
bshimmin 10y ago
Yes! It feels like I try a new video conferencing system every week, never to see any improvement. I currently pay something like £20 per month for WebEx because it's marginally better than Skype (particularly with more than three people, at which point in my experience Skype becomes unusable). I tried a new one last week (for an introductory call with a new client) - Zoom.us - and it was absolutely agonising: I had to install some junky software on my Mac only to end up with a laggy video connection with appalling sound quality. In the end I made an international phone call to the guy and we both breathed a sigh of relief because we could actually relax and have a conversation. This is not how things should be in 2017.
- GFischer 10y ago
  Apple is the worst offender by being the only major vendor not to support WebRTC natively (and I guess that's why Zoom.us went with their own non-native solution). I know people prefer Macs, but they're enabling this behavior by Apple :( (although they do seem to be working on this - https://sixcolors.com/link/2017/01/safari-to-gain-real-time-communication-features/ https://sixcolors.com/link/2017/01/safari-to-gain-real-time-... )
metaobject 10y ago
We use google hangouts as our video conferencing tool. It's ok, nothing great I suppose. But I'm now wondering: * what features would make these tools great? shitty? * are we using a subpar vtc tool bc we don't know any better?
- cylinder 10y ago
  This is how video conferencing should work: I go to your page and generate a link. I send that link to participants. They open it, the video conference starts full-screen immediately. High resolution, no plugin downloads, no prompts, no "invites," nothing. No clutter on the screen at all. I don't need emojis or filters. If there are 4 participants, split the screen automatically into quadrants with each participant's video in one quadrant. None of that Hangouts auto-switching nonsense.
  - danwakefield 10y ago
    https://talky.io/ https://talky.io/ ?
  - GFischer 10y ago
    Have you tried appear.in ? https://appear.in/ https://appear.in/ . It generates a link, and has pretty good resolution and no invites or anything, and I like their UI a lot. Most of the other problems (high resolution and immediacy) are a function of bandwidth and internet quality more than anything else I think :( I'm also working on a video conferencing software (for a different use case) and unfortunately we can't do away with the prompts because of security, but WebRTC (https://webrtc.org/ https://webrtc.org/) has done away with plugin downloads for everything but iOS (Apple, as usual, not inviting others into their walled garden).
wtvanhest 10y ago
Bluejeans is extremely good.
- bshimmin 10y ago
  I've never heard of this one. I'd try it, but the pricing page just says "Get a quote" all over it, which is a massive turn-off.
  - wtvanhest 10y ago
    Yeah, we used them at LinkedIn, they are definitely enterprise, but are also the best. I have no idea of the price and im sure linkedin is going to skype now.
mrep 10y ago
We use biba, which is most likely used for amazon chime now (amazon bought biba) and I have never once had any problems with it. It just works
spollo 10y ago
FWIW I've found appear.in through slack pretty nice. Nothing to install. Just type /appear <room-name> and it boots up a room in a browser for you.
piyushmakhija 10y ago
You might want to check out https://chime.aws/ https://chime.aws/

Agreed!

Yes! It feels like I try a new video conferencing system every week, never to see any improvement. I currently pay something like £20 per month for WebEx because it's marginally better than Skype (particularly with more than three people, at which point in my experience Skype becomes unusable). I tried a new one last week (for an introductory call with a new client) - Zoom.us - and it was absolutely agonising: I had to install some junky software on my Mac only to end up with a laggy video connection with appalling sound quality. In the end I made an international phone call to the guy and we both breathed a sigh of relief because we could actually relax and have a conversation. This is not how things should be in 2017.

GFischer 10y ago
Apple is the worst offender by being the only major vendor not to support WebRTC natively (and I guess that's why Zoom.us went with their own non-native solution). I know people prefer Macs, but they're enabling this behavior by Apple :( (although they do seem to be working on this - https://sixcolors.com/link/2017/01/safari-to-gain-real-time-communication-features/ https://sixcolors.com/link/2017/01/safari-to-gain-real-time-... )

metaobject 10y ago

We use google hangouts as our video conferencing tool. It's ok, nothing great I suppose. But I'm now wondering: * what features would make these tools great? shitty? * are we using a subpar vtc tool bc we don't know any better?

cylinder 10y ago
This is how video conferencing should work: I go to your page and generate a link. I send that link to participants. They open it, the video conference starts full-screen immediately. High resolution, no plugin downloads, no prompts, no "invites," nothing. No clutter on the screen at all. I don't need emojis or filters. If there are 4 participants, split the screen automatically into quadrants with each participant's video in one quadrant. None of that Hangouts auto-switching nonsense.
- danwakefield 10y ago
  https://talky.io/ https://talky.io/ ?
- GFischer 10y ago
  Have you tried appear.in ? https://appear.in/ https://appear.in/ . It generates a link, and has pretty good resolution and no invites or anything, and I like their UI a lot. Most of the other problems (high resolution and immediacy) are a function of bandwidth and internet quality more than anything else I think :( I'm also working on a video conferencing software (for a different use case) and unfortunately we can't do away with the prompts because of security, but WebRTC (https://webrtc.org/ https://webrtc.org/) has done away with plugin downloads for everything but iOS (Apple, as usual, not inviting others into their walled garden).

wtvanhest 10y ago

Bluejeans is extremely good.

bshimmin 10y ago
I've never heard of this one. I'd try it, but the pricing page just says "Get a quote" all over it, which is a massive turn-off.
- wtvanhest 10y ago
  Yeah, we used them at LinkedIn, they are definitely enterprise, but are also the best. I have no idea of the price and im sure linkedin is going to skype now.

mrep 10y ago

We use biba, which is most likely used for amazon chime now (amazon bought biba) and I have never once had any problems with it. It just works

spollo 10y ago

FWIW I've found appear.in through slack pretty nice. Nothing to install. Just type /appear <room-name> and it boots up a room in a browser for you.

piyushmakhija 10y ago

You might want to check out https://chime.aws/ https://chime.aws/