[nmkramer]

Hey guys. Yet another "How do I do this on a Mac?" question...

My parents are deaf and use sign language to communicate. They do not use the telephone to talk to friends; instead, they prefer a webcam. Since they use Windows 2000 (haven't converted them yet, heh), they primarily use NetMeeting to contact others with a webcam via their IP address. I may be wrong, but that is one way NetMeeting "calls" others, right?

I have a webcam (and plan to get an iSight soon) and I use OS X 10.3.

Getting to the point... my question...

If iChat is only able to videoconference with PCs with both AIM 5.5+ and Windows XP, then that's a dead end road for my situation, right?

What alternatives are there for OS X that will allow me to "dial" my parents' IP address? In other words, is there a "NetMeeting-like" program for OS X Panther?

Additionally, if my mom and dad get Windows XP (god forbid), then how good can the video stream be? Both computers on both ends are reasonably powerful; I use the newest revision Powerbook, and my parents use a 2 year old Dell.

Any input would help. I don't want to have to tell my parents that the only reliable way to video chat is if they buy a Mac. Though that would be nice...

[torifile]

The Mac route would be easiest. There is no way to "call" an IP address that I know of. They could look into a slew of IM apps that provide similar functionality as long as they are signed on. Yahoo, AIM are two that do some cross-platform video. But the best quality easiest solution would be for them to get a mac and use iChat. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. They could probably dump that 2 year old dell for a couple hundred $$ and buy a Mac mini.

[HOM]

WebEx has a Mac client that I used when it was in private Beta. At the time it had all the feature that the Windows client had, but I'm not sure if the video conferencing is available on the Mac.

You might want to poke around their site and see if it works for you.

[alcimedes]

http://xmeeting.sourceforge.net/

open source (free) client that's supposed to be able to do netmeeting between Mac's and PC's.

[Banana]

It doesn't say anything about Mac end, but I think this is something you may wanna to look at...

Crikey, glad you pointed that one out- I like a Mac but if I can't cross video relay with my PC friends....

[nmkramer]

Originally Posted by Banana It doesn't say anything about Mac end, but I think this is something you may wanna to look at... Crikey, glad you pointed that one out- I like a Mac but if I can't cross video relay with my PC friends....

No kidding. It's not easy to find software out there that does what I want it to do. Anyways, thanks guys for helping out; I'm looking into those two programs (WebEX and Xmeeting) and I'll let you know what does/doesn't work.

This may be getting off topic (about 3rd party products, now) so feel free to move this thread if needed...

Banana, that website you directed me to is EXACTLY what my parents use for video chat. I am very aware of Sorenson, but thanks anyway. My parents don't use EnVision SL, but they do use the Sorenson VP-100 external videophone in their home to talk to others with VP-100s and EnVision SL Software. Great for Windows PC. 2 problems, though:

1. The EnVision SL Software is PC-only, and isn't iSight compatible anyway.

2. I cannot obtain a VP-100 because it is available as a free service to the deaf and hard of hearing community only. My parents get one free; I don't get one.

I'll go nag Sorenson about making their software Mac compatible...

Thanks guys!

[Bryson]

2. I cannot obtain a VP-100 because it is available as a free service to the deaf and hard of hearing community only. My parents get one free; I don't get one.

That seems a little harsh. Who exactly do the suppliers think they're going to call with it?

[nmkramer]

Not to get too off-topic here... but...

The VP-100 is meant to promote usage of an internet-based Video Relay Service (VRS) for the deaf also run by Sorenson, so the relay service is how Sorenson makes its $$$ I think.

So essentially the VP-100 is meant for deaf folks to chat with other deaf folks, to deal with businesses via relay, and thats basically it. The EnVision SL software is icing on the cake. The icing is only one flavor, though.

[Gargoyle]

Your parents got a 2 year old dell without Windows XP?

[rtroiani]

I use a Mac with iSight and iChat, and my PC Friends just use a GMAIL account. You can setup a Jabber connection to GMAIL in iChat. It worked just fine.

Also, they can use an AOL or .Mac account to connect. Both use the same network. You can sign up for a trial .mac account, and when it expires, your account will stay active for IM'ing.

[Fahrenheit]

[chucker]

Behold the thread necromancer!

[kieran]

did he search for this thread or was he just browsing the forums all the way back?

I guess some people just don't notice the date. The thread is 2 and half years old.

[Fahrenheit]

And the answer wasn't even related!

It was almost like a very cryptic piece of Google spam.

[kieran]

It's a hell of a first post too.

[SQUIRRI]

Try Skype - this works on PC's and Macs(Linux too I believe). Video and audio work on and between both platforms. Plus, you can text chat and transfer files.

The quality seems to be better than MSN too - but that probably depends on where you are. I don't know if this is because it's using VOIP for the audio - I have no idea what MSN uses but it's c**p!

Or you could run Windows in Parallels - then you can use whatever you want. Cheap USB webcams seem to work OK in this arrangement - I never got my iMac isight to work in Parallels