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Discussions > Chats and Contacts > Gmail voice and video chat FAQ, please read before you post. (Updated Jan-20-2009)
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Voice & Video Engineer Justin Google employee  
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(13 users)  More options Jan 20, 11:21 pm
From: Voice & Video Engineer Justin
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:21:41 -0800 (PST)
Local: Tues, Jan 20 2009 11:21 pm
Subject: Re: Gmail voice and video chat FAQ, please read before you post. (Updated Jan-20-2009)
Gmail voice and video chat Frequently Asked Questions:

==================GENERIC QUESTIONS====================

1. How can I change the settings for the camera and microphone?

In Gmail, go to the Settings page and select the "Chat" tab. From
there, you can select your camera, microphone and speakers.

=======

2. In a video call, I can see the other person, but I can't see
myself, and they can't see me. I also don't see myself on the "Verify
your settings" page.

First, check that your camera is not in use by another application. If
this is not the case, there may be a driver issue. If your camera name
(in Gmail settings) comes up as "USB Video Device", this means that
you are using the generic Windows camera drivers.  Installing the
correct drivers for your model of camera will likely fix the problem.
Also, most camcorders are currently not supported.

=======

3. In a video call, I can see myself, but I can't see the other
person.

Gmail voice and video chat tries to establish a direct connection
between the two computers calling each other. If this fails, it will
fall back on using a proxy server hosted at Google. It is possible
that both methods fail, especially if one person has a strict network
firewall that blocks all attempts at sending or / receiving data, thus
causing a one way call. We are working to improve the performance of
the Gmail voice and video chat software with firewalls.

=======

4. Sometimes there is a lot of lag (latency) on my calls.

Gmail voice and video chat requires a fair amount of processing power
and network bandwidth. If you or your friend are watching video clips,
downloading a large file, or doing other CPU- or network-intensive
activities, the performance of the video chat may be affected. Closing
other programs or web pages may improve the  quality.

=======

5. I can hear myself talking during a call (echo).

Try different mic/speaker settings. Reduce the volume, or change the
speaker orientation on other side. Remember that echo is caused by the
other party.

=======

6. I can not see any video capabilities.

Be sure you are using the fully featured version of Gmail. In other
words, if you see "older version" in the top right corner of Gmail...
then you should be all right and not have to do anything! If, instead,
you see "Newer version", click that link to go to the latest version
of Gmail.

=======

7. Video does not work in my browser.

We have tested Gmail voice and video chat on Chrome, Firefox, Internet
Explorer, Safari, and several other browsers. At this time, the only
known incompatibility is with the Opera browser. If you find a browser
we do not properly support on the Mac, please let us know.

==================WINDOWS SECTION====================

1. I only see a black box instead of video. The other party hears and
sees me well.

If you see this on Vista, please install Service Pack 1. The issue is
caused by a bug in Windows Vista that Microsoft fixed when they
released Service Pack 1.
You can read more about this at
http://groups.google.com/group/Gmail-Help-Chats-and-Contacts-en/ms/32...

=======

2. I can't get video to work at all on Vista.

Be sure to install the Gmail voice and video chat plugin as your own
user. Installing it as another user (i.e. Administrator) will not
work.

==================Mac OS X SECTION====================

1. I have a Intel-based Mac and use Firefox. It says that PowerPC is
not supported. What can I do?

Right click on the Firefox icon in your Finder and select "Get Info".
You will notice that the "Open using Rosetta" is checked. Quit Firefox
and restart. Not only will you be able to use Gmail voice and video
chat, but your Firefox will be running a lot faster... Rosetta means
"emulation" of a PowerPC. Also, be sure you are using Mac OS X v10.4.8
or later.

=======

2. I only see a black box instead of video. The other party hears and
sees me well.

There is a known incompatibility with PostgreSQL on the Mac. The basic
config of PostgreSQL does not leave enough shared memory for Gmail
voice and video. This has been solved by some users by changing the
PostgreSQL config. Please read this message
http://groups.google.com/group/Gmail-Help-Chats-and-Contacts-en/msg/3...

=======

3. I have a PowerBook, iBook, G4 or G5 Mac; how can I install Gmail
voice and video chat?

Unfortunately, Gmail voice and video chat currently only supports
Intel based Macs. The reason is that we require the extra processing
power found in the Intel chips.

==================LINUX SECTION====================

1. Do you support Linux?

Linux is not supported at this time. If you would like to be notified
when a version is available for testing, please sign up at
https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/google.com/viewform?key=0Am_1hJhQWY...


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