Skype 2.7 beta for Mac supports VGA video calls
Normally, I wait for new Skype releases to stabilize before giving them a try, but I wanted to see if the new 2.7 beta made me look any more handsome than I am in real life. It didn't, but then I suppose we can't fault the Skype folks for that. What the 2.7 beta did do was offer James a VGA picture of the not-so-good-looking me and it's fully supported on Mac OS X Leopard. We just had a lengthy video-conference and it was no surprise that my video was clearer on his side: there's no longer a need to hack your way to VGA video since it's now supported natively in this version. The difference is extremely noticeable (almost frighteningly in my case) since VGA offers up four-times the resolution of QVGA. Trust me: I did the math after drinking two bottles of Focus Vitamin Water this afternoon. Heh...using the word "focus" in a post about resolution... go figure.
(via Download Squad)
I just installed the beta on my MBP and Kevin had to admit in a test call that I am four times as handsome on Skype now, something that neither one of us thought was even possible. :)
Posted by: James Kendrick | December 03, 2007 at 06:43 PM
at that resolution, what kind of framerate are you seeing? my current skype video calls tend to be quite jerky, so i would shudder to think of pumping four times as much data through that connection.
Posted by: citivolus | December 03, 2007 at 08:16 PM
Skype advertises the frame-rate at 25 fps and my brief experience with this version tells me that they are accurate in that claim. The video was clear and smooth. Bear in mind the performance will depend on your hardware and your upload speeds to name a few facctors. Skype recommends a minimum upload of 384 kbps.
Posted by: Kevin C. Tofel | December 04, 2007 at 06:02 AM
Kevin,
25fps would be fabulous. I assume you're using your MBP; what about the other end?
Posted by: citivolus | December 05, 2007 at 01:57 PM
James and I tested it with a MBP to MBP setup; both of us were home at the time.
Posted by: Kevin C. Tofel | December 05, 2007 at 02:24 PM
I notice in the picture that the text isn't readable because it looks like it's flipped (as in a mirror). Is this a feature of camera or Skype or the upload? Thanks.
Posted by: barryc | December 08, 2007 at 08:30 AM
It's a test preview of my video from the Skype application just to show me how the picture looks. I would imagine that the recipient of my video would be able to see the proper view.
Posted by: Kevin C. Tofel | December 08, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Kevin, thanks!
Posted by: barryc | December 12, 2007 at 12:44 PM