In this section, we will show you how to do video (and audio) conferencing using your webcam and GnomeMeeting. We will only discuss USB webcams since parallel models are really old and don't have the image quality of USB devices.
![]() | Tip |
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Before buying your new webcam, it would be a good idea to check the Mandriva Linux supported hardware database. You can also refer to the Linux USB and to the excellent Linux USB device overview web sites for more information on USB webcams. |
The hardware set up is very easy. Just plug
your webcam in an empty USB slot and it will be automatically
recognized and configured. You should see this icon appear on your
desktop with a legend like
GnomeMeeting
/dev/v4l/video0
underneath it; if not, you can run it
choosing + → from the main
menu. Remember to connect your microphone and speakers to the
proper place on your sound card.
When GnomeMeeting is run for the first time, a configuration wizard appears which will guide you through the setup process. Use the and buttons to move through the wizard's pages. Configuration options are self-explanatory, so fill in the fields, advance through the wizard until you get to its last page and click on the button.
To be able to communicate with your friends using NetMeetingTM (or other H.323/ILS compatible software), you will need to configure the directory settings by choosing → from the menu and opening the Directory Settings sub-section of the General settings.
This icon appears in GNOME's or
KDE's panel whenever GnomeMeeting
is run, and can be used to control
GnomeMeeting by right clicking on
it.
On the left side of the main window you have the tool bar with a few buttons. The first three are:
Table 6.2. GnomeMeeting's Toolbar Buttons
In the control panel's audio tab you can use the sliders to set the speaker and microphone levels as shown in Figure 6.14, “Setting Audio Levels for GnomeMeeting”.
In the control panel's video tab you can adjust the following video parameters (from top to bottom):
Brightness level. The higher the value, the brighter the image will be.
The whiteness level. This tells the video device which signal level should be considered “white”.
The color level. This adjusts the amount of color the image from your camera will display. It might have no effect with certain cameras/light conditions.
The contrast level. With the lighting conditions found in a typical office, the contrast is normally set to zero.
Example video settings are shown in Figure 6.15, “Setting Video Levels for GnomeMeeting”. Please note that for the most part, these settings are automatically configured when GnomeMeeting starts up based on the lighting conditions of the environment and your webcam.
To connect directly
(end-to-end, no servers) to another user, you need to input a
callto://
or h323://
URL
with the remote user's host or IP address and optionally the
port, in the pull-down list at the top of
GnomeMeeting's main window. Then click
on the button on the right (the one with the plug). If the
connection succeeds and the remote party accepts your call,
right-click on the video window and select Remote
Video to see only the remote party, Both
(Local Video Incrusted), meaning yourself and the remote
party video within the same window, as shown in Figure 6.16, “Video Conferencing with a Remote Party”, or Both (Local
Video In New Window) to have yourself and the remote
party in different windows.
callto://
and
h323://
URLs can be used to communicate with
users through a “gatekeeper” server (just input the
URL in the pull-down list at the top of GnomeMeeting's
main window and click on the button on the right) .
You can use GnomeMeeting to connect to an ILS server and video-conference with people using NetMeetingTM or other compatible software.
Click on this button or choose
→ from the menu
to open the ILS directory window and click on
to update the list of
available users connected to that ILS server, as shown in Figure 6.17, “Finding People on ILS Servers”.
Select the search criteria in the pull-down list at the bottom and fill the field at its right, then click on the button. You can also leave the field blank and click on to look up all registered GnomeMeeting and NetMeeting users. Once you have found the person you want to communicate with, double-click on his name to initiate the call. You can change ILS servers in the Servers tree in the left part of the window.