4. Webcams and Video Conferencing

4.1. Getting Started

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]Tip

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 Surf the Internet+Use More Connectivity UtilitiesGnomeMeeting 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 Forward and Back 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 Apply button.

[Tip]Tip

You can access the wizard later from within GnomeMeeting by choosing EditConfiguration Druid from its menu.

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 EditPreferences from the menu and opening the Directory Settings sub-section of the General settings.

Figure 6.13. GnomeMeeting's Main Window

GnomeMeeting's Main Window

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

Opens/closes the text chat window on the right side of GnomeMeeting's main window so you can chat with the remote party you are currently connected to. Just type the text you want in the Send Message field and press Enter.
Opens/closes the control panel at the bottom of GnomeMeeting's main window where you can see communications statistics (lost/late packets, delay and jitter), the dial-pad from where you can call memorized URLs, as well as the audio and video settings panels.
Opens/closes the ILS window to find and connect with friends registered on ILS.

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”.

Figure 6.14. Setting Audio Levels for GnomeMeeting

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.

Figure 6.15. Setting Video Levels for GnomeMeeting

Setting Video Levels for GnomeMeeting

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.

4.2. Connecting with Another User

Figure 6.16. Video Conferencing with a Remote Party

Video Conferencing with a Remote Party

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) .

4.3. Connecting with ILS (NetMeetingTM) Users

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 ToolsAddress Book from the menu to open the ILS directory window and click on Find to update the list of available users connected to that ILS server, as shown in Figure 6.17, “Finding People on ILS Servers”.

Figure 6.17. Finding People on ILS Servers

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 Find button. You can also leave the field blank and click on Find 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.