LKC Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Hi, I have Skype on my laptop so that when we go off to Oz at the end of Jan, we can keep in touch with family etc at home. My sister got a laptop and internet connection from her oh at Christmas, so she downloaded Skype so that we could try it out which we did yesterday. The picture and sound quality wasn't great and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on what it wrong. At my sisters end, the sound is good, but the picture is a bit like watching an old tv with the signal not quite right. On my computer, the picture is the same, like watching a badly tuned tv, and the sound is poor too - i can only hear every third word or something, it is all broken up like a very bad mobile phone line. Any ideas? I am wondering if it is because we are both using the webcam and microphones that are built in to our laptops, and whether a seperate Skype webcam and microphone might be better but I didn't want to go to the expense of buying before asking here. Thanks! And a very merry Christmas to you all! :emoticon-signxmas: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest James.S Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Hi, I think that's just he way Skype is.... They basically reduce down the amount of information that is usually required to transmit voice and streaming video so consiquently the quality suffers... If you just chat it is often better without the video... we do this and then email short videos instead of the whole streaming thing...! Sorry to put a dampner on it, it will improve with time, it already ismuch better than when it first came out, can you set the video resolution lower that may help..? All the best, James... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brooksey Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 We talk on our web cam to England via MSN. The video freezes and jumps like watching a slide show but the sound is perfect barring the expected one second delay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tim Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Hi, I could have to do with the speed of your broadband connection and obviously the distances involved. Try turning off the video and see if the sound quality improves without the video. If it does this would suggest that it is a bandwidth issue. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanneHattersley Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 We used to get a delay on ours too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest retiringgraham Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 This is something that intrest me as I have Skype and have just set my dad up with it so hoping its OK we have tried it out and seems ok I have used it as phone to a collage in aus (i'm still here in uk but not for much longer) and it was first class but that was with out the web canm so any info would be helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuju Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Theres another similar to skype called Jarah or something like that - (im not sure on the name i will check it out) but its similar to skype with the difference being once you signed in on the computer you then call the number like skype but it then goes via the landline (at no cost) instead of talking into the computer. My parents use this in spain i will see what i can find out if any one interested stuju :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deb8181 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 I set Skype up yesterday on my laptop to speak to my dad in Thailand. Like some of you have said, the video was ok, I could hear him but he could only hear every third word approximatley. I put headphones on which i connected to my laptop, took the video off and we could hear each other perfectly as if we were talking on the telephone to each other. My dad put it down to everyone using it with it being hoiday time but i dont know.:err: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Tried it again yesterday to videocall my sister. The picture was better because she adjusted some of her webcam settings. The sound her end is perfect, but my end is not. I tried it to call my mum on her landline and the sound was perfect, so I guess it is something to do with the video. We are out in the middle of the countryside here, so I seem to remember that we are on a lower speed broadband (1 or 2 Meg or something, it is a while since I got it set up), so that might be something to do with it too. Should be good to call home from Australia though, even if we turn the video bit off. I believe the cost is very reasonable to call a non-skype phone too, so I can stop my gran from worrying that we are bankrupting ourselves with calls to her! Thanks so much for your advice! Much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slipshot Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Remember that with skype, or any such item, a key factor is not so much the download speed but the upload speed - since you are both sending and receiving data. A good b/band connection will give adequate download speeds but not necessarily great upload speeds, which will then have an impact. I know from experience that my inbuilt webcam on my laptop is far better than the plug in webcam on the desktop. That said, the longer the distance (ie Australia that does not have as good international links as somewhere like the USA), will mean greater sharing and less quality. Times of day have an impact as you have found out, as do making sure you have the latest drivers for your video and sound card and your webcam, plus the latest version of Skype. And keep playing with the settings... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarvl Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Hi, I have Skype on my laptop so that when we go off to Oz at the end of Jan, we can keep in touch with family etc at home. My sister got a laptop and internet connection from her oh at Christmas, so she downloaded Skype so that we could try it out which we did yesterday. The picture and sound quality wasn't great and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas on what it wrong. At my sisters end, the sound is good, but the picture is a bit like watching an old tv with the signal not quite right. On my computer, the picture is the same, like watching a badly tuned tv, and the sound is poor too - i can only hear every third word or something, it is all broken up like a very bad mobile phone line. Any ideas? I am wondering if it is because we are both using the webcam and microphones that are built in to our laptops, and whether a seperate Skype webcam and microphone might be better but I didn't want to go to the expense of buying before asking here. Thanks! And a very merry Christmas to you all! :emoticon-signxmas: I have used skype for a couple of years on a regular basis. I also use a laptop and find it better to plug in a microphone than use the built in. Sometimes when the sound quality is not good, we disconnect and call again and it usually improves. The quality of picture depends how many pixels on your webcam. If you purchase a separate microphone, a USB one is usually better quality. Hope this helps, Judy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jogrant3232 Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 i speak with my daughter in the UK, we are both using inbuilt webcams on a laptop and its perfect i find it much much better than MSN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JoanOz Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I dont have probs with Skype Oz to UK but I am using a separate headphone and webcam - neither are Skype btw - just the cheap ones. Maybe if you take turns using the webcam part - UK then Oz it will be better, maybe. Could be when they are both turned on at the same time it is causing the problem. Good luck - hope it works out fine and have a great trip to the land downunda Joan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brooksey Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Go on then i'll ask. How do you get skype Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 I just downloaded it off the internet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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