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Connectix QuickCam Audio
On 13 Dec 1994 Thom Hogan (Thom_Hogan@connectix.com) said:
We have tried to duplicate QuickCam/CU-SeeMe audio problems in house and have not
been able to. I have been led to believe there are two limitations: (1) CU-SeeMe
is using audio input drivers that do not look at QuickTime device input (thus
making the QuickCam microphone an incompatible device); and (2) CU-SeeMe doesn't
always do audio when the data transmission rate is 14.4 kbps or less. I have no
way of confirming (1) other than to believe Cornell's responses to users, and we
have not been able to confirm (2) other than by anecdote. In every test I've
tried here, audio has worked just fine, both using the Apple's mic and using
QuickCam's mic.
We believe that any of the reported problems are due to the way CU-SeeMe is coded
or user error, not to any problem with QuickCam's software. If there is a
lingering QuickCam problem, we'd very much like to know how to duplicate it so we
can fix it.
The issue of coding to the QuickTime 'vdig' interface seems to catch everyone by
surprise (other than Adobe and a few others), despite being thoroughly documented
by Apple in books that are available at most any bookstore. Apple's TV Tuner
(supplied with the 630) doesn't correctly support multiple vdigs; when you go
tune in CNN you get QuickCam instead! This is the second problem we've found
where Apple engineers haven't read their own documentation.
As for whether any of this is news: I'm not convinced there is a problem. Have
YOU [meaning msattler] ever had any audio problems using CU-SeeMe and QuickCam?
At least one of the messages I've received indicating a problem was corrected
when I explained CU-SeeMe's very strange (and non-standard) Press to Talk
interface. [I blush. I forgot that I had push-to-talk turned on and wondered why
nothing was happening despite my screaming at my PowerBook. My co-workers had a
good time wondering when I'd gone around the bend.]
Whereupon on 16 Dec 1994 I said:
Having heard mutterings back and forth about broken audio when using the
Connectix QuickCam and CU-SeeMe, I set out to beat the bushes. Let me
begin by quoting the CU-SeeMe readme (CU-SeeMe0.70.README.11.30.txt):
If you are not hearing audio, and you're connecting via modem, this subtle
warning may explain your woes. Don't ask me why it doesn't work, I'm not
part of the CU-SeeMe team. The team knows about this problem; some team
members have been nice enough to keep me up-to-date.
If you're using some other network connection method (ISDN, direct) and
you're experiencing audio problems with this combination, please send a
detailed bug report to
quickcam@connectix.com, as they've been unable to reproduce the problem.
In a somewhat related note, the CU-SeeMe team is working with Maven's
author, and the QuickCam product manager has said to me "We'd be more than
happy to work with Charlie (we've never interacted previously) to resolve
the problem. We believe it to be at the CU-SeeMe end, but are continuing to
do testing and bug hunting at our end." Thom, Charley. Charley,
Thom.
Connectix is also looking at technical issues like "Apple's sound channel
can only be used by one application at a time. If an application doesn't
let go of it because it thinks it is in operation, other apps will get no
sound. We continue to look at these problems...."
That is all.
Of course that's not all: on 19 Dec 1994 Larry Chace added:
To everyone on our e-mail list who hasn't already heard this:
CU-SeeMe currently supports audio input ONLY if you have a Macintosh
with a built-in audio input facility. That is, you must be able to
plug your microphone directly into the back of your Mac. If you can't
(because you don't have a Macintosh or your Mac doesn't have an audio
input jack), then CU-SeeMe will NOT (should I repeat that word?)
support audio input.
Therefore, the following are typical devices that will NOT currently
support audio input:
The appropriate folks ARE working on getting non-built-in audio input
working for the Macintosh versions of CU-SeeMe. The appropriate persons
ARE working on audio input and audio output for Windows. We don't know
when any of those projects will be complete.
It is sad that the Connectix folks tested their QuickCam with a very early
version of CU-SeeMe (before non-built-in audio-in got broken!) and not with
the more current ones, and it is sad that their manual nevertheless says
that the QuickCam *does* work with CU-SeeMe, but all that is water over the
bridge (or something similar)!
Apologies to those who have already figured this out. Apologies also for
stating that replies go to this entire list by default; that is not the
case, since Dick Cogger specifically set it up to do "reply to sender".
(That means that any "private conversations" on this list are being sent on
purpose!!!)
Now, don't get me started on trying to do "real" audio and video at 9600
Kbaud, 14.4 Kbaud, 19.2 Kbaud, etc.........
Happy Holidays!
What about the audio problems I'm hearing about?
***Now Hear This*** (and tell your friends):
AUDIO WILL NOT WORK CONNECTING WITH A MODEM!!!
Have you found errors nontrivial or marginal, factual, analytical and illogical, arithmetical, temporal, or even typographical? Please let me know; drop me email. Thanks! |