Recommendation Zoom / Teams equipment
- Thread starter TopCat
- Start date
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
or create a background that's a screen shot of you looking as if you're concentrating intently when you wander off for a smoke / cup of tea / slash
Saul Goodman
It's all good, man
Unless you have a face like a bulldog licking piss off a thistle, in which case you might wish to choose between a scene from the wacky races and a screenshot from one flew over the cuckoo's nest.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
I sorted one out because my "office" is in a corner of my bedroom, and I didn't really want clients/students/friends seeing me in front of a backdrop of a great big bed.
But it also turned out to be useful for flinging a Powerpoint presentation over my left shoulder - video conferencing screen sharing isn't all it could be, and that has worked out to be the best option.
I might try out the weather forecast thing, though
TopCat
Putin fanboy
Oh yeah a external webcam, 23 quid, cant remember the brand. HD. Is that where it gets mounted then? In the ring light?
The webcam has an internal microphone. I am assuming I can select another mic?
Nivag
Well-Known Member
Yup in the middle of the ring light, that way you minimise any shadows on your face.
Another plus for using a ring light is it can make the background seem darker if setup only to light your face.
Some people use additional lights on a wall behind just so it doesn't look like a floating head.
But it's all down to preference
TopCat
Putin fanboy
A floating head sounds cool. Like Holly in Red Dwarf.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
one of my colleagues did that (while working from home) one day - set a black background while wearing a black long sleeved shirt
this is the same one who did a screen shot with them at the computer, set that as background, then walked in when someone said "are you there? you seem to have frozen"
i have weird colleagues...
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
I recorded 5 minutes of me looking vaguely at the camera, which I can loop. The only problem is that I didn't do it against the blank green screen, so it includes the background. Next time, I'll do it so that I can overlay it onto whatever background I have. It's come in handy a couple of times, and I have not yet been missed from a meeting
TopCat
Putin fanboy
I have never ever worked from home before (apart from being on call) so I appreciate the top tips.I recorded 5 minutes of me looking vaguely at the camera, which I can loop. The only problem is that I didn't do it against the blank green screen, so it includes the background. Next time, I'll do it so that I can overlay it onto whatever background I have. It's come in handy a couple of times, and I have not yet been missed from a meeting
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
Found this but you probably wouldn't be able to install it on a corporate machine.
Wiggler - The mouse moving app - Official app in the Microsoft Store
The original mouse moving app that prevents your screen from locking on physical or virtual machines by simulating the movement of the mouse. The app will automatically move your mouse keeping your computer active. This is useful when doing long software installs where lock screens may be...
www.microsoft.com
I saw a youtube video that showed a chap resting a padlock on one of the keys on the keyboard, and left a word document open so it continually typed while he was away.
TopCat
Putin fanboy
That sounds like it would work.Found this but you probably wouldn't be able to install it on a corporate machine.
Wiggler - The mouse moving app - Official app in the Microsoft Store
The original mouse moving app that prevents your screen from locking on physical or virtual machines by simulating the movement of the mouse. The app will automatically move your mouse keeping your computer active. This is useful when doing long software installs where lock screens may be...www.microsoft.com
I saw a youtube video that showed a chap resting a padlock on one of the keys on the keyboard, and left a word document open so it continually typed while he was away.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
Teams is fucking braindead when it comes to selecting devices. Go into setup (little cogwheel), hit the "Devices" tab on the left hand side, and check what it's showing is what you expect. I have to do it EVERY FUCKING TIME to get Teams to recognise my virtualcam.
And, even more annoying, Teams likes to display your picture in about the same aspect ratio as the old 405-line TVs - almost square - which it does by cropping a great chunk off the sides of the image. It's properly shit. Zoom just takes what it's given and doesn't do the Microsoft thing of deciding how it wants you to be displayed.
pesh
Well-Known Member
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
It all works perfectly for me. You sure it's not just you not knowing how to use it properly?
* runs *
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
What headset did you get? At the mo I'm using my work headset for everything because the fecking mic in my home laptop doesn't work. It's not wireless so I'm tethered to the laptop. I bought some Sesh earphones but couldn't make them work.
TopCat
Putin fanboy
I got this.
TopCat
Putin fanboy
Well all this tat arrived today. The ring light reflects in my glasses giving an interesting multi ring effect that is unsuitable for work.
The web cam has a weird padded clamp that isn't a clamp. I have stuck it to the screen with a sticky pad. I would need a male adapter to attach it to the phone clamp in the middle of the ring light.
The headphones are a tad small but will do.
The web cam has a weird padded clamp that isn't a clamp. I have stuck it to the screen with a sticky pad. I would need a male adapter to attach it to the phone clamp in the middle of the ring light.
The headphones are a tad small but will do.
RoyReed
Must fly!
You can still use the ring light, just don't put the camera in the middle of it. Place it off to one side and slightly higher than where your head will be, and put a large sheet of white card on the opposite side. Some of the light will bounce back off the card and stop any shadows on your face from being too pronounced. (If there's a white wall then you won't need the card.)
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
I'm going to have to find a way to stop my forehead being shiny.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
Well, it's more about flaring than vanity, but you could have a point, there...
pesh
Well-Known Member
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