Help Zoom video chatting software
- Thread starter kittyP
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girasol
Addicted to handstands!
My husband's family are using HouseParty App, but I haven't installed it myself. Just thought I'd mention it.
danny la rouge
More like *fanny* la rouge!
I found Zoom to be all kinds of nightmare. Glitchy, laggy, terrible interface, and more. But I was using my phone. I’m guessing the experience is better on a computer. But my laptop mic has decided not to work.
editor
hiraethified
Handy comparison here for work types
www.androidauthority.com
Zoom vs Google Hangouts Meet: Which one is right for you?
We take a closer look at the two video conferencing tools to figure out which ones comes out on top in the Zoom vs Google Hangouts Meet battle.
www.androidauthority.com
UnderOpenSky
baseline neural therapy
Set this up for my partner this morning as she needs it later today and we had a play to check it works.
I'm not a total luddite with tech, but thought for the hot app of 2020 it was far from intuitive.
I'm not a total luddite with tech, but thought for the hot app of 2020 it was far from intuitive.
cybershot
Well-Known Member
Did a WhatsApp video chat last night with 3 of us, was horrendeous compared to Zoom/Skype/Teams, but that was probably down to the other people involved. Between one having a terrible connection and the other constantly moving so the mic picked up every movement sound I couldn't even string together what it was people were saying. Gave up.
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
It's fairly crappy, yes. I mean, it generally works OK, but I encounter a few glitches on it quite regularly - sound not happening on a new call, and my custom backgrounds tab seems to have disappeared and won't return (the last time it did this, an upgrade to the latest version solved it, but...I'm on the latest version now so that option's not open). Running on Linux, so that may be something to do with it.
What I'd quite like to do would be to see if it's possible to set up a "virtual" video source, then I could use something like OBS to merge me-and-green-screen with another video source, so I can chat to people from the middle of Piccadilly Circus, and use the stream as a virtual camera.
In the meantime, I've been playing with Jitsi, which seems pretty solid, although I cannot recommend running the server in VirtualBox and running it from the wrong end of a broadband connection. That really doesn't work.
2hats
Dust.
"Unnamed US intelligence officials" claim various foreign intelligence agencies are targeting Zoom. Particularly China and with an aim of eavesdropping on government, corporate, and academic conversations for financial, personal, product development, research, and intellectual property information and leads. Independent research organisations have identified weaknesses in the Zoom infrastructure, that intelligence agencies could exploit.
time.com
Foreign Spies Are Targeting Americans on Zoom and Other Video Chat Platforms, U.S. Intel Officials Say
Intelligence officials say China's cyberspies have moved fastest and most aggressively during the pandemic
RoyReed
Must fly!
If you are using Zoom here's some info on recommended security settings:
foundation.mozilla.org
Protect yourself from being "Zoombombed" and other tips for Zoom privacy
With millions of people using Zoom to stay connected, it's important to know how to keep your video gatherings as private and secure as you can. That's why Mozilla has compiled recommendations and steps you can take – both as a host and a participant – to help protect your own privacy as well as...
foundation.mozilla.org
Throbbing Angel
this is no longer a place of honour
Teams for work
Been using Zoom for a few other groups I attend that meet virtually now. Seems fine. I have Mcaffee installed soon aren't overly concerned.
Also been using Discord for another group that don't want to look at each other.
Been using Zoom for a few other groups I attend that meet virtually now. Seems fine. I have Mcaffee installed soon aren't overly concerned.
Also been using Discord for another group that don't want to look at each other.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
Is Zoom complete shite?
I've reluctantly got a webcam during lockdown, and have used Skype and Teams with minimal difficulty.
Zoom sometimes works, but more often doesn't.
set up a video test before a planned 'meeting' and it was working although lagging badly, went to the bog before the thing started, came back and was only getting a grey / black square where the picture from my camera had been a couple of minutes earlier, and haven't got it to work since, so have given up.
This has happened before - one work meeting I ended up taking about 20 minutes to get in and then could only communicate by text as it couldn't see the webcam.
I'm still on Windows 7 - will that make a difference? Or are there any security software packages it really doesn't like?
I suppose I could try uninstalling / reinstalling the whole damn thing...
I've reluctantly got a webcam during lockdown, and have used Skype and Teams with minimal difficulty.
Zoom sometimes works, but more often doesn't.
set up a video test before a planned 'meeting' and it was working although lagging badly, went to the bog before the thing started, came back and was only getting a grey / black square where the picture from my camera had been a couple of minutes earlier, and haven't got it to work since, so have given up.
This has happened before - one work meeting I ended up taking about 20 minutes to get in and then could only communicate by text as it couldn't see the webcam.
I'm still on Windows 7 - will that make a difference? Or are there any security software packages it really doesn't like?
I suppose I could try uninstalling / reinstalling the whole damn thing...
existentialist
Tired and unemotional
I'd be very surprised.
i've fired up the windows 10 laptop and installed zoom.
it also can't see this camera.
is it possible that a webcam will work ok on skype and teams but somehow not be compatible with zoom?
But watch out - Teams for one doesn't shut down when you close it. Does your webcam have a light on it to show when it's supplying video? If that doesn't go off when close Teams, there's the problem.
Puddy_Tat
naturally fluffy
Thanks
Yes, it has a red light to show it's got power, and a green light to show it's working as a camera. Red light was coming on, green light wasn't.
Laptop hasn't got teams on it, so it's not that.
I think it's a security setting somewhere, or one of the security things I've got that it doesn't like.
It's not urgent, I just thought I'd try it while I had the laptop fired up to do a backup to it.
Blargh.
FridgeMagnet
Administrator
Zoom has various video source options; try tinkering with those. It often loses the audio for me.
i've fired up the windows 10 laptop and installed zoom.
it also can't see this camera.
is it possible that a webcam will work ok on skype and teams but somehow not be compatible with zoom?
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