Workshops / Background reports / Book introductions

1. Workshop: Video Conferencing with the Amiga (by Dirk Wenk)

Impossible? Too expensive? No......seezy!

Once upon a time, there was commercial software with the name Coctail, now vanished without trace. These days you can do exactly the same thing with some software to be found on the Aminet. For this you need the IRC program BlackIRC and the audio-program AmiPhone. Ok! Now some of you will say, that BlackIRC already supports video transmission and with AmiPhone only audio is added, but BlackIRC is not needed as IRC client to perform a video conferenz!

How does it work? Nearly simple!

At first both archives are unpacked to the harddisk. Thereafter we install AmiPhone as specified in the guide. Don't forget to link the program into the TCP/IP stack, so that it is automatically started by incoming calls. This can be tested by making a call to yourself.

Now to the video part!

>From BlackIRC only two programs, AmVideoConf and AmVideoConfD, are needed. Best leave both of them in the drawer "Plugins", because they like to be near a suitable JPEG encoder and decoder. Grab the optimized version for your processor.

Plug your camera into the V-Lab, and begin. First start a server, so that others will get the chance to see us. Use this Shell command:

"BlackIRC:Plugins/AmVideoConfD 26543 1".

Type it without the double quotes (")! If the camera is connected to port 0, we insert accordingly instead of 1 a 0 or for S-VHS input a 2. If you got the spelling right, a message appears: "Waiting for requests". Well, from that point you are visible to anyone who calls. Assuming that anyone has set all this stuff up on a computer as well.

Time to try and call and see how anyone looks. This is done with the Shell command:

"BlackIRC:Plugins/AmVideoConf  26543 Frank".

Where is, you have to insert a recent Internet address. That we discover by say meeting in the IRC channel and eliciting this information by typing "/userhost Frank" (Frank is the name anyone is going by at the moment), 26543 again is the port and "Frank" is the window-title (to give us a clue who we are talking to). A window should open and after a short delay a picture from the other side should be displayed. According to the bandwidth of the Internet connection you can select one of three transmission modes: JPEG, bitmap or truecolor. With a wimpy modem connection truecolor works best.

Now start AmiPhone. As target address enter the same IP used with AmVideoConf.

Yes, it's That quick to install picture and audio transmission. Your mileage may differ, so if at the attempt to install the video connection the window opens with the message "Connecting", but after appr. 30 seconds no picture, than possibly the IP address was typed in wrongly. Unfortunately you cannot close this window, you have to remove the task with a utility like SIP or XOpa.

If you wish to interrupt transmission of pictures from your end, you only have to select the window which displayed "Waiting for request" and press the keys .

I hope I have interested some more people in running these great programs. The ideal way is together with an IRC or ICQ client!

Here again I wish to thank NX_Loki for all the tests we made until finally everything worked flawlessly.

Overview of the requirements: Needed hardware: Audiodigitizer (parallel port or Soundboard), a microphone, a Vlab (Vlab Par or Vlab S-VHS), a Video module or a camera. Needed software: The BlackIRC package and AmiPhone.

Have fun!

Dirk Wenk <Dirk@wax7.de>, ICQ:21835869