[nycdunz]

what gives, i was so looking forward to this feature, and only to find out its only supported for those with g5's... sigh... i was trying forever to figure out why i wasnt able to do multiuser video conferencing... then i read the ichat help me file and saw that it requires a g5 at least, wtf? and for each person it requires about 384kbps bandwidth... thats a lot of bandwidth... I doubt I'd be able to do that even if i had a g5. my cable provider has only a 45K/s upstream, geez... Apple made it seem like this feature would work for just about anyone... sigh, I'm really upset about this!

[pat++]

I agree, that's a pitty and Apple made us think it would work (although it's clearly specified on Apple's web site). What's even worse is that H.264 video conferencing doesn't work with G4 < 1.0 or 1.2ghz (I tried with a 800mhz iBook G4 and it's still using the old codec for video conferencing). There is absolutely NO MENTION of this on the web site.

[krove]

Realistically, a dual-g4 is capable of hosting a multi-party video conference. I've been doing it with a dual 800 MHz G4 with two 1.25 GHz G4 iMacs participating.

Of course, the bandwidth issue is crucial: the fastest computer that will be the "host" must have the most outgoing bandwidth. Fortunately for us, this is the case as the Dual 800 MHz G4 has a 768 kbps upload rate. The two iMacs, however, only have a 384 and 256 kbps upload rates. There is a little lag with the one computer at 256 kbps, but overall, I'm quite pleased with the multi-party conferencing.

Now if these damn ISPs would stop being so stingy with their upload rates and high costs for poor service (we're looking at you Charter and Quest), more people could enjoy this wonderful, easy-to-use technology.

[Link]

Good thing I have a 512 upload rate, now if only I had an isight to goof around with

[msuper69]

Originally Posted by nycdunz

what gives, i was so looking forward to this feature, and only to find out its only supported for those with g5's... sigh... i was trying forever to figure out why i wasnt able to do multiuser video conferencing... then i read the ichat help me file and saw that it requires a g5 at least, wtf? and for each person it requires about 384kbps bandwidth... thats a lot of bandwidth... I doubt I'd be able to do that even if i had a g5. my cable provider has only a 45K/s upstream, geez... Apple made it seem like this feature would work for just about anyone... sigh, I'm really upset about this!

You have to practice due diligence before you buy anything. That means discovering the system requirements before puchasing.

[Samanoske]

Originally Posted by nycdunz

... about 384kbps bandwidth... ...only a 45K/s upstream, ...

yeahr these conversion factors are not easy to understand

actually - 45K/s is probably 512kbps upstream - makes in a way sense since you can have a nice video converence (1on1) with 20k/s upstream ,...

and a 1Mbit line gives you also just 100K/s

olala - even more conversion factors

[kimmyg]

Originally Posted by Samanoske

yeahr these conversion factors are not easy to understand

actually - 45K/s is probably 512kbps upstream - makes in a way sense since you can have a nice video converence (1on1) with 20k/s upstream ,...

and a 1Mbit line gives you also just 100K/s

olala - even more conversion factors

45 KB/s is 360 kbps. That's less than the required 384 kbps.

1 Mbit/s is 128 KB/s if it's a binary Mbit, ~122 KB/s if it's a decimal Mbit.

He was right.

[jamil5454]

I get 384 upstream and 1.5 burst downstream (384 consistent) with my DSL provider. It's really crappy service when you realize that cable providers in my area offer 5 mbit downstream / 768 kbit upstream for only $40US a month. That's how much I am paying now. Oh well. This is the best I can get for my location.

[nycdunz]

Here, I pulled this from the iChat help...

If you are unable to join a multiperson video conference, your computer or your Internet connection may not support multiperson video conferencing.

If your computer and your Internet connection support multiperson video conferencing, and you still can't join a video conference, make sure your Internet connection is working properly.

To join a multiperson video conference, you need any G5 computer, or a 1 GHz single processor G4, or a dual processor 800 MHz G4, and a broadband connection to the Internet.

To host a multiperson video conference, you need any G5 computer, or a 1 GHz dual processor G4. In addition, you need an Internet connection that supports a minimum download bandwidth of 384 Kbps, and a minimum upload bandwidth of 384 Kbps.

To support hosting a multiperson video conference, you need a Dual 1 GHz G4 or a Dual 2 GHz G5. In addition, you need an Internet connection that supports a minimum download bandwidth of 384 Kbps (128 Kbps per participant), and a minimum upload bandwidth of 1000 Kbps (300 Kbps per participant).



Its 384K not k... so i guess im out of luck with my 45K upstream... geez