Videoconferencing Using Windows Messenger
Video Conferencing
Updated: November 1, 2002
With the right equipment and network connections, Windows Messenger in Windows XP provides live, real-time videoconferencing on your computer. You can talk to people anywhere in the world and see their faces and surroundings.
What You Need to Videoconference with Windows XP
You and your contact both need Windows XP, a sound card, a microphone, and speakers, or a headset; a Web camera, and preferably a broadband connection to the Internet, such as a cable modem, digital subscriber line (DSL), or local area network connection. (Using video in a conversation over a standard, dial-up Internet connection is possible but performance improves greatly with a broadband connection.)
To start a videoconference
1. | Open Windows Messenger. (Double-click the Windows Messenger icon near the clock on the lower right side of your screen.) |
2. | Click on the link to sign-in, enter your .NET Passport e-mail address and password. Click OK. |
3. | Double-click the name of a contact on your list. The Conversation window will open. |
4. | Click Start camera. Windows Messenger will notify you that an invitation was sent. See Figure 1 below.  Figure 1. Your contact accepts a videoconference invitation |
5. | Your contact receives an invitation such as:
Jon would like to have a voice and video conversation with you. Do you want to Accept (Alt+T) or Decline (Alt+D) the invitation? |
6. | When your contact clicks Accept on the invitation, his or her picture will appear in your Conversation window as shown in Figure 1 above. Likewise, your picture is transmitted to his or her Conversation window. |
To see your picture inset in your contact's picture, click Options and then click Show My Video as Picture-in-Picture. See Figure 2 below.
Figure 2. See your picture as an inset in the videoconference window.
To stop sending your video image, click Options, and then click Stop Sending Video. You will continue to receive the other person's image, but your image will freeze in your contact's instant message window.
If you do not see the video, speakers, and microphone controls, click on the View menu, and then click Sidebar.
If a contact does not accept your invitation, it may be because the person does not have Windows XP, or a sound card, a microphone, or a camera. If the person you are calling doesn't have a camera (and you do), then they will see you, but you won't see them. If you invite someone to a video conversation and you don't have a camera, you will see them if they have a camera. If the person you are calling doesn't have Windows XP, they won't be able to accept the invitation.
To end the conversation, click Stop talking or Stop camera.
If you are on a local area network behind a firewall (for example, a corporate network), you can talk to someone who is behind the same firewall that you are, but you may not be able to connect on a computer-to-computer call with someone outside the firewall.
