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Thread: Web cam warbling!

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    Web cam warbling!

    I've just set up two new webcams (can't remember the make but some wall known brand from argos) with built in microphones for work. Only trouble is, when we talk it sounds like we're underwater. It's VGA, connects via USB. Any thoughts? I'm thinking it's probably USB 1.1 so too much data. I tried switching off video to see if any improvement but no luck. We're using MSN messenger. We're both on 2mb broadband and the two computers are about 50 miles apart if that helps. I've tested the microphones on their own and they seem to work fine when I record and playback sounds with sound recorder.
    Last edited by Oakleyb; 06-12-2005 at 11:51 AM.

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    I'd say it's the codec that MSN uses to compress the audio that's to blame. You say that with Sound Recorder, everything sounds fine, so it's definately not the microphones themselves, and lack of USB bandwidth wouldn't cause anything like that. Dig around in MSN's settings to see if you can change the codec used, or its settings. Good luck.

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    Just checked the MSN help site (helpful as ever ). Here's what is says...

    Required hardware and software

    To send and receive voice, you must have:
    Speakers and a microphone (or a headset).
    A half-duplex or full-duplex sound card. (Half-duplex audio allows only one person to speak at a time. Full-duplex audio allows two people to speak simultaneously.)
    Speakers AND microphone!?! Well I never

    Could it be this full duplex sound card requirement. We're running on embedded sound here (C-Media AC 97). not sure about the other computer, but probably the same.

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    Zad
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    Half duplex shouldnt have any bearing on it. Full duplex is like a normal telephone conversation where both sides can speak at once, half duplex is like having a walkie-talkie, only one side can speak at a time. That should have no bearing at all on the quality. If you suspect it is overloading the USB channel (unlikely) then reduce the image size to 320x240, or reduce the camera (not your screen!) colour depth from 24 bit to 16 or 8 bit.

    As eldren said, it sounds like your PC is just compressing the audio too much. It may be that MSN Messenger thinks (for some reason) that you are on dialup rather than broadband and is simply just squashing everything down too much.

    Even though you are on 2Mb broadband, if it is ADSL then you can only upload at 0.25Mb (256kbit) anyway, but at this speed it should be pretty fluid and very respectable sound quality.

    Mike

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