What Is Needed to Video Conference?
Videoconferencing is a great way to have a face-to-face conversation with family members or friends who do not live near you. Fortunately, with computers and high-speed Internet connections so widely available, it's very easy to videoconference. You do not need a lot of expensive equipment or a lot of experience with computers.
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Types of Computer
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You can use a Mac or a PC to videoconference with the major free video conferencing services.
Most newer computers are fine. For example: Skype requires a PC running Windows 2000, XP or Vista. Mac users must have a computer with a G4, G5 or Intel processor, 800 MHz or faster. You can also have a Mac OS X v10.3.9 (Panther) or newer.
For both a Mac and PC, Skype says a broadband Internet connection is best.
Web Camera (Webcam)
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Some computers come with web cameras already attached. If you need to buy one, web cameras can cost less than $20 and more than $1,000. It's not necessary to get something overly expensive, and there are many choices under $100 at Amazon, Best Buy and other stores. You will want to look at the number of pixels a webcam has (the more, the better). Most webcams attach to your computer through the USB port.
CNET reviewed several webcams and seemed to like Logitech and Creative webcams for their picture quality and performance in low-light situations. Having one that can deal with low light is important because in some cases, if you have a room without a strong overhead light, it can be difficult to see when you are videoconferencing. -
Videoconferencing Software
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There are plenty of websites that offer videoconferencing and software for free.
If you have friends or family you would like to videoconference with, find out what website they are using and sign up for the same one. If you or your friends do not have a preference, you can pick from several websites, including: MSN Messenger, Skype, AOL AIM Triton and Yahoo. Then, you can download the software by following the instructions that come up on your screen.
On many websites, videoconferencing will be free as long as your friends use the same website. Many of the websites offer paid services for other things, so, be careful where you click.
Headsets
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You can get headsets that are essentially headphones with an attached microphone to use during your videoconference, but that is optional. Some web cameras come with them. You should be able to hear and be heard just fine without a headset.
Business Videoconferencing
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If you are videoconferencing for your business, the equipment can get more expensive. If you will have several people in the room at once, you may need to buy more monitors to view the video conference on. You also may need to buy more expensive web cameras that can pick up video and audio from larger groups.
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