Ask Engadget: Best videoconferencing solution for grandma/pa?

You've got questions, and well, the rest of you have answers. That's right, it's time for Ask Engadget. You hit us up at ask at engadget dawt com with the questions you'd like your Engadget-reading peers to take on, and we'll let them sort it out in our comments. On the last Ask Engadget, which was admittedly a little while ago, Drew asked what the best Bluetooth mouse was available now.This week Eric wants to know:

I'm trying to find a truly simple videoconferencing solution to connect my elderly parent with me. I'm looking for something that, with a single button press (no mouse action, no clicking -- launch and configure from a keyboard shortcut even), will:

• Establish a video call from point A to at least two other locations, simultaneously.
• Use a sufficiently large screen and high-enough frame rate that facial expressions are visible to an older person without their glasses
• Full-duplex audio
• The ability to initiate a call from my location that auto-answers theirs, such that I appear on-screen without any intervention

There are obviously a lot of solutions out there for videoconferencing, but how many are really simple enough for someone not at all technically inclined on the other end? We'd be tempted to recommend the ill-fated Ojo, but we're sure you guys have some tricks up your sleeves.

[John Iburg @ Jun 15th 2006 9:03PM]

iChat. It is by far the best video conferncing program I have ever used. Its very simple, and so is the entire operating system.

[andrew @ Jun 15th 2006 9:06PM]

i also agree with ichat. the positioning of the built-in iSight permits natural conversation and the pictures can fill up the whole screen

[Eric, The Original Requester @ Jun 15th 2006 9:08PM]

John:

Can it auto-answer, go full-screen and pass audio automagically upon the receipt of a chat? My goal is to not have *any* required user intervention to get the picture on the screen and the audio flowing.

Eric

[Mephistophelian @ Jun 15th 2006 9:12PM]

iChat.

[alex @ Jun 15th 2006 9:12PM]

i too agree and strongly recommend iChat. convinced my mother to switch over to mac recently, and if she can figure out video-conferencing via iChat, anyone can

[Jonathan @ Jun 15th 2006 9:14PM]

Yeah! iChat. You could even configure an automater/system prefs keyboard shortcut to get the program open and open a chat with you.

[Jeremy @ Jun 15th 2006 9:15PM]

I would personally use Windows Live Messenger, with the new Webcams from Microsoft with the push-a-button and call style of video-calling, that seem's to work out best!

[akadon @ Jun 15th 2006 9:16PM]

Easiest solution : Videophones. D-Link makes video phones (DVC-100 i2eye) primarily for the hard of hearing and deaf. They connect to any tv with composite inputs and connect over the internet via an ethernet connection. They have options for speed dial, to make it easier to call people quickly. It has a mic and supports audio send/recieve. The frame rate is fantastic and overall the interface is very self-explanatory. Hope that helps.

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=8&sec=0

[LittleJoe @ Jun 15th 2006 9:17PM]

When I was rocking a pc... it was MSN messenger for ease and quality...

now that Im on a Mac though... iChat is where its at. Very quality and very simple.

[Peter Garner @ Jun 15th 2006 9:17PM]

Not sure that iChat/iSight could do all that you ask of it in your question, but it's certainly the easiest and best quality video conferencing combo in the consumer market... maybe period.

My mother (retired and not at all computer savvy) uses iChat just about every day. It's by far the single thing she likes best about her new computer.

[Tito @ Jun 15th 2006 9:19PM]

*sigh* Apple fanboys are at it again

[Dan @ Jun 15th 2006 9:26PM]

TANDBERG 880
- Has a built in multi-site capability
- 30 frames per second
- use as big or small as TV as you want
- full duplex audio
- auto answer configurable for on, off, or on+mic off
- Infrared Remote Control included. Dial your call like you would a mobile phone.
- Best of all: no unreliable virus-infested computer required

You didn't mention anything about price though. :) It'll set you back a few grand. You could shave off a couple of grand by removing the multiple site stipulation. Most VTC manufacturers charge a premium for that feature.

[Arun @ Jun 15th 2006 9:31PM]

I'm no apple fanboy but I have to agree that iChat is the easiest option. I was recently posed the same problem when my grandparents wanted to we conference so I just bought them an iMac with iSight and now everyone's happy

[Andrew @ Jun 15th 2006 9:33PM]

Video conferencing on a mobile phone. Obviously much more expensive. Other than that I'm unfortunately going to have to say iChat as well. It will require 3 more mouse clicks than you wanted (to total 3)

[Guy Erez @ Jun 15th 2006 9:42PM]

I went through this problem and although it doesn't work at the touch of a single button after buying multiple and different programs on mutiple platforms, I communicate with my in-laws overseas via ichat the quality and ease of use is top notch! I ran an iBook with iSight (just switched to MacBook) and my inlaws use a mini (G4) with iSight.

[JP @ Jun 15th 2006 9:44PM]

~Tito
Have you ever used iChat? it is dead simple, and the complications form incompatibilities are none. (Having only one mouse button is not always a bad thing either)

~Eric
The scripting possibilities for iChat can give you limited control of their comp (MacWorld had an article about using Apple Scrip and a firewire capture card as TV streamer, like a sling box) And if that is not enough control over the program, what you need can probably be set up using Unix commands.

Truth be told, however, when dealing with the computer illiterate, using a VNC application is the best way to fix problems from a distance, so I would say that no matter how you go for conferencing, set up VNC that loads at startup.

[Samuel McConnell @ Jun 15th 2006 9:49PM]

I'd have to recommend iChat, too. You can set up an Applescript to automatically accept incoming Videoconferences with specific people, and to automatically blow it up full-screen.

[Dan @ Jun 15th 2006 9:51PM]

Dunno much about the software side of what you want to do, but when I designed an audio messaging system for my 100-year-old grandmother to use, I used a small plastic box with an old telephone key switch to activate the recording. I used Girder (on Windows), which is a powerful bit of automation software (with a steep learning curve unfortunately), with a plugin that allowed you to trigger events via the serial port. The switch would short a couple of pins, which would start the recording and keep recording as long as she held the lever down. It worked reasonably well. I don't know how elderley your parent is, but this method was quite successful in getting my deaf and blind grandmother to interface with a computer despite having no idea what a computer even was. I'm sure that iSight is easy to use as computer software goes, but if your parent has never used a computer before, and particularly if they have poor eyesight and/or co-ordination, you'll need to come up with a way to avoid using a keyboard and mouse.

[Dustin @ Jun 15th 2006 9:56PM]

+1 for iChat.

[dmr @ Jun 15th 2006 10:01PM]

iChat, out of the box, won't auto-answer, nor should it necessarily. You'd have to educate your user to cover the lens when not prepared to receive calls.

As JP said, you could set up VNC and use a client to remotely answer a call you initiated. You'd want to break the VNC connection immediately thereafter for bandwidth reasons.

A more expensive solution to what is not really a problem is Apple Remote Desktop. If iChat isn't running at my parents' place, I can take control of their machine, bring iChat up, then click on their camera icon and see if anyone's home. I use remote desktop to help maintain their Mac and help them when they encounter problems, which is what I bought it for.


Finally, you can have more than two people in a video chat, though the quality of the video degrades significantly, depending on bandwidth. You will still be able to easily identify people and facial expressions though.

[Matt Chanoff @ Jun 15th 2006 10:08PM]

This isn't a comment on video conferencing solutions but a new "Ask Engadget" question (I can't find a link to ask at).

I'm looking for a core duo ultra light convertible tablet computer. The closest I've been able to find are the Lenovo thinkpad x series (cool but older components and chip) or the Toshiba M400 (too heavy, I'd like it under 4 lbs.) Does anyone know of such a machine? I've heard rumors of a tablet version of Lenovo's Thinkpad x60s. Is this coming/worth waiting for?

Thanks,

Matt

[Doe @ Jun 15th 2006 10:10PM]

I was looking for the same sort of thing recently, however, I was looking for a Mac to Windows Solution. I stumbled upon a post in the Ars Technica Forum about SightSpeed Seems to work pretty well Mac to Mac. I'll be testing the Mac to Windows finctionality this weekend.

The free version does 1:1 chats and there is a paid version for conferencing.
Does full screen ala iChat
Not sure about Full Duplex
There are options for Auto Answer.

~Doe

[Wil @ Jun 15th 2006 10:11PM]

I never comment on these things, but you really do want iChat.

[Mephistophelian @ Jun 15th 2006 10:21PM]

Matt,

Try the email address in bold above.

M.

[Mike Johnson @ Jun 15th 2006 10:23PM]

Videophones are the easiest solutions but unless you get a excessively expensive model with dedicated broadband, you're not going to get a worthwhile video-conference.

The easiest computer based solution is iChat. "It just works", and as stated above you can add a simple script to make it do pretty much anything you can think of.

[tank @ Jun 15th 2006 10:47PM]

iChat. Even my wife can use it. When one of us travels, it takes phone sex to a new level. ;)

[tank @ Jun 15th 2006 10:49PM]

iChat. Even my wife can use it. ;)

[Adam Sharp @ Jun 15th 2006 10:50PM]

Whichever service you decide on, the easiest way to demonstrate it might be to use a service like helponmypc.com, and take remote control of their PC. That way you can show them exactly how it works.

I've done a few remote sessions teaching my mom how to do stuff, and find it's far easier than talking on the phone (click where???).

[JP @ Jun 15th 2006 11:23PM]

As a side note about the "no glasses" issue, an apple solution could aid greatly in the usability in several ways.

1) There is a nifty zoom function built in to OSX so that e.g. you can have a 12pt font 4in tall, and the desktop moves relative to the mouse's position on the screen. I have a high-res CRT and I will use the hot-key to easily zoom into a picture or article for easier vewing. There may be a way to do this with windows, but I have never found it.

2) OSX can be set so speak any text that is in message boxes, or that the mouse is hovering over, as long as the program being used has the coding for it, which most of the stuff they would use does. This I know requires a very expensive program to work with windows.

[SlammaJamma @ Jun 15th 2006 11:43PM]

I am gonna have ot go with iChat. for the 80th time. why? cause its the best solution. I have used it, mac to mac, and mac to pc and though the PC didnt have the h.264 compression and was grainy, it still worked. Mac to mac is has been nothing but a charm. Ive done 3 way chats too. It does a fairly decent job of balancing available bandwith to image quality. I like it mosly because, unlike most other video chat programs that either give you good quality, jerky video or smooth crappy quality, iChat balances the two really well, with an emphasis on smooth motion.

There is an iChat addon called Chax (http://www.ksuther.com/chax/) which is free which will let you auto accept video chats, and if i'm not mistaken if you size a window to maximize (not full screen but as big as it can get without being fullscreen) and hide the dock, then you get a pretty much full screen with no extra clicks when u start a video chat, because the video window resizes itself to the size that it was at last.

VNC like others have mentioned is a great tool too. I read upthread that someone bought Apple remote desktop.. good stuff, but overkill in this situation. OS X has built-in VNC support and all you have to do is download "Chicken of the VNC" for free from (www.versiontracker.com) to control it. So in this case, you could set your mother/parent's computer up, in the sharing prefs enable "apple remote desktop" click "access privilidges", then check the box labeled "VNC viewers may control this screen with ___" and enter a password. Say Ok, blah blah, then run chicken of the VNC on your computer to control the remote computer. Set up iStat pro (free download from apple widet site) as one of her widgets and make it show the "Network" pane to see the external IP address, so all she'd have to do to see her IP address is hit F12. You can also make iChat be one of the Login items (do this in system prefs too, under "accounts" i think" ) so that iChat opens everytime the computer is launched.

SO all she'd have to do is power the computer on, then ichat would open, you would see her online, click the video symbol next to her screen name, then Chax would auto-accept video chats so she wouldnt have done anything up to this point. Now you and her are in a chat with full duplex audio and its mostly fullscreen on her end. Click the + symbol on the chat window from your end to add up to 2 other people for a total of a 4-way video chat with full duplex audio, NONE of which was intervened on by the mother. Except turning the computer on. If anythign got screwy or haywire, you could call her, ask her to hit F12 on the keyboard to engage the dashboard, iStat pro will load, then get her to tell you what her IP address is, then you can VNC into her computer using Chicken of the VNC with the passowrd you set up before hand.


Not so simple for you initially, but when you get it all set up, it will (should) run flawlessly and be drop-dead easy for her. Allowing her to easily see and hear 3 of her dearest family/friends at a time.

i use it with my mother all the time, and she enjoys the video chat ability on her G4 mini. we're about to get grandma and another aunt on the bandwagon.

Note that in order to initialize a multi-way conference you must have a dual G4, any G5 over 1.8GHz or any Intel Core Duo. To be a part of a multiway chat, all you need is some good internet bandwidth.


hope this helps

[pushbutton @ Jun 16th 2006 12:17AM]

iChat.

[Bluevoter @ Jun 16th 2006 12:25AM]

I would also vote for iChat AV, but Sightspeed is another reasonable possibility. Yahoo Messenger and Skype both have video chat in Beta, and may eventually achieve that level of usability, but not yet.

[JP @ Jun 16th 2006 12:39AM]

Here is the MacWorld article about using iChat to stream TV. Not directly relevant, but most of the scripts can be useful with minimal editing.

http://www.macworld.com/2004/06/secrets/junegeekfactor/index.php

e.g. set your away message to "talking to grandma" and her computer will invite you to a video chat, which circumvents the auto answer problem.

[Benjamin J. Higginbotham @ Jun 16th 2006 12:43AM]

I would have to say SightSpeed as well. While iChat is nice it's Mac to Mac only, and even then it's high-end Mac to high-end Mac if you want full h.264 multi-party conferencing. Don't get me wrong, iChat is awesome, but in my humble opinion SightSpeed is better.

I did a review of SightSpeed here: http://www.technologyevangelist.com/2006/05/the_best_voicevideo.html

Couple cool things to note:
1 - You can put your parents system on auto-answer so they don't have to do anything. The Audio/Video conference will start automatically on their end, Mac or PC.

2 - It is cross platform and works very well. My wife calls me from her MacBook Pro to my desk on a Windows box. I have also tried Mac to Mac and PC to PC... All solutions work great.

3 - For the best video experiece use their beta codec. I have had zero issues with the beta codec and it looks great.

4 - If your parents want to make a call it's one click to start an audio/video conference. Simply click on the username and the conference call starts as soon as the other party accepts.

5 - Up to 4 way chat is available in the paid version... Only the 4-way initiator needs to have the paid version all other versions can be the free one, but at least one person must buy it. Multi-party conferences work OK, but I would say their strength is 1 to 1.

[Benjamin J. Higginbotham @ Jun 16th 2006 12:47AM]

I should clarify... iChat h.264 is Mac to Mac only, iChat can do Mac to PC via AIM, but it dumbs the CODEC waaaaaaaay down and looks awful in my opinion.

[eric @ Jun 16th 2006 12:58AM]

Skype with a webcam. Enough said. It even has auto-answer features.

[JP @ Jun 16th 2006 1:03AM]

A thought for simplicity in controls regardless of application, assuming no other need for the computer besides chatting.

Once everything is set up, take away the mouse and keyboard and leave something like this; http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powermate/

The knob part could be volume with the click part being used to start or end chats.

No way to mess things up, and this one glows so they can find it even if the room is dark.

[anasivs @ Jun 16th 2006 1:53AM]

iVisit - supports mac & windows, been using it for conference up to 10 people (granpa/ma can see all his/her granchilds!), reasonable liscense price, can send screenshot and many more.



ivisit.com

[Eric, The Original Requester @ Jun 16th 2006 2:17AM]

OK, my original question had a little more detail in it.

My F-I-L is brain damaged; he cannot sequence three mouse clicks to start the application. I hadn't considered Automater, and should, but the big thing is *one button to dial*. No matter the state of the computer, no matter what applications may be forward, *one button to dial*. Push the button, we appear. I've tried simplified user interfaces (including Launcher under OS 9 and AtEase with 8.X) and his disability doesn't really allow for that kind of executive capacity (the ability to do X, then Y, then Z in the right order). Big Red Buttons work.

I'm OK with a Mac-only solution - we've got stacks o' minis floating around, but something inter-operable would be coolest.

I didn't really mean to request more than two participants - I'm thinking more that it can do a "ringdown" type thing - try host a, b, c until someone answers, or something that could use a chat-like client that could register as the "active" location as to where to find me.

We've got the remote access thing down pat - we already use VNC to manage the box that controls his lighting/HVAC - we actually have a VPN connection to his place - the best part is actually that we can print to a DeskJet at his place to remind him of appointments, upcoming activities, etc.

Eric

[emanuele @ Jun 16th 2006 3:08AM]

I went for Skype with autoanswer on and video on all the time.

I also installed RealVNC and a dynamic host name (dyndns.org) so that I can take control of their PC at any time from where I am. This is very handy to show them how to do something when they are stuck.

[Arvind @ Jun 16th 2006 3:33AM]

IMHO - try iChat.
Surprised that no one has mentioned that iChat launches automatically when you twist the iSight camera open. You will need to configure his Mac to accept conversations from your account automatically. In effect, all your Father-in-law needs to do is open his iSight camera, you see him online if you're on at the same time, start the video chat.

[Arvind @ Jun 16th 2006 3:53AM]

Here's a tip on how to accept all incoming video chats. You'll need to dig around to figure out how to configure it for a particular user.

http://www.macworld.com/2005/11/secrets/decworkingmac/index.php

[Robin O'Neil @ Jun 16th 2006 4:05AM]

Another iChat recommendation, and no I'm not a fan boy I have several PCs as well as the Macs, it just works.
Granny has my old Powerbook G4 plugged into her television and an iSight camera. I set up two Griffin PowerMates, one in each colour, for accepting and initiating calls etc. The only problems is she has are changing the input on the TV between DVB-T, DVD, Video and TV and remembering to press the 'magic button' so she will usually call on her mobile and we have two conversations, she is 86 and has too many remote controls and telephones and buttons as it is. I'm thinking about capturing the IR from the remote control, I read somewhere on the net that you can turn this into an audio file and play it on an IR blaster, to change the channel on the TV. As she is getting increasingly frail I'm thinking about adding some software that detects movement from the camera and emails me.

[Robin O'Neil @ Jun 16th 2006 5:01AM]

If you have VPN connections, why not make use of folder actions in MacOS X. Have a folder for each person
Use a PowerMate
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powermate/
to copy a file into a folder to start a script to check to see if someone is on iChat if they are not move the file into another folder and so on, it someone is available have a script to start the iChat. Additionally you could find a VoIP client to start ringing a hunt group of mobile phones.

[Markus Winter @ Jun 16th 2006 7:36AM]

Tried a lot of different things on PC (Netmeeting, AIM, Skype, etc) first for audio, then wanted to add video - mainly to chat to New Zealand (for my girlfriend - parents are in their fifties, had 2 GHz P4 Dell PC, 2 Mbit DSL) and to Germany (for me - parents are 64 and 73, had 2.4 GHz P4 Medion PC from Aldi, 3 GBit DSL) from Scotland (on 4 Mbit cable with 2 GHz custom built P4). Found it quite disappointing (possibly partly due to the USB cameras).

Tried iChat with an iSight (expensive camera but VERY worth it due to directional microphone and autofocus) and was blown away - full screen, 30 fps, full duplex audio (with a slight delay of half a second)

Now my girlfriends parents use a 1.2 GHz G4 iBook with an iSight, I bought my parents a second-hand 800 MHz iMac G4 with an iSight, and I'm using a 1.5 GHz G4 Powerbook with an iSight. Bloody fantastic! Latest convert is my brother who moved from his 2.4 GHz PC laptop to a 2 GHz Dual Core Powerbook (also with an iSight).

There simply is no better solution than iChat & iSight, and I'm pretty sure that you can use AppleScript to automate the rest (or use one of the other utilities to redefine keys).

Only downside now is that my mother is upset when I don't want to answer every day (it can get a bit much!) ...

[Jon @ Jun 16th 2006 7:52AM]

I dont want to sound like a broken record but iChat AV is the simplest way to video-conference, especially for non- tech savvy people.

[DAniele @ Jun 16th 2006 8:41AM]

Why not Openwengo? It's gpl and multi-platform so you can get all these features into it just customizing the source.

Or you may ask the developers community and someone could customize it for you :)

Although still in beta stage I find it really easy and stable!

Regards

[Andrew Valderas @ Jun 16th 2006 9:35AM]

iChat....and if that's not simple enough write a simple apple script to automate all the steps. You probably could even use Automator (which comes with MacOS) if you arn't programming savvy yourself.

I tried to set my parents up with a solution a few years back, and they just couldn't handle the technical hickups....but now that they use iChat, we use it quite a bit together. Highly recommended.

[Alex @ Jun 16th 2006 10:17AM]

iChat.

I use it with my 3 year old when away on business.

Simple. Flawless.

[Z @ Jun 16th 2006 10:23AM]

Maybe combining everything with an Optimus Mini Three keyboard (http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus-mini/) would make things easier for her...

This mini keyboard won't be out for a couple of months, though (at least according to the company).