Skype 2.0 beta – free video calling
You’ve been asking for it, and the whole team has been working for it for over a year.
Skype 2.0 (BETA). Now with free video calling.
If you don’t want to break your computer with the beta, you could wait for the non-beta release of Skype 2.0, which is not too far away.
New stuff in this version
Video (obviously!). Free one-to-one video calls. Even if only one party of the call has a webcam, the video is still shown to the other party. And if you both have a camera, you get cool picture-in-picture effect. You can see the video in Skype window, in a separate window or even fullscreen.
Contact grouping. Finally here for heavy users. The cool part here is that one contact can be in many groups. So you could have both “Friends” and “People whose name starts with A” groups and whatever. You have some cool predefined groups also, like “Recently contacted” and “Not sharing contact details yet”.
Mood messages. Just messages that other people will see next to your name in their contact list, in chats and when looking at your profile.
See the press release for more details.
Get the new Skype 2.0 beta here, and tell us what you think.
In the name of all Mac users, please, let us use iSight for video calls!
iSight for video calls!
iSight for video calls!
iSight for video calls!
iSight for video calls!
iSight for video calls!
iSight for video calls!
iSight for video calls!
the same problems,same problems,I’ve got a canon nv-gs 11 and doesn’t work either…despite it works with msn.
hola
The video is cool!
The new sounds are horrible though.
I want the old sounds back!!!
Is there a place I can get them?
Where is the linux version ?! Even if we can’t use all the webcam made in the world, some webcams work fine even under this O.S.
I hope for a linux version, I think Skype will finally beat the concurrence doing it .. Please give also to us the chance to video call with someone in the world ….
Linux/Mac users wanting video will probably have to wait until On2′s VP7 codec makes it into the *nix world. Hopefully the deal with Skype (and users vocalizing requests for Mac/Linux support in forums such as this one) will help Skype to lean on On2 and get the codec into the Mac/Linux world. Add my vote to the list of those requesting video support for Mac OSX and Linux. Great product.
Agree with the comments on clearing the history one by one; the AWFUL sounds, and the less comfortable arrangement of the contact list. Version 1 was MUCH more user-friendly in thiese areas.
i like it
The Skype Beta worked well initially with an Ezonics web cam, but today when I was playing with the webcam settings everything went green. What did I do?
It works also between Win2000 e Win XP. Thanks for keeping me in touch with my family and my friends in Italy while I’m studying in the US !!!!!!!
(The Mac version can wait, don’t worry about it; it’s the Linux version we need )
It seems, that this software is something, what other is able to provide since years. In addition, I have major problems with beta version, e.g. I cannot add contacts with skype name, only skype out contacts manually.
Hopefully, V1.4 is the better choice…
Are “skype 2.0″‘s services (skype-in and skype-out) compatible with UMTS mobile(video call)?
Is any one know how to use video in conference calls?
does anyone share my experience, that when my remote caller switches on the video screen, the sound quality gets very bad , almost impossible to hear the conversation, because of dropouts in the speech.on skype2 beta of course???
Skype 2.0 absolutely better have the ability to optionally delete a single Chat History.
When the person.html Chat History HTML file gets too long, most all browsers will crash when trying to open the sometimes huge Chat History files, but the browsers of course work fine on the smaller Chat History files.
They appear to be separate HTML files on the users system, hence, Skype 2.0 had better have this capability, as to NOT have it places Skype users at a distinct disadvantage.
Secondly, we presume that Skype 2.0 allows users to easily locate separate Chat History’s on their systems, and to backup these Chat History files, separately.
This would only seem to be common-sense.
This Chat History area was a major problem in Skype 1.x, and it would be a shame to see it extend into Skype 2.x as well.
Ive been using Skype with video over xmas so that my parents can be a part of our holidays.
Ive encountered the following problems:
Our internet connections are quite asymmetric, with theirs being pretty slow ( 256d – 128u ), and mine much faster ( 1.5d – 384u ). The result appears to be that my outgoing stream saturates their DSL connection, and they cant send video ( I get about 1 frame every minute from them ). They can see my video fine, and we can talk fairly well. Ive expereinced this problem on DSL connections before, when the upstream traffic is going at full speed the downstream traffic can slow to a crawl. If I unplug my camera then their video comes through quite nicely.
It would be great to have some manual control over video quality so that I can manage bandwidth usage when the auto system doesnt get it right. This should be a per contact setting so that I only have nasty video for the few people I know with slow connections.
The preview window is too small, it should be resizeable, and it should get bigger when you go full screen.
The active area of the full screen button is too small. Rather than the icon in the middle of the square being the active area, it should be the whole square. I was the only one in the house who could work out how to use it, everyone else just assumed it didnt work.
Congratulations on the first really easy to setup video solution. Im looking forward to seeing the mac version released, so that I can use it on my main machine ( Ill finally have a reason to buy an iSight ).
First of all congratulation!
I’ve been using Beta 2.0 from Xmas holidays to talk with my parents and I should say that It works well.
But I’ve got two simple question:
1) Is the sharing desktop or a board on developing or it is only one of my fantasy…?
2) There will be any improvements for multiconference with video? (Now seems to be unavailable..)
Have a nice job
Am I missing something here? Skype is still free right? Well to all you people complaining, “quit it”.
A Mac & Linux version will be updated, it’s only in the interest of the software to run on multi platforms. If the Mac & Linux version is running behind then be patient OR maybe BUY a product.
Windows is more popular, it may not be better but that’s not the argument. Windows is more popular so will be ahead in development. Mac & Linux will follow.
I fully understand there a loads of Mac users wanting an improved version but be patient waiting for FREE software. Your time will come.
I’m running Windows 2000 and so far can’t see a solution for video running on it. I’ll wait and if doesn’t happen then fine.
I went through this blog out to hear users opinions and what a tedious job it is having to read everyones “What about the Mac” comments…….
Overall, excellent product. We’ve been using it for several days now. There are a few minor issues I’ve noticed, though — stuff Skype may want to check. I’m running Windows XP Tablet edition, SP2.
1. The screen saver seems to disrupt the video system. If my screen saver cuts in and then turns off, my video signal to the other person will freeze. Current work-around is to turn off the screen saver.
2. The video system does not seem to deal well with changing screen resolution during a call: changing from 1400×1050 to 800×600 stops the video signal. I don’t normally change the resolution manually, but certain games will do it.
3. The little picture-in-picture display’s frame rate runs progressively slower as the call gets longer, suggesting a resource leak. After several hours, it can be 0.1 fps or slower. Skype.exe’s memory use in the task manager also gradually increases. Hang up, give the virtual memory time to flush out, and call back, and things are back to normal.
dont worry guys, i’m sure skype for osx will coming soon now everybody know OSX is the best stable system we ever seen on a computer ..windows so suck lol
i’m sure they will work on …
Installed Skype to use with the video chat on version Beta 2.0. When I tried to set up with my Plustek Opticam M1 which works fine with any other video chat I cannot get Skype to show any picture from the webcam. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?
I am experiencing the same sound problems that paulbarry posted about on 1/4/06. Once the video call in initiated, the sound goes to pure static after a short period, sometimes immediately. Are others experiencing this problem? Has anyone found a fix, besides hang up and call again?
Wakey Wakey 3COM I cannot use my 3COM HomeConnect camera with Skype. A search for Skype on their website finds nothing……isn’t that odd. Is there any information from Skype on this matter?
Please, please, please, let me use iChat within Skype to make a video chat. Either that or make a Skype OS X version with video chat for us! Please. Apple and MS not playing nice: iChat can’t talk to MSN. Vice versa. Let Skype be the tabula rasa for all of us!
I love skype, we will use it to give support to our ecommerce solutions customers at http://www.ptcommerce.net/ and therefore recomending skype to all our custommers.
I have installed the sowtware for video, Skype 2.0.0.103 Beta version but I could not have access to Tools/Options/Video BETA to initiate video unlike some of my friends who had installed the same software and could use video. How can this problem be solved?
I can use my Panasonic PV-GS31 over firewire and it works great, I did a video conference with my wife (she has a macbook) and it worked FINE.
The best thing is that I did not have to do anything, just plugged it in and Skype told me that I had a video device connected.
Skype has broken the chains that Microsoft has put on Mac users with their lame messenger.
Thanks
I just wrote the last post, I forgot to say that I use an iBook G4.
Skype RULES !!!
Keep the hard work
Why skype cant use usb mini dv video camera that works as webcamera? Windows live messenger can.
A really need a Linux version that has video calling. I have many linux users that would really like this feature.
the majority of my workstations run ubuntu.
hello