Skype 2.0 beta Update: X Marks the Spot
Today we released an updated Beta version of Skype 2.0 for Linux with Video. Download it now
Many historians foretold of the moment when X would mark the spot on a map. Today, I can happily tell you that we have found the X on our development roadmap, and underneath lies a treasure previously unattainable to some – Video.
In less metaphoric terms, this means that our users who experienced a ‘black’ window if they didn’t start video first in a call will now be able to see.
And in slightly more technical terms, we’ve added support for non-accelerated X11 overlay output to the client, in addition to the already well-supported Xv overlay output method.
Another requested feature of this release is debug output on the console for video-related errors, which should help some of our technically-minded users isolate problems related to video capturing and overlay output.
As usual, there are a slew of bugfixes included so please read over the full release notes for more details.
Great work guys!!!
Finally I can do video with my Mandriva 2008.0 64 bits, on my dell inspiron 1521 (integrated web cam).
For those who want to use it in a 64 bits mandriva you will need the 32 bits of qt, and then run a script like this: LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/lib/qt4/lib /opt/skype-2.0.0.43/skype
I tested both the rpm package, and the dynamically linked.
If only skype could be open source , I know it’s never going to happen , but it’s ok for me. I only would like it to be open source to see how you do it, I guess your audio codec must be quite complex.
Manuel
Great Job guys. Now I can use my web cam in Skype on my Linux Mint box, and everything works great!!!
Keep up the great work.
Dan
Great! Now video calls are stable also with my Logitech IM/Connect!
I’m still experiencing some audio interruptions, but I hope it will get better…
Congratulations!
thank for this new release! I still can’t use my webcam, but before the webcam i would like to have a full support for skypecasts and sms too.
Please, when the skypecast support will be ok, we will abandon paltalk.
We need it!
Thank you so much! I tested the new version in two half hour long video calls with perfect voice quality and stable video image. My setup: Kubuntu Feisty running on a Thinkpad T42p with a ATI Mobility FireGL T2 with 128MB running with fglrx 8.34.08 and Xv overlay option disabled (and does not work if its enabled) and a Logitech QuickCam for Notebooks (old model from 2006). That my own video preview is sometimes cropped does not disturb too much, and that video scaling is not yet supported is also something I can live with.
Thanks again. Keep up the good work!
I like the new (fewer than I’d like actually, except video of course) improvements, but I can’t use the new version since I’m one of those ‘SBLive! users’. As far as I remember early versions of Skype 1.4 had the same problem – “Problem with sound/audio device”, so if it’s not too much to ask could you patch the 2.0 betas the same way you did for 1.4 so we can actually use Skype as a VoIP/Video Conferencing software instead of just a chat tool.
Also I’d like to see more changes in the interface, more buttons and so on. I mean I like the minimalistic UI but I miss some functionality (options, buttons), you know, a bit of user friendliness. For example please put a “File Transfers” button maybe right next to “Main Menu” and “Add or Search for Skype Contacts” buttons. After a transfer is completed the button disappears and I cannot check the destination directory or the name of the file I just received for that matter. I wouldn’t mind you adding additional buttons to improve functionality as well. Another thing – you cannot view your own profile (from “search for contacts…”). Why?
Also… as far as I remember an option to dock the dial-pad and call window was planned for version 1.4 but it never saw the light of day. I’d like to see that option if possible – to be able to dock ‘child’ windows in the main Skype panel. Reintroducing support for Contact Groups would be nice too.
Also a things I miss – emoteicons in mood massages, ability to change chat picture (and make it a bit larger). IRC chat style but please use different colors for contacts’ names.
Anyway I had more suggestions but I think I covered the most important ones. Thanks for reading and keep up the good work. I don’t really expect you to drop your development plan and start making Skype the way I want it, but please consider at least some of the things I suggested, I think it will make a lot of people happy. Adding more options and functionality rarely hurts (and look at where Vista got to doing the opposite).
Sorry for the long post and thanks again.
2.0.0.43 is as useless as 2.0.0.27. The ALSA related code must be quite bad when ALL my other programs work with pulseaudio but not Skype. It can’t be that hard to just clean up the sound related code so it works with pulseaudio. Meanwhile, I’ll try other options for calls.
I tried video chats with different linux machines in the last few days, but everywhere seems to be the same problem: 100% cpu usage when JUST SENDING a video! and no, the hardware is definitly strong enough, the cpus where from Pentium-M 1.73 over Core2Duo-2.0 up to Pentium 4 HT 3.0GHz – all the same. other video capture programs need about 10% cpu, and encoding the 352×288 pixel image will be done fast enough with any codec on any of these cpus!
so, on the bright sight: VIDEO! and little bandwidth usage with good video quality
on the not so bright sight: heating my machines up. still missing grouping of contacts. still missing the “mood” (don’t know that it’s called in english) text displayed beside the name in the contacts list.
thanks for this release .. I shiver with anticipation of the next
Great! Now working with my cheap Logitech webcam under Ubuntu 7.10.
Congratulations!
Great at all! Runs perfect on my Dell Vostro/ Ubuntu 7.10 including the Webcam. Nice.
The only bad thing for me is the tooltip icon at the tastbar “SkypeName – Skype” tells me nothing.
Normally tooltips on linux deliver a status like eMail notification tooltip does:
http://files.myopera.com/area42/files/tooltip_postfach.jpg
Here is a small mockup from me about a nice Skype tooltip:
http://files.myopera.com/area42/files/tooltip_skype.jpg
I’m still missing the ability to disable “Show how many contacts I have” feature. That’s bad.
This release still hogs CPU on Fedora 8 with Logitech QuickCam EC (which has Skype logo on it) so no change since 2.0.0.23.
martynas.budriunas: Added for next release.
vkotal: Does it actually interfere with your use of the PC? (ie. do you feel this CPU usage, or is it permissive?)
In my experiences, this high CPU count is due to the way we read from v4l(1) cameras and doesn’t cause an additional strain on the system.
With version 2.0.0.43 my webcam picture looks shredded. The version 2.0.0.27 was working fine with me … I am currently using ubuntu 64 with a Pro9000 … since I’ve deleted the old version does someone know where I can download the older version?
Thanks a lot on advance.
marcus_weber: Please upgrade your uvc driver past revision 166.
Andrew.
so.. I’ve same ‘small’ problem with this version..
if I have connected my Logitech QuickCam Communicate S(TX) and I try to call sb, I have this -> “Call Failed: Problem with Audio Playback”
if it isn’t connected everything is ok..
my sound card is Creative SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 Digital
OK. This version works good with UVC webcam device driver and fglrx video driver. But still mic doesn’t work with PulseAudio in Fedora. In Ubuntu everything fine. (Why the hell they added PulseAudio?)
Hello,
I just had a 2 hours, 21 minutes and 14 seconds of videocall between Skype for Linux 2.0.0.43 on an Acer Aspire 5920G and Ubuntu 7.10 and Skype for Windows on Win XP at 1,200 km of distance and it was REALLY good !!!
I just installed it today: New NVIDIA proprietary drivers (for the video, I don’t know if they help or not), New ALSA Driver found on http://www.realtek.com.tw version 5.1: the old version was not working very well (there was pretty much no sound other than electric noise coming out of the skype test call) and current uvc libraries installed so to use the Acer Crystal Eye Webcam included.
If any of the readers needs some help, I can translate an Italian guide with all the steps to install the Webcam and use it, and I can share some experience with the video and audio card …
The SMS option would be nice, so I can say goodbye ONCE AND FOR ALL to Windows !!!
My problem is still a “Black preview window”. The webcam working nicely with other linux applications such as ekiga, xawtv, camorama, …
Distro: ubuntu 7.10, Gutsy, linux-headers 2.6.22-14
Notebook: Fujitsu Amilo Pro V3515
Graphic card: VIA Technologies, Inc. Chrome9 HC IGP
Skype: 2.0.0.43 and the new 2.0.0.43-1
Cam: Creative Live!CAM Notebook
under vesa driver skype finds no Xv ports available and with compiled openchrome i get a problem about video overlay:
Skype Xv: Xv ports available: 1
Skype XShm: XShm support enabled
Skype Xv: Using Xv port 60
Skype Xv: No suitable overlay format found
i tried xorg.conf options “VideoOverlay” and “TexturedVideo” but no luck so far.
Maybe anyone here had any luck with a similar configuration?
what about the X11 overlay, why it doesnt fit? what do i have to change?
Thanks in advance,)
solved through gstfakevideo … can’t get Xv off someway. any clue would be nice;) … but nevertheless, linux & videochat ala skype(thx), ôla!
No black video but colours mixed with logitech quickcam Web. Still a bit of work…
Hi..
Good work.. but something freak happened… with opensuse 10.3 KDE, this last version works almost perfect (my cam stop sometimes)… but with the GNOME version.. i only receive part of the video from my contact.. is like the video been cut…
Some tip ?
Thanks
Hi,
I’m running Ubuntu 7.04 on a Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 4300 @ 1.80GHz. I installed skype-debian_2.0.0.43-1_i386.deb and it gives me this error:
Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
[Switching to Thread -1226029360 (LWP 20771)]
0xb7bec710 in ?? () from /usr/lib/libQtGui.so.4
(gdb) bt
#0 0xb7bec710 in ?? () from /usr/lib/libQtGui.so.4
#1 0xbfb1c718 in ?? ()
#2 0xb7beb34d in QLabel::setText () from /usr/lib/libQtGui.so.4
Backtrace stopped: frame did not save the PC
(gdb)
Any clue?
Chilirose, I am having the same problem you had. How did you solve the problem with gstfakevideo. Could you give more info on that? When I clicked test I got the output below
Skype Xv: Xv ports available: 32
Skype XShm: XShm support enabled
Skype Xv: Using Xv port 48
Skype Xv: No suitable overlay format found
I’ve the same problem as many guys above me: Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX, Ubuntu Gutsy and full CPU usage all the time I send video. Also sometimes my video stops (in the small preview on my site and also on my opponent’s site) and then the CPU usage is low again. After some seconds the stream continues and the CPU jumps to 100% again. The video preview in the preferences menu causes full CPU usage as well.
michaelkogan: This is currently normal behaviour. The delay you’re seeing is due to the camera re-initting to a different resolution. This delay is shorter in the next release.
i switched back from openchrome to vesa, compiled the latest gstfakevideo, took the latest skype beta and open with “sudo mv /dev/video0 /dev/video1 & gstfakevideo v4lsrc device=/dev/video1″. but i am still searchin how to bind X11 …
I’m not having much luck, after about the 2nd or 3rd ring, my PC reboots!
I can’t even understand why.
It’s JUST version 2, however I kinda need version 2 since 1.3 has no sound input that works on my desktop.
Thanks for video. There’s one more option which would be useful, and not difficult to implement I think – possibility to export your contacts to file. Is it possible?
I believe there’s a bug with call forwarding. On the Call Forwarding config panel, it’s saying I need to add Skype credit to my account, even though I have credit. When I check the “forward my calls” check box, type in a number, hit apply, close panel, then come back, settings are forgotten. So Call Forwarding is unusable. Skype Linux Beta 2.0.0.43.
The “You need to purchase Skype credit…” text is displayed always in that dialog. I agree it is a little confusing. We’ll need to work on that.
With regards the issue at hand, I just tried to replicate, however it worked here. It actually submits this setting to central configuration (so call forwarding works while offline). Perhaps there is a delay here in synchronising the data.
If you wait a little longer before going back to the options, is it still lost?
Andrew.
andypoo: Sorry for the delay, I haven’t thought that there will be a reply here. @topic: I don’t mean the delay when switching the resolution (i. e. from the small preview to fullscreen or double size). This delay also exists and isn’t that bad at all. What I meant are lags during a video call, when the resolution isn’t changing at all. I even don’t know if it’s the problem of the Linux version because it seems that some of my contacts using Windows have the same problem as well.
What I actually wanted to point out with my initial comment is the high CPU usage during video calls and I mentioned the lags just to illustrate that the CPU usage goes down during those lags.
Please integrate that horrible separate window when calling into the main gui please please please!!!
Skype 2.0.0.72, Ubuntu 8.04 on AMD64, had to install Pulse Audio to get the mic to work properly. Creative Webcam is giving me an identical issue to michaelkogan’s: 100% CPU use while sending video.
I’m using it on Mint. It eats >= 95% my CPU. All heavy processes out. Why? Can’t we get a fix to this? Not ‘cos of the CPU usage but because IT’S LITERALLY MELTING MY COMPUTAR.
ok i using Ubunto 10.10 as os and usb 3G for internet connection but skype beta dosn’t connect please help
@daniel.gedisman: Same here ! What is the solution for this problem ?