Skype 5.1 for Windows: Gold Group video calling and stability improvements
Happy New Year!
With the release of Skype 5.1 for Windows, we have improved the stability of Group Video Calling and Skype overall.
Group video calling has shed its ‘beta’ label and officially joined our product line-up with the introduction of the new version of Skype for Windows.
In addition to polishing Skype, we have made the following improvements in Skype 5.1 for Windows:
* Video calls now start by default in 640×480 resolution
The video quality at the start of the call will be higher for some users now as previously only selected cameras were allowed to start in this resolution. The video resolution is controlled and adjusted during the call based on network conditions. Users with fast computers and specific webcams can experience video calls in up to 720p.
* Video calls on powerful computers start in 30 frames per second
From the start of the call, you are able to experience a video which is on a par with TV broadcast quality. Users with slower computers will start with video calls in 15 frames a second and will gradually be improved if the network conditions allow it.
* Improved surfacing of ‘Add Contact’ and ‘Create a Group’ functions
We have increased the functionality of the conversations panel by adding the ability to ‘Add Contact’, and create a group for a Group Video Call or group Instant Messaging.
Download the latest Skype 5.1 for Windows now and please share your feedback via our forums, and if you experience some glitches, please report them to our issue tracker.
Full release notes for 5.1.0.104 are:
New features:
* Group video calling out of Beta
Improvements:
| Category | Description |
| Calling | Improved surfacing of ‘Add Contact’ and ‘Create a Group’ functions |
| Video Calling | Video calls now always start in 640×480 resolution |
| Video Calling | Video calls on powerful computers start in 30 frames per second mode |
Fixed issues:
| Category | Description |
| Accessibility | Skype failed to detect screen reader software |
| Accessibility | Accessibility fix for selecting chat messages |
| Call Phones | Improved scaling for low resolution displays |
| Call Quality Feedback | Call quality feedback form was nor properly displayed in Arabic and Hebrew |
| Call Quality Indicator | Unplugging a audio device in use during a call was not handled properly, Skype could have crashed or then did not switch to remaining audio device |
| Call Quality Indicator | Call Quality Indicator was sometimes displayed partly out of the screen |
| Call Quality Indicator | On clicking Call Quality tray alert message then the call quality indicator was not focused on compact mode |
| Call Quality indicator | Rarely Call Quality indicator reported a good internet connection to user when he actually did not had a working connection |
| Call transfer | Skype crashed when transferring already transferred call |
| Call view | Ampersands were not displayed properly in callview |
| Call view | Incoming call notification after recently ended previous call had wrong messaging |
| Call view | Call Toolbar did not re-appear when critical issue was discovered during a call |
| Call view | On call recovery sometimes call view settings were changed |
| Calling | Enabling Skype’s Microphone controlling feature did not take effect during active call when microphone was muted |
| Calling | Audio playback from devices which used 16k or 32k sampling rate was choppy |
| Calling | Skype audio was played back only from right ear-piece with Logitech headsets G35 and G930 |
| Generic | Skype window on dual monitor configuration was not remembered when using compact mode |
| Group Video Calling | Skype crashed when quiting it in middle of Group Video call |
| Group Video Calling | After holding and resuming a Group Video call sometimes not all video streams were resumed |
| Options | Open chats were not cleared after deleting chat history from Options |
| Options | User selected ringing device was sometimes changed to speaker device |
| Options | Clipped receive files folder name in IM settings |
| Options | SMS options text did not fit to screen on some languages |
| Options | Skype crashed on audio devices changing in options when user selected some specific device affected with the issue |
| Profile | Improved scrolling profile area while in edit mode |
| Welcome screen | Welcome screen test call button was not accessible for screen readers |
| Welcome Screen | Take a video snapshot button did not work on Welcome Screen |
| Welcome screen | Seldom Welcome screen was not top-most Skype window when launching Skype |
| Video calling | Few users saw their own video on both video preview and on incoming video area |
| Video calling | Fixed delayed video startup when user used Standard VGA adapter as display device |
| Video calling | Improved video smoothness on low quality network connection |
Enjoy.
i really like the new skype with all this updates you guys add to it
but there is few things i don’t like
1- how to end incoming screen sharing? (it don’t have option for it like the old version)
2-how to stop incoming webcam ?
3-im from Egypt and there is limit for the download (limit is 40 giga per month)
and i make skype call open 24/7 but somehow with the new skype it taking lots of the net limit. about 1~1.5 giga per day .. why?