Speaking Chat

[Kyle Fenton]

Is it possible for the Chiefdelphi.com website to have a speaking chat ala QuickTime, Real Player, or WMP. I have seen these kind of chats before, but are rare. What basically it is a mp3 stream back to the user, but the user can upload audio directly from an audio input port from. To make it more clear it would be like an internet radio station coming back to you, and a separate window to be able to upload audio from your computer. Making it like a many person phone call. But this could be good because it would differently be able to get our issues more out to the member of first.

If this is not possible, we can always use one of those video teleconference software which they are amiable for both Mac and Wintel, and just use the audio only part of the software.

But even AIM has trouble with the popularity of its talk feature because..

1. Most Wintel machines only have half duplex sound cards. Even thought the new ones are coming out with full duplex cards

2. some people don't even have a microphone. (Come on it is like $5 @ radioshack)

3. People don't put on their headphones on, so an echo appears from the speakers of the computer that everybody can hear.

4. Some people have difficult setting up their sound preferences, especially on Wintel machines.

5. Some people don't have the neccesary speed (Usually 36.6 or above) to be able to upload and download the auido at the same time.

6. Some microphoes have trouble elminiting background noise (like TV, radio and anything else that is talking)

7. Some microphones have a tendencey to give off a high pinch frequency if people touch the microphone.

Another way to elminate some of these problems is to have the users press the F1 or esc key when they talk. This is common in many propgrams, but gets quite anyoing after awile.

But heck, I think it can be done. And if we could get it working, it would really go good for the crediablitiy or FIRST.