How to Improve the Quality of Video Chats
So, you are all in awe of the video chat with Granny, but the quality is poor. The video is choppy, the audio echoes and breaks, and you can barely see the person on the other end of the line. Before you turn the table over, here are a few things you can tweak to get the best quality.
Blast From The Past is a weekly feature on Lifehacker in which we bring old but still relevant posts to life for your reading and hacking enjoyment. Today we are hosting HD Skype sessions.
While it’s unrealistic to expect the same level of quality that Skype displays in its commercials , you can probably improve the look of your chats, improve sound, and generally run smoother with a few simple home tweaks. Please note that for some of these we will use Skype as an example, as it is the most popular video calling app. However, you can apply almost all of these tips to any video chat program. Note where the tip refers to Skype.
Also note that these tips work for both parties – in many cases your video chat partner will have to implement them if you want to see the best video.
Simple fixes
Make sure Skype is updated to the latest version. They improve the quality of video chats with each new version, so if you’re still using a two-year-old copy, you’ll probably get the same crappy quality as you two years ago. This also applies to iChat and any other video chat software. Web apps like Google Chat and Facebook Chat should stay up to date, although you can check if they have any updates or add-ons to improve the quality.
Put on your headphones . If someone hears an echo in the audio, it is because the other person’s speakers are too loud. Put on your headphones and this problem will go away instantly. Any headphones will do; The good thing about headphones is that they don’t distract from your face. Note that this depends on the extent to which you are communicating with the friend: if you hear an echo, they need to wear headphones, but if they hear an echo, you need to wear headphones. Photo by Dan McKay .
Adjust your light . Again, this is a small tweak that can change the world for the better. Make sure there is a lamp or other light source behind the monitor that is pointing at you and that there is not too much light behind you. If you are using a laptop, make sure the camera is at eye level and not pointed up at ceiling lights or down at the floor. Better lighting can mean the difference between talking to a real person and talking with a grainy silhouette.
Make sure your background is stationary . If you are in a noisy cafe or your family is watching TV behind you, move to another location. The more movement in your frame, the more work Skype will have to do and the sharper your video will be.
Don’t overload your Internet with other tasks . If you download files, watch YouTube videos, or play video games (or if someone else in your house is doing any of these), Skype gets less bandwidth. Close all unnecessary programs, especially those using your Internet, and you may find that the quality of your connection will increase dramatically.
Use wired Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi whenever possible. Wi-Fi is ok, but you’re much more likely to get lag and interference, which can make your video and audio choppy. Wired internet will make your work smoother and more stable.
Additional fixes
Adjust your webcam video settings . Most webcams allow you to adjust brightness, contrast, microphone volume, and other parameters in their settings. If you are using Skype, you can quickly get to them through Tools> Options> Video Settings. Drag the video settings window so that it is next to the Skype settings window so you can see the video preview. Adjust any brightness, exposure, color, balance and other sliders to make your video look better. It might take a while and it won’t help as much as, say, better lighting, but if you’re missing real fixes it might help a little.
Configure QoS on your router , if you have one. We’ve already talked about setting up Quality of Service (QoS) , so I won’t go into details here, but it should have the same effect as disabling BitTorrent, online video games, and other programs that are limiting your bandwidth. … Basically, it makes sure that while video chatting, it takes bandwidth from other apps and hands it over to you. Again, this is the same as turning off these programs yourself, only with QoS your router will do it automatically. Note that not all routers have this setting, but if you don’t, you can still use it by installing DD-WRT on your router .
Increase Skype frames per second . This is a Skype-only workaround and is a bit hackish, but it might help if you have really choppy video. Close Skype if open and open Windows Explorer. Enter %appdata% in the address bar, then go to Skype> [your Skype username] and open config.xml in your favorite text editor. Find the line that starts with <Device> and create a new line below it. On this line, enter <Fps>25</Fps> , then save the file and exit. When you open Skype, you should notice that your video is much smoother, although it will likely be more blurry. It’s not a perfect solution, but if you prefer smooth video over high-definition video, this is a little trick that might help.
These tips should get you started, and while buying a new webcam or signing up for a faster internet connection can help, you’ll want to try these simple, inexpensive methods before moving on to more extreme ones.
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