SunForum Audio and Video

SunForum 3.1 includes H.323 audio and video support, to allow you to talk to other people in a conference and see a video image of them on your screen. Note that not all conferencing products support the full range of audio and video features provided by SunForum, so you may be restricted to using only the features supported by the conferencing products that other people are using. See Working with Other Conferencing Products for more information.

How do I...

	use audio and video to interoperate with other products being used in the conference?
	control whether my audio is played to other people?
	control whether I hear other people's audio?
	control how my video image appears on other people's screens?
	control how other people's video images appear on my screen?
	switch the audio/video link to a different person in a point-to-point conference?
	set options for audio and video?

Working With Other Conferencing Products

Conferencing products may provide one of three different levels of audio/video support:

	Multipoint You can see and hear many people in the call at the same time. Each person's video image appears in a separate window, and the audio information from each person is mixed together so that you hear a single audio channel including everyone's voice. Microsoft NetMeeting 2.0 and 2.1 do not support multipoint audio and video.
	Point-to-point You can see and hear one other person in the call at a time, and can switch from one to another. Microsoft NetMeeting 2.0 and 2.1 provide point-to-point audio and video.
	No audio/video You cannot see or hear other people in the conference. Users of conferencing products that do not support audio/video often set up a telephone-based conference call in parallel with the SunForum conference.

See SunForum 3.1 Feature Comparison for details of the audio/video support provided by a number of different conferencing products.

SunForum provides multipoint support, but can also operate in point-to-point mode or without audio/video to support conferences with other products:

If everyone in the conference is using a product that supports multipoint audio/video, you can use either multipoint or point-to-point. (You may prefer to use point-to-point if people are familiar with products that operate only in this mode.)

If some people are using a product that supports only point-to-point audio/video, you should use point-to-point. SunForum can be configured to force a conference to use point-to-point thusly insuring that the products that only support point-to-point can establish audio/video links. (It is possible to start the conference in multipoint mode by calling another multipoint-capable user, but in this case you will not be able to establish an audio/video link with someone who has point-to-point capability only.)

Anyone who is using a product that does not support audio/video can still participate in the conference, but will not be able to see or hear other people. You can still use audio/video to communicate with anyone in the conference who has support for it.

When you start a call to another person, SunForum initially creates a point-to-point link for audio/video support regardless of the capabilities of the other product. Should a third person join the conference, their capabilities will determine if the conference becomes a multipoint conference or remains a point-to-point conference. Once a conference has become a multipoint conference, products that don't support multipoint will not be able to establish an audio/video link in the conference.

If you want to start a conference explicitly in point-to-point mode, you can specify this in the Audio/Video Settings dialog box. See Setting Audio/Video Options for more information.

Controlling My Audio on Other People's Computers

The Audio panel at the top of the main window indicates whether audio is being used.

The checkbox to the left of the Microphone icon indicates whether your audio is being played to other people in the call.

To start or stop playing your audio to other people in the call, click on the checkbox to the left of the icon.

To control the output level of your audio, move the slider to the right to make your audio louder, or to the left to make it quieter. This is important in a multipoint conference, where this slider determines the volume of your audio relative to other people's audio.

If you are using point-to-point audio/video, only the person that you are currently switched to will be able to hear you. To switch to a different person in the call, see Switching to Another User in Point-To-Point Audio/Video.
If you are having problems with your audio on other people's computers:

Use the Configuration Wizard to check your setup. To do this, select Configuration Wizard from the Tools menu.

Check the Echo Suppression and Automatic Gain Control options described in Audio/Video Settings.

Controlling Other People's Audio on My Computer

The Audio panel at the top of the main window indicates whether audio is being used.

The checkbox to the left of the Speaker icon indicates whether other people's audio is being played on your computer.

To start or stop listening to other people in the call, click on the checkbox to the left of the icon.

To control the volume, move the slider to the right to increase the volume, or to the left to decrease it.

If you are using point-to-point audio/video, you will hear only the person that you are currently switched to. To switch to a different person in the call, see Switching to Another User in Point-To-Point Audio/Video.
If you are having problems with audio, you can use the Configuration Wizard to check your setup. To do this, select Configuration Wizard from the Tools menu.

Controlling My Video Image on Other People's Screens

Before starting a call using video, you can check the video image of you that will appear on other people's screens (for example to make sure that the camera on your system is aligned correctly). The video image appears on your screen in a window with the title My Video. You can show or hide the My Video window at any time; to do this, choose Video from the Tools menu, and choose Display My Video. You can also hide the window by closing it. Prior to entering a call you will see the message "Not Sending" beneath the My Video window.

Once in a call, a button is displayed in addtion to the status message at the bottom of the My Video window. The status message reflects the current state of video transmission. The button is used to change that state as follows:

If the video status is "Sending", the Pause button is shown. Click on this button to pause the video display. When you pause the display, a "freeze frame" image appears in the window and the status message becomes "Paused".

If video status is "Paused", the Play button is shown. Click on this button to activate the video display. When you activate the display, video transmission is restarted and the status message becomes "Sending".

Instead of the Pause / Play buttons in the window, you can use the Pause or Play option that appears in the View menu of this window. These options only appear when in a call.

You can control whether your video image is automatically sent to other people as soon as you start a call; see Setting Audio/Video Options for more information.

Controlling Other People's Video Images on My Screen

If you are using multipoint audio/video, a video image of each person in the call is displayed automatically when he or she starts sending video.

	Each person's image is displayed in a separate window, with their name as the window title. As other people join or leave the call, new windows appear or existing windows disappear.
	You can choose which of these windows are displayed on your screen: choose the Video option on the Tools menu, choose Display Others, and click on an entry for the window you want to display or hide. Alternatively, you can hide a displayed window by closing the window using the system menu.
	You can change the magnification of each window by using the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons at the bottom right-hand corner of the window: These buttons allow you to choose between 100%, 200%, 300%, and 400% magnification. You can also select the magnification from the View menu on the window. If you want to specify a particular magnification for all receive video windows every time they appear, you can do this using the Audio/Video Settings dialog; see Setting Audio/Video Options for more information.

If you are using point-to-point audio/video, the Remote Video window displays a video image of the person you are currently switched to (if any).

To switch to a different person in the call, see Switching to Another User in Point-To-Point Audio/Video.

You can choose whether to display this window on your screen: choose the Video option on the Tools menu, and click on Display Remote Video to display or stop displaying the window. Alternatively, you can close the window by clicking on the Close button for the window.

At the bottom of each of these windows, a button indicates whether the video is being displayed, as follows:

If the video status is "Receiving", the Pause button is shown. Click on this button to pause the video display. When you pause the display, a "freeze frame" image appears in the window and the status message becomes "Paused".

If video status is "Paused", the Play button is shown. Click on this button to activate the video display. When you activate the display, video transmission is restarted and the status message becomes "Receiving".

You can control whether you automatically display video images of other people as soon as they start sending video; see Setting Audio/Video Options for more information. If you do not display these images, the window for a remote user on your screen remains blank until you use the Play button to start the video display.

Instead of the Pause / Play buttons in the window, you can use the Pause or Play option that appears in the View menu of this window.

Note that the window size used for other people's video is determined by the sender's conferencing product.

Switching to Another User in Point-To-Point Audio/Video

In point-to-point audio/video, you can see and hear only one other person in the conference at a time. You can switch between different people in the conference; if you switch to a different person, the person you were previously seeing and hearing remains in the conference but is not switched to anyone. Note that the switch attempt will fail if you try to switch to a person who is already switched to someone else.

To switch to another person, choose Switch Audio and Video from the Tools menu. This displays a list of people that you can switch to, including the person you are currently switched to (with a selection marker next to that person's name). The list does not include people who do not have audio/video support.

To switch to a different person, click on that person's name in the list.

To "switch out" so that you remain in the conference but are no longer switched to anyone, click on the name of the person you are currently switched to (the name with the selection marker next to it).

The Switch Audio and Video menu item only appears if you are in a conference with more than one A/V capable person and are using point-to-point connections.

Setting Audio/Video Options

You can configure the behavior of SunForum's audio/video support by selecting the Audio/Video Settings from the Options Menu. You can also reach the same dialog from the My Video window by selecting Audio/Video Settings from the View menu. This leads to different sets of options:

Audio/Video Settings, which determine how SunForum's audio and video functions operate
Audio/Video Device Settings, which determine how SunForum uses the audio and video devices available on your computer

(The other options in this menu are described in Configuring SunForum Options.)

Audio/Video Settings:

Use point-to-point A/V connections When you start a call to another person, SunForum normally provides multipoint audio/video support if the other person is using a conferencing product that supports it. If the other person's conferencing product provides only point-to-point audio/video support, SunForum displays a warning message and sets up the conference in point-to-point mode. Once the conference has started, you cannot change it between multipoint and point-to-point modes.
In some cases you may want to override this behavior and start the conference explicitly in point-to-point mode. This applies if one of the following is true:

You are starting the conference by calling someone who has multipoint support, but other people who will be joining the conference have only point-to-point support. In this case, you must start the conference in point-to-point mode; if you start a multipoint conference, you will not be able to establish an audio/video link with someone who has point-to-point capability only.

Some or all of the people in the conference are familiar with conferencing products that provide only point-to-point support, and you want the conference to operate in the way they expect.

For more information about point-to-point and multipoint audio/video, see Working With Other Conferencing Products.

Send image size Specify the size of your video image as it appears to other people. This also determines the size of the My Video window on your screen. The range of window sizes that you can use depends on the capabilities of the conferencing products being used by other people. If you are already in a conference, one or more of these options may be grayed if other people are using conferencing products that cannot support them. You may find that the window size changes when you start a call, or when another person joins or leaves the conference. This is because another person may not be able to use the size that you originally selected; SunForum cooperates with the other conferencing products to select the best compromise between the requirements of everyone currently in the conference.

I prefer to receive . . . This option allows you to tune the picture quality of the video images of other people as they appear on your screen.

Move the slider towards Faster Video to view the video with more updates per second. This gives a smoother display, but reduces the resolution of the image.

Move the slider towards Better Quality to view the video with higher resolution. This gives a better-quality video image, but may mean that the video appears less smooth.

My connection speed is... This option allows you to provide SunForum with the bandwidth of the network connections you will be using for the conferences. SunForum uses the information to configure the audio and video processing to sustain the conference in an optimal manner.

Echo Supression This option allows you to enable automatic echo cancellation within SunForum. Depending upon the audio codecs used in the conference and the presence of a SunVideo Plus, it may either use software half duplex or hardware echo cancellation. You are recommended to select this option if you are playing back audio using speakers rather than headphones.

Auto gain control If this option is selected, SunForum will automatically adjust the sensitivity of your microphone based on the input level.

Default video magnification This option specifies the default magnification (100% - 400%) used to display received video on your computer. Each new received video window appears at this magnification. You can change the size of an individual video window later if necessary, by using the buttons at the bottom of the video window; see Controlling Other People's Video Images on My Screen for more information.

Audio/Video Device Settings

Audio device:

Select whether to use your computer's built-in audio support or the audio support provided by the SunVideo Plus device.
Then click on the Settings button to set up how SunForum uses this audio device.

The Settings button allows you to select the following:

Audio input: Select the input port in your computer (microphone or line) that you are using for audio input (receiving your voice for transmission to other people in the conference).

Audio output: This option applies only if you are using built-in audio support, and is not available if you are using the SunVideo Plus device.
Select the output port in your computer (speaker, headphones, or line) that you are using for audio output (listening to other people in the conference).

Video device: Select whether to use your computer's built-in videoo support, or the SunVideo Plus or IEEE 1394 device (if you have one installed).
If you are using the built-in video support, you do not need to set up any additional options; otherwise, click on the Settings button to set up how SunForum uses this device.

For the SunVideo Plus device, the Settings button allows you to select the following:

Video input: Select the input port in your computer (Composite-1, Composite-2, or SVideo) that you are using for your camera (receiving your picture for transmission to other people in the conference).

Video format: Select the type of camera you are using (PAL or NTSC).

Color: Check your video image in the My Video window; this is the image that will be sent to other people in the conference. If this window is not displayed, choose Video from the Tools menu, and choose Display My Video.
If necessary, use the sliders to control the brightness, contrast, and hue of this image.
The Restore defaults button returns the color settings to SunForum's default values.

For the IEEE 1394 device, the Settings button allows you to select the following:

Color: Check your video image in the My Video window; this is the image that will be sent to other people in the conference. If this window is not displayed, choose Video from the Tools menu, and choose Display My Video.
If necessary, use the sliders to control the brightness, exposure, hue, white balance (U and V) and gamma for this image.
The Restore defaults button returns the color settings to SunForum's default values. Alternatively, if you select the automatic configuration checkbox the camera will automatically configure the brightness and white balance settings.

	If everyone in the conference is using a product that supports multipoint audio/video, you can use either multipoint or point-to-point. (You may prefer to use point-to-point if people are familiar with products that operate only in this mode.)
	If some people are using a product that supports only point-to-point audio/video, you should use point-to-point. SunForum can be configured to force a conference to use point-to-point thusly insuring that the products that only support point-to-point can establish audio/video links. (It is possible to start the conference in multipoint mode by calling another multipoint-capable user, but in this case you will not be able to establish an audio/video link with someone who has point-to-point capability only.)
	Anyone who is using a product that does not support audio/video can still participate in the conference, but will not be able to see or hear other people. You can still use audio/video to communicate with anyone in the conference who has support for it.

	To start or stop listening to other people in the call, click on the checkbox to the left of the icon.
	To control the volume, move the slider to the right to increase the volume, or to the left to decrease it.
	If you are using point-to-point audio/video, you will hear only the person that you are currently switched to. To switch to a different person in the call, see Switching to Another User in Point-To-Point Audio/Video. If you are having problems with audio, you can use the Configuration Wizard to check your setup. To do this, select Configuration Wizard from the Tools menu.

	If the video status is "Sending", the Pause button is shown. Click on this button to pause the video display. When you pause the display, a "freeze frame" image appears in the window and the status message becomes "Paused".
	If video status is "Paused", the Play button is shown. Click on this button to activate the video display. When you activate the display, video transmission is restarted and the status message becomes "Sending".

	To switch to a different person in the call, see Switching to Another User in Point-To-Point Audio/Video.
	You can choose whether to display this window on your screen: choose the Video option on the Tools menu, and click on Display Remote Video to display or stop displaying the window. Alternatively, you can close the window by clicking on the Close button for the window.

	If the video status is "Receiving", the Pause button is shown. Click on this button to pause the video display. When you pause the display, a "freeze frame" image appears in the window and the status message becomes "Paused".
	If video status is "Paused", the Play button is shown. Click on this button to activate the video display. When you activate the display, video transmission is restarted and the status message becomes "Receiving".

	To switch to a different person, click on that person's name in the list.
	To "switch out" so that you remain in the conference but are no longer switched to anyone, click on the name of the person you are currently switched to (the name with the selection marker next to it).

	Use point-to-point A/V connections	When you start a call to another person, SunForum normally provides multipoint audio/video support if the other person is using a conferencing product that supports it. If the other person's conferencing product provides only point-to-point audio/video support, SunForum displays a warning message and sets up the conference in point-to-point mode. Once the conference has started, you cannot change it between multipoint and point-to-point modes. In some cases you may want to override this behavior and start the conference explicitly in point-to-point mode. This applies if one of the following is true: You are starting the conference by calling someone who has multipoint support, but other people who will be joining the conference have only point-to-point support. In this case, you must start the conference in point-to-point mode; if you start a multipoint conference, you will not be able to establish an audio/video link with someone who has point-to-point capability only. Some or all of the people in the conference are familiar with conferencing products that provide only point-to-point support, and you want the conference to operate in the way they expect. For more information about point-to-point and multipoint audio/video, see Working With Other Conferencing Products.
	Send image size	Specify the size of your video image as it appears to other people. This also determines the size of the My Video window on your screen. The range of window sizes that you can use depends on the capabilities of the conferencing products being used by other people. If you are already in a conference, one or more of these options may be grayed if other people are using conferencing products that cannot support them. You may find that the window size changes when you start a call, or when another person joins or leaves the conference. This is because another person may not be able to use the size that you originally selected; SunForum cooperates with the other conferencing products to select the best compromise between the requirements of everyone currently in the conference.
	I prefer to receive . . .	This option allows you to tune the picture quality of the video images of other people as they appear on your screen. Move the slider towards Faster Video to view the video with more updates per second. This gives a smoother display, but reduces the resolution of the image. Move the slider towards Better Quality to view the video with higher resolution. This gives a better-quality video image, but may mean that the video appears less smooth.
	My connection speed is...	This option allows you to provide SunForum with the bandwidth of the network connections you will be using for the conferences. SunForum uses the information to configure the audio and video processing to sustain the conference in an optimal manner.
	Echo Supression	This option allows you to enable automatic echo cancellation within SunForum. Depending upon the audio codecs used in the conference and the presence of a SunVideo Plus, it may either use software half duplex or hardware echo cancellation. You are recommended to select this option if you are playing back audio using speakers rather than headphones.
	Auto gain control	If this option is selected, SunForum will automatically adjust the sensitivity of your microphone based on the input level.
	Default video magnification	This option specifies the default magnification (100% - 400%) used to display received video on your computer. Each new received video window appears at this magnification. You can change the size of an individual video window later if necessary, by using the buttons at the bottom of the video window; see Controlling Other People's Video Images on My Screen for more information.

	Audio input:	Select the input port in your computer (microphone or line) that you are using for audio input (receiving your voice for transmission to other people in the conference).
	Audio output:	This option applies only if you are using built-in audio support, and is not available if you are using the SunVideo Plus device. Select the output port in your computer (speaker, headphones, or line) that you are using for audio output (listening to other people in the conference).
	Video device:	Select whether to use your computer's built-in videoo support, or the SunVideo Plus or IEEE 1394 device (if you have one installed). If you are using the built-in video support, you do not need to set up any additional options; otherwise, click on the Settings button to set up how SunForum uses this device.

	Video input:	Select the input port in your computer (Composite-1, Composite-2, or SVideo) that you are using for your camera (receiving your picture for transmission to other people in the conference).
	Video format:	Select the type of camera you are using (PAL or NTSC).
	Color:	Check your video image in the My Video window; this is the image that will be sent to other people in the conference. If this window is not displayed, choose Video from the Tools menu, and choose Display My Video. If necessary, use the sliders to control the brightness, contrast, and hue of this image. The Restore defaults button returns the color settings to SunForum's default values.