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General discussion

webcams

by writergirl May 14, 2006 9:20AM PDT

I don't understand the logistics of this but this is what I'd like to do and I hope someone can fill in the details for me.

What I'd like to do is turn on my computer and talk with my daughter and her family by voice and see them on my computer, and laptop, screen. I know of the actual webcam itself that sits on top of the screen and makes video and voice, but I don't know if a person has to have internet telephone service to be able to do what I want to do: talk with, and view, in realtime my family. I do understand the person to whom I want to talk with has to have the same sort of equiptment as I do to make it work. My daughter and I both have PCs.

Thanks for any recomendations and education you can give me.

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1 Posts

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Just an internet service...

by John.Wilkinson May 14, 2006 2:51PM PDT

It doesn't have to necessarily by a phone, but any internet connection, including DSL, cable internet and satellite internet. (Dial-up connections would work too, but the video would be choppy due to the slow connection.) Once you're both connected to the internet, I'd use something such as Yahoo Messenger to initiate a video conversation. For an overview, click here. Other services, such as MSN and AOL, also have the ability for using/sharing webcams in the instant messengers so that you can chat back and forth, live, with video, voice, and text. For MSN, click here and here for AOL. All of them are completely free, requiring only that you both have an account with which ever one you choose.

Hope this helps,
John

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