Re: [Ekiga-list] Video resolution

[Eugen Dedu <Eugen Dedu pu-pm univ-fcomte fr>]

Bret Busby wrote:
> On Thu, 7 Jan 2010, Eugen Dedu wrote:
> 
>> Date: Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:16:48 +0100
>> From: Eugen Dedu <Eugen Dedu pu-pm univ-fcomte fr>
>> Reply-To: Ekiga mailing list <ekiga-list gnome org>
>> To: Ekiga mailing list <ekiga-list gnome org>
>> Subject: Re: [Ekiga-list] Video resolution
>>
>> Bret Busby wrote:
>> On Wed, 23 Dec 2009, yannick wrote:
>>
>>> Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:48:42 +0100
>>> From: yannick <sevmek free fr>
>>> Reply-To: Ekiga mailing list <ekiga-list gnome org>
>>> To: Ekiga mailing list <ekiga-list gnome org>
>>> Subject: Re: [Ekiga-list] Video resolution
>>>
>>> Le mardi 22 décembre 2009 à 17:30 +0800, Bret Busby a écrit :
>>> Hello.
>>>
>>> I am wondering what prospect exists, for the video resolution, and
>>> thus the displayed video size on screen, to be increased?
>>>
>>> I have recently purchased a Logitech C300 webcam, which apparently has
>>> video resolution of up to 1.3MP; 1280 x 1024, I think.
>>>
>>> The webcam came with access to a Logitech free videocall facility'
>>> "Vid", which apparently (on this computer, anyway) allows for video
>>> resolution of up to 640 x480, at 30fps.
>>>
>>> So, I am wondering whether any intent exists, for Ekiga to provide for
>>> image resolution of 640 x 480, or, better, also, 800 x 600, or, even
>>> better, also, 1280 x 1024, at 30fps.
>>>
>>
>>> The higher you can get with Ekiga 3.2.x is: 704x576 30fps
>>
>>> (This is 4CIF, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4CIF )
>>
>> Okay, now I understand; the video format used by Ekiga, is apparently
>> for television screens, rather than for computers -
>> ("CIF was designed to be easy to convert to PAL or NTSC standards. CIF
>> defines a video sequence with a resolution of 352  288 like PAL Source
>> Input Format, a framerate of 30000/1001 (roughly 29.97) frames like
>> NTSC, with colour encoded using YCbCr 4:2:0."
>> and
>> "xCIF pixels are not square, instead having a native aspect ratio of
>> ~1.222:1. On older television systems, a pixel aspect ratio of 1.2:1 was
>> the standard for 525-line systems (see CCIR 601). On square-pixel
>> displays (computer screens, many modern televisions) xCIF rasters should
>> be rescaled horizontally by ~109% to 4:3 in order to avoid a "stretched"
>> look: CIF content expanded horizontally by ~109% results in a 4:3 raster
>> of 384  288 square pixels.").
>>
>> I assume that the 4CIF resolution, is what used to be named something
>> like High Definition television, in the 4:3 analogue television format
>> (now all television screens available in sizes bigger than 14"
>> diagonally, are this silly widescreen format, that makes the pictures
>> look like someone heavy has sat on them).
>>
>> So, is the 4CIF format available for Ekiga, and, how can a user select
>> that resolution, to be used?
>>
>> I could not find a means of selecting different resolutions, in the
>> facilities for configuring the Ekiga interface.
>>
>> Does a method or facility exist, whereby a user (one party to a call)
>> selects a particular resolution, as a maximum possible resolution to be
>> viewed by the user, and the user interface software or carrier software,
>> then determines the lower common factor for the resolution selection
>> between the parties to a call, and uses that lower common factor
>> resolution, for the call, at each end involved in the call, so that, if
>> one party to a call, sets the maximum possible resolution at 4CIF and
>> another party sets the resolution at CIF, the CIF resolution gets used
>> by the call, to optimise bandwidth usage (me sending video at 4CIF,
>> isn't much use, if a receiver can view only CIF) and the call then
>> progresses using the lower common factor resolution?
> 
> Hi,
> 
> You can set *your* resolution (the one you send, i.e. your local video)
> in Preferences/Video.
> 
> Hello.
> 
> Thank you for your response.
> 
> However, ekiga 2.0.12 does not have that option visible.
> 
> ekiga 2.0.12 is the latest version available from the repository for
> Debian stable (Debian 5).

We understand, yet we do not have sufficient man power to maintain the
stable version (v2) too.

-- 
Eugen