Re: Where does ekiga need to improve?

[JGJones <mailinglist gwallgofi com>]

See below

On Thu, 2008-02-28 at 16:39 +0200, Guillaume Olivrin wrote:
> Here is an additional list of enhancements for accessible Video Phones :
>
> a. The ability to switch OFF the sound totally (no emission, no
> reception, just like for Video, keep the bandwidth for video ONLY);

Agreed - being deaf there's no point in having sound :) Sign language is a visual language, you only need to see it - I've always just muted my microphone and speaker for all videocalls.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usher_syndrome
> b. The ability to record the video stream (logging) for later playback
> and use the Text chat as captions for the annotated video stream (useful
> for actual video conferences);

Again agreed - sometime text is a good addition for a video conversation (ie video quality not quite up to par at some times or putting in links etc)
> c. The ability to request applying perceptual visual filters on the
> video (not only contrast/saturation but colour maps, edge enhancer,
> hasciicam, cheese) FROM the peer-side (emitter-video-client optimises
> compression & perception according to the will of the one who receives
> it);

This is actually a very good point - a small section of deaf people suffer from Usher syndrome - this leads to increasingly blindness as they age - they find it harder and harder to see thing as their vision become more tunnel like. I have a friend who have this - gifted bloke, he switched to Ubuntu from OSX because he found Compiz so utterly wonderful for his Usher. Works for IBM and if anyone heard about signing avatars from IBM, he was invloved there. I'll see if I could get him into this list as I know he's very keen on video calls - he even use VLC for this!
> d. Ability to choose other Video codecs / compression algorithms like in
> the Audio setup;

Agreed - the next version of Ekiga is supposed to use GStreamer (?) so can use any codecs there, but picking one might be useful (ie...videophones making use of ogg theora...;-)) But I'll like to add one another thing - ability to select size too - this shouldn't be limited to just 320x240 - let's have HD video if there's the bandwidth - for example I've used a videophone from a company called LifeSize - they use 1280x800 resolution if I remember rightly - minimum of 1Mbs bandwidth - when we have that...the quality was just absolutely fantastic.

At the very last have the ability to do 640x480. 320x480 would be used most of the time yes, but as I work in a building with a number of deaf employees, we have a 100Mbs network available for use - I'll like a HD videocall to someone on the top floor (although I could do with the exercise mind you so I could just walk up(!)) but for a quick call, it have its advantage.

> Guillaume Olivrin
> sip:oguillaume ekiga net 
>
> _______________________________________________
> gnome-accessibility-list mailing list
> gnome-accessibility-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-accessibility-list