[Klug-general] Asus Eee PC no video on linux Skype

[Mike Evans]

sireth at blueyonder.co.uk wrote:
> Asus Eee PC
> 
> Hi,
> This is my 1st posting here and I’m quite new to Linux so please be nice.
We're (almost) always nice :)
> 
> I’m very interested in the new Asus Eee pc. My first intention was to use
> it for video VOIP calls through Skype. This would be a great idea if only
> Skype supported the use of web cams with their Linux based software.
> 
Now then - someone on here recently got an eee - someone I was chatting 
to on the IRC Channel.  Interestingly I've been doing some of my own 
research into Linux video conferencing lately and the good news is that 
the current Skype beta _does_ support video.  It is using its own 
protocol, so no use with SIP or H323.  I installed it on my desktop 
machine but found that it requires a video facility that, as I'm using 
the VESA driver for video, I don't have.  (If you are using a driver 
offering any sort of graphics acceleration then you'll be ok.)

> So I’m left with a question, is there any other service that supports
> video on Linux and will also work on windows? My works pc is XP based so
> what ever I use will have to be loaded on that as well.
I believe Ekiga is available on both platforms. (used to be known as 
GnomeMeeting) That does support both common video conferencing 
protocols, so should interwork with MS NetMeeting anyway.

I found this useful article:
http://www.crn.com/article/printableArticle.jhtml?articleId=200000038

Finally, a friend recommended Mercury - a java based messenger client, 
so should work on any platform - which now has video facilities.

So my present situation is: 1)  I have a desktop with no graphics 
acceleration with a Logitech QuickCam Messenger working with the gspca 
driver, and I can get that working with Ekiga.  But I don't have any 
friends to try it out on and I almost certainly have some 
port-forwarding set-up to do on my router/firewall before it will work 
outside my home LAN.  I'm running fedora core 6 on that.

2) I have a Toshiba Satellite A30, currently running Ubuntu 7.10.  That 
does have graphics acceleration, so I should be able to get Skype going 
on that.  However with the same type of webcam I find that either the 
camera driver or the graphics (yet to work out which) locks up after a 
few minutes and the picture freezes when using spcaview (a simple viewer 
from the driver writer) or Ekiga.

If you want to get together to play I'm quite happy to pool resources. 
Alan Pope also mentioned that he has Skype video working on one of his 
machines.

Mike