Skype is a recognized leader in the VoIP telephony market. Some users buy a computer just for the sake of this application. And it is not surprising, because the Skype program allows you to make free calls, correspond, send and receive files. And most importantly, if you have a camera, you can also make video calls via Skype. True, sometimes for successful work in Skype, computer hardware needs to be configured and installed additional drivers.
Necessary
- - a computer equipped with a USB input;
- - a stably working Internet channel.
Instructions
Step 1
Download and install the free Skype proprietary software package. Register on the VoIP operator's website or through the form in the application. Having received your username and password, enter it when you start the program.
Step 2
To check the performance of the audio and video devices preinstalled on your computer, use a dedicated contact from your Skype notebook. In early versions of the program, this contact was seen as Echo1234, in recent releases, the name has changed not Skype Test Call.
Step 3
Connect the external camera to your computer via USB. Windows OS will determine what class of devices the USB device belongs to, and will try to find drivers suitable for work in its library. Further actions of the user largely depend on the characteristics of the computer system and the manufacturer of the connected device. In modern Windows 7, the number of preinstalled drivers for external devices is quite enough to cover a significant number of world famous manufacturers, including those producing USB video cameras for Skype. Therefore, all the nuances of the installation are likely to be needed by those who have Windows XP or Windows Vista on their computer.
Step 4
If Skype displays a message that the camcorder cannot be detected, go to Device Manager to see if there are any warnings about unrecognized USB devices. If there is a message, turn off the camera. The computer was unable to install the correct drivers, so Skype cannot use the webcam. To correct this situation, restart your computer, and then insert the camera driver CD into your CD-ROM drive. If there is no disk, go to the manufacturer's website and download the latest drivers for your operating system.
Step 5
Reconnect the camera via USB without launching Skype. Test the device using the webcam utility application. If this is not possible, try activating the device through the "My Computer" menu.
Step 6
After setting up your camera, launch Skype. Click on the "Call" tab and in the context menu that opens, open the video settings. In the new window, find the "Select camera" field, find and activate the installed USB device. If the picture quality is not satisfactory, then the color, brightness and clarity can be adjusted in the "Camera settings" tab.
