🚀 go-pugleaf

In <82j2s1$o79$1@mozo.cc.purdue.edu> laird@pier.ecn.purdue.edu (Kyler Laird) writes:

>I've been trying to find a decent videoconferencing
>app for our Suns for years.  I finally found 
>SunForum awhile ago, but when we got it I found
>that it didn't handle video.

>Now I see that it does
>	http://www.sun.com/desktop/products/software/sunforum/
>but it appears to only work with the new SunVideo
>*Plus* (PCI) card.

>Does this mean that Sun is dropping SunVideo (SBus)
>card support?

I don't think it's dropped in Solaris [2.]8 (aka SunOS 5.8), but it might be
in Solaris [2.]9 (tentatively known as SunOS 5.8.1 I believe). Sun also have
a PCI version called the SunVideo+ which works in the Ultrasparc machines..

>(I'm already moving to Linux after frustration over
>hardware support under Solaris.  Maybe this will
>help convince others at work to do the same.)

Sun doesn't provide much software for the SunVideo cards, but there are
shareware and freeware 3rd-party applications which use it. One of the best
is 'vic', a videoconferencing package originally put together by LBL, but
it's now maintained by UCL in the UK.

Go and check it out at

http://www-mice.cs.ucl.ac.uk/multimedia/software/vic

UCL also maintain other related applications which can be all used together
to create a complete video/audio conferencing environment (assuming you have
a fast [read 'ISDN' or similar] network connection).

I've got vic running here on several machines for experimental purposes, and
it works brilliantly with the SunVideo cards.

Sun provides several demo programs with the SUNWrtvc packages on the Solaris
release CD's, and they also have the ShowMeTV application on the Solaris
extensions CD which uses the SunVideo.

If you want to look at other cards that are Sbus SunVideo compatible, go to
www.mmac.com and look for the Osprey 1100. This card is software-compatible
with the original SunVideo from Sun, and adds audio support, but they are
pricey - about US$1500 each last time I checked! The same place also makes
PCI SunVideo+ compatible cards.

Regards,

Craig.
-- 
    Sun Ripened Kernels    |  Surplus and Pre-loved Sun Microsystems Equipment
  http://www.sunrk.com.au  |  Based in Waterfall (S/E Sydney), NSW, Australia.
    Phone: 02-9520-2547    |     Founded in 1996 - Operated by Craig Dewick
     GSM: 04-1115-8574     |   Email: craig@sunrk.com.au or craig@zeta.org.au