MSN Messenger Video, Audio in Synch (from: Microsoft Monitor)
http://www.microsoftmonitor.com/archives/006869.html
Finally I can talk about this: New video capabilities coming in MSN Messenger 7.
One drag of being an analyst is seeing exciting technology, but having to keep mum for months and months until the vendor makes an official announcement. And I get really, really excited about some of the stuff I see.
Today, Microsoft revealed that, working with Logitech, it would bring new video conferencing capabilities with MSN Messenger 7. Logitech also did the hefty lifting for MSN Messenger 6 video capabilities. The work is mutually beneficial. Logitech wants to sell more WebCams and Microsoft wants to sell more operating systems (cool capabilities certainly can court consumers).
The technology change looks to solve a longstanding potential problem with video conferencing with MSN Messenger: separate audio and video. I don’t even want to count the times where my daughter has initiated a WebCam session with a friend only to get audio or video, but not both. The updated technology brings the audio and video together (what a concept, huh?), which promises a more consistent video/audio experience.
The number of U.S. online households that own a WebCam increased only slightly from 2003 to 2004, according to JupiterResearch surveys. I’m convinced that usability is a major factor, particularly when viewed in contrast to other digital media peripherals with more dramatic increases in ownership. Microsoft and Logitech are right to solve the biggest usability problems at the source: The software.