Google voice and video v1.7

Today, we released the 1.7 update for the Google voice and video chat software. All current installations will automatically update within the next day or two. If you do not want to wait, you can visit http://www.google.com/chat/video and re-run the installer.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

Here's what's new:

• Improved performance for networking and media processing, especially when the system is busy
• Fixed issue that could cause crashes in Safari 5+
• Fixed issue where frames could be dropped at call startup when using the Video chat enhancements Lab
• Fixed an issue where video could fail to appear on OSX
• Fixed issue where killing the Google Talk Plugin process could crash the browser process on some platforms
• Various performance improvements for Atom CPUs
• Added support for hotplugging and unplugging of webcams on Linux
• For interoperability, added support for video bitrate to be specified via XMPP signaling

If you're on 1.7 and still having a problem, please take a look at the Google Chat Help Center, or report the issue on the Google Voice and Video Help Forum. You can also tweet @GoogleChat or @juberti, or email me using the "Email Justin" link above.

Hangin' with Vint Cerf

Turned 36 today. No Hulk Hogan visit like my last birthday, but I did get to meet Vint Cerf (the true father of the Internet) the other day. Really a nice guy, and gives our team lots of feedback on our products, especially about our use of Internet standards. Glad to have him here at Google!

Google voice and video v1.5.1

Today, we released the 1.5.1 update for the Google voice and video chat software. All current installations will automatically update within the next day or two. If you do not want to wait, you can visit http://www.google.com/chat/video and re-run the installer.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

Here's what's new:

• Fix issue where we would write a 'debug.log' file to the application directory, in some cases the desktop
• Fix issue where the plugin could crash if cameras sent resolutions other than requested
• Fix issue where we would sometimes show the camera capability icon even if you had no camera
• Various performance improvements

If you're on 1.5.1 and still having a problem, please take a look at the Google Chat Help Center, or report the issue on the Google Voice and Video Help Forum. You can also tweet @GoogleChat or @juberti, or email me using the "Email Justin" link above.

Google voice and video v1.4.2 and v1.4.3

Today, we released the 1.4.2 (Windows) and 1.4.3 (Mac) updates for the Google voice and video chat software. All current installations will automatically update within the next day or two. If you do not want to wait, you can visit http://www.google.com/chat/video and re-run the installer.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

Here's what's new:

• All-new, hardware-accelerated video rendering subsystem (more on this later).
• Fixed a crash when processing RTCP packets.
• Fixed a crash on Windows when ending a call.
• Fixed an issue on new MacBook Pros where loading Gmail (and starting the Google Talk Plugin) would cause a switch to the high-performance GPU and cause the battery to drain more quickly.
• Several minor fixes and improvements.

The 1.4.3 release for Mac also resolves issues identified by some early users of 1.4.2 on Mac OS 10.4. Note that when running on Mac OS, Google voice and video requires QuickTime 7.2.1 or later (the current version is 7.6, so almost all Macs should have this.)

If you're on 1.4.2 on Windows or 1.4.3 on Mac and still having a problem, please take a look at the Google Chat Help Center, or report the issue on the Google Voice and Video Help Forum. You can also tweet @GoogleChat or @juberti, or email me using the "Email Justin" link above.

CNET TV: Google Voice vs. Skype Prizefight

For some reason, they don't even mention Google video chat, but I'm still happy with the result :-)

Google voice and video RPM packages now available

Following up on my earlier post, we've now released a new version of Google voice and video for Linux that includes both Debian and RPM packages. As usual, it can be downloaded from www.google.com/chat/video; upon visiting this page, you'll be given the option of which package you want to download.

This new version also includes fixes for some top crash issues seen since release. If you've already installed the plugin, you'll be notified through the typical package update mechanism that a new version is available.

Also a quick followup regarding some of the PulseAudio questions: while PulseAudio is supported, it's not required. If PulseAudio is not detected, the plugin will fall back and use ALSA.

Lastly, we're also working on resolving the issues reported with upside-down ASUS cameras and a debug.log file appearing for a few users. If you encounter other issues, please report them in the Google Voice and Video Help Forum.

Hold the phone! Free calls in Gmail!

We were excited yesterday to release our new Google Voice integration in Gmail, and the response so far has been fantastic. Over 1 million calls were placed in the first 24 hours, and the press coverage and user feedback have been great. Some choice quotes:

David Pogue, New York Times:  "Google just loves upsetting the apple cart. It shook up Web searching and advertising. It shook up free Web-based e-mail services when Gmail offered gigabytes of free storage rather than a few megabytes. It shook up the way companies go public.

The latest development is particularly shakeworthy: Google now lets you make free phone calls from your computer. It isn’t new fellow geeks who have installed Skype or iChat and use special “handles” like SkiBunny1968–but it will be to normal people, on regular American and Canadian phone numbers. Free."

Michael Arrington, TechCrunch: "... Today Google Voice is being integrated right into the browser via Gmail. It’s amazingly good – I know because I’ve been testing it for the last few days."

John Cook, TechFlash:  "I've been test driving Google's new phone service this morning, placing free calls from my Gmail account to work colleagues and family members. So far, the service has worked like a charm -- crisp sound, an easy-to-understand interface and, most importantly, no dropped calls."

techiefool, CNET comment: "Google has put the awesome back into email again."

Try it out for yourself! Head on over to gmail.com/call and get started - it's available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

One quick tip: from the main Gmail page, you can type "gp" to bring up the phone dialer. Useful if you want to make a call without taking your hands off the keyboard!

Google Talk turns 5!

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of Google Talk, the world's largest open chat, voice, and video service. To our users worldwide - whether you know it as Talk, Gmail Chat, Orkut Chat, or just "GChat" - thanks for your continued support!

Google voice and video - now available for Linux!

Google voice and video chat is now available in Gmail for Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions. As the comments on this blog indicate, I know many folks have been waiting very patiently for this day! For those of you using RedHat-based distros, we're planning on adding RPM support soon as well.

This release required significant engineering to develop an all-new video rendering solution and an all-new PulseAudio-based audio handler, along with work to support 64-bit and countless webcam compatibility tests. We spent a lot of effort to make it fully feature-complete, with all the same goodies as the Windows and Mac versions, and we're happy to now support Google voice and video now on all major desktop platforms.

Visit www.google.com/chat/video and start video chatting!

Google voice and video enterprise firewall configuration

If you're a network administrator trying to control access to Google voice and video chat, take a look at our help document on this topic, specifically this line:

Allow your XMPP clients to connect to all IP addresses resolved on DNS name talkr.l.google.com, UDP port 19295 and 19302, or TCP port 19294.

This rule allows your internal users to contact our STUN and relay servers over UDP and TCP. In the event that policy does not allow receipt of UDP from the Internet, just allowing access to TCP port 19294 will allow users to still contact the relays via TCP, although performance may suffer in congestion situations. Lastly, if policy does not permit access to TCP port 19294, port 443 may be used instead.

Note that the info for talkr.l.google.com is updated regularly as we add/turn down datacenters, so it's a good idea to check regularly for changes.

Awesome Google video chat photo

Love this photo - Google video chat lets a grandma virtually attend a wedding. Full story on the Gmail Blog.

Google voice and video v1.3.1

Yesterday, we released the 1.3.1 update for the Google voice and video chat software. All current installations will automatically update within the next day or two. If you do not want to wait, you can visit http://www.google.com/chat/video and re-run the installer.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

Here's what's new in version 1.3.1:

• Fixed an issue on Windows XP where audio could become garbled or significantly delayed , especially when other applications were using the sound hardware.
• Fixed an issue on Mac OS X where the Google Talk Plugin process could show as "Not Responding" in Activity Manager.
• Improved detection and reporting of deadlock conditions (unfortunately often caused by buggy audio drivers)
• Some important stuff that I can't talk about yet :-)

If you're on 1.3.1 and still having a problem, please take a look at the Google Chat Help Center, or report the issue on the Google Voice and Video Help Forum. As always, feel free to email me directly as well.

Google video chat setup tutorial

If your Grandma (or Grandpa) has encountered some hiccups setting up Google video chat, we've made a short video that hopefully will make the process a bit easier. We know this is a killer use case for video chat, and are always looking to make getting started even easier!

Full story on The Official Gmail Blog.

Google voice and video v1.2.0

Yesterday, we released the 1.2.0 update for the Google voice and video chat software. All current installations will automatically update within the next day or two. If you do not want to wait, you can visit http://www.google.com/chat/video and re-run the installer.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

Here's what's new in version 1.2.0:

• Changed audio handling to use the Core Audio sound subsystem on Windows when available (Windows Vista and later). This provides smoother audio streaming with lower delay.
• Added support for the Windows 7 'Default communication device'. This allows you to use one device for music and sounds, but another device (e.g. a headset) for voice and video calls. For more information, see 7Tutorials' explanation of how to set up the default communication device.
• Fixed a problem in initialization of the video subsystem that was causing a small but significant portion of calls to connect very slowly and eventually time out.

If you're on 1.2.0 and still having a problem, please take a look at the Google Chat Help Center, or report the issue on the Google Voice and Video Help Forum. As always, feel free to email me directly as well.

Google voice and video v1.1.2

Yesterday, we released the 1.1.2 update for the Google voice and video chat software. This update fixes the issues some users were seeing with 1.1.1. All current installations will automatically update within the next day or two. If you do not want to wait, you can visit http://www.google.com/chat/video and re-run the installer.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

Here's what's new in version 1.1.2:

• Fixed problem where the plugin did not load properly if it encountered an error accessing Windows Firewall.
• Fixed problem where the plugin did not load properly on some Macs running OS 10.4.
• Fixed problem where video did not appear for users using the "dev" versions of Chrome with integrated Flash.

If you're on 1.1.2 and still having a problem, please take a look at the Google Chat Help Center, or report the issue on the Google Voice and Video Help Forum. As always, feel free to email me directly as well.

Lastly, thanks to all the users who emailed and posted about their issues with 1.1.1. Your feedback was critical in identifying the issues and determining a resolution, and we really appreciate your help.

Issues with Google voice and video v1.1.1

A few people have written me regarding video chat no longer working after the 1.1.1 update, on both PC and Mac platforms. We're trying to understand the issue right now, but in the meantime, we have provided a workaround to go back to an earlier version. To go back to the earlier version, you will need to uninstall the current version of the Google Talk Plugin, and then re-install from http://www.google.com/chat/video. (Even if you have already tried this, you should try it again now, since we have now made the older version available.)

More information on this issue, including full instructions on how to perform the uninstall/re-install, is available at the Google Chat Help forum. This forum will be kept up-to-date with the latest developments on this problem.

So far, this workaround has been reported to solve this problem. If this is not the case for you, please post to the forum or let me know.

Google voice and video v1.1.1

This week, we released the 1.1.1 update for the Google voice and video chat software. All current installations will automatically update within the next few days. If you do not want to wait, you can visit http://www.google.com/chat/video and re-run the installer.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

Here's what's new in version 1.1.1:

• Improved echo cancellation on Mac OS X.
• Improved internet proxy auto-detection, leading to better connectivity in some network scenarios.
• Fixed an incompatibility that could lead to crashes when starting video calls with certain cameras.
• Improved robustness of connection between browser and plug-in, which previously could have resulted in being stuck at 'Detecting Devices' on the Chat settings tab.
• Added support for the H.263 (1998) video codec.
• Added support for the G.722 (64 Kbps) audio codec.

If you're on 1.1.1 and still having a problem, please take a look at the Google Chat Help Center, or report the issue on the Google Voice and Video Help Forum. As always, feel free to email me directly as well.

Can You Video Chat On a Plane?

From John Battelle's Searchblog: Video Chat on the Plane? Illegal? OK? Legal Gray Area?

... my kids can now gather around any one of our home computers, fire up iChat, and BAM! they can see me even as I zip across the Nebraska sky at some 400+ mph.

Except tonight, as I was chatting with my lovely wife and two lovely daughters (much to the amusement of my seat mates, using Bose headphones and my MacBook's built in microphone), the very nice steward - who I must note brought me extra nuts even though he didn't have to - told me I had to quit my video chat.

"Security. Cameras not allowed!" was the response. There was clearly no argument.

I protested, but not too loudly. I don't want to end up stripped searched in a cold basement cell below SFO, after all. I told my family I had to quit the video chat.

I've written about video chat on a plane before, but this is the first I've heard of someone being told to stop. Granted, you want to be a polite passenger and listen more than talk (see the FAA memo about blocking Skype conversations) but seems like if you're not bothering anyone it should be OK. Anyone have a similar experience?

Google Seattle Tech Talk Event - Video Chat and Chrome Video

I'll be giving a talk on Google video chat Wednesday at Google's Seattle office. Andrew Scherkus will also be talking about the implementation of the HTML5 video tag in Chrome. Short writeups:

Google Voice and Video Chat by Justin Uberti

How does video chat really work? The basic concepts are simple, but in the real world there are a number of things that make life much more complicated. Learn how all the pieces fit together in this deep dive into Google video chat.

Justin Uberti is currently Tech Lead for Real-Time Communications at Google, where he led the effort to create Google video chat. Prior to joining Google in 2006, Justin served as the chief architect for AOL Instant Messenger, including the development of AIM's voice and video chat.

Google Chrome HTML5 Video by Andrew Scherkus

How exactly do you get video playback working in a multi-process, cross-platform, sandboxed browser? Find out what worked, what didn't and what it's like to work on open source projects at Google in this retrospective on implementing HTML5 Video in Google Chrome.

Andrew Scherkus is currently a Software Engineer at Google Kirkland. Since joining Google in 2008 he's been busy leading development on Google Chrome's HTML5 audio/video implementation. Prior to that Andrew was finishing up his bachelor of Software Engineering from the University of Waterloo and working as an intern for ATI and Google.

For more info, see our Seattle Tech Talk Page.

​A smoother voice and video experience

New post from some of our video chat engineers on the Google talkabout blog, discussing some of our recent work in improving service quality. Like most Google services, video chat has lots of checks to let us measure how good our service is. So we can see in real numbers that we've dramatically improved the quality from when we launched the service a year ago. It's great seeing the needle move as our engineers roll out continual adjustments and improvements almost every week.

We have spent the last few months focusing on three things: quality, quality, and quality! For those of you with the Google voice and video chat plugin installed, you have recently received an automatic update that contains:

• A fix that reduces crashes on newer macs (Mac OS X v10.6.2 specifically)
• A fix for webcam compatibility on Windows (including HP webcams)
• Several fixes to increase plugin stability
• Several fixes to the infrastructure used to set up and connect your video calls.

From users who have chosen to “Report quality statistics” in their chat settings, we can see a substantial increase in call connection rates and a big decrease in the call drop rate. We hope that this will result in more enjoyable conversations with our software.

As with all software, working on improving quality is a never ending process, so we hope that you will continue to report any issues you have in our user forum, and we will continue to work on improving connection rates and call quality.

Google Completes Acquisition of On2 Technologies

From Digital Media Wire: Google Completes $124.6 Million Acquisition of On2

Google has announced the completion of its $124.6 million acquisition of video encoding firm On2 Technologies, following a vote by On2's shareholders to approve the deal. Google said that it plans to repurchase an equal number of shares on the open market that it issued as part of the transaction, to be funded from available working capital.

"Through rapid innovation in browsers and web standards, the Internet is becoming the leading platform for development," said Sundar Pichai, vice president of Product Management at Google.

"We believe On2's engineering talent and technology will be an incredible asset for us as we work to improve this platform."

Google voice and video v1.0.21

This week, we released the 1.0.21 update for the Google voice and video chat software. All current installations will begin an automatic update within the next few days. If you do not want to wait, you can visit http://www.google.com/chat/video and re-run the installer.

You can use your Gmail account to find out what version is currently installed. Simply go to the Gmail Settings page and look under the "Chat" tab. You will see the plugin version under the "Learn more" link, in small type.

Here's what's new in version 1.0.21:

• Fixed an incompatibility with webcams using the 24BG color space (including many HP webcams, as reported here)
• Fixed an issue that could cause crashes on Mac OS X 10.6.2 (especially with the new iMacs, as reported here)
• Fixed an issue that could cause crashes when receiving H.264 FU-A NAL units
• Improved compatibility with the Opera browser

If you're on 1.0.21 and still having a problem, please take a look at the Google Chat Help Center, or report the issue on the Google Voice and Video Help Forum. As always, feel free to email me directly as well.

Gmail turns on HTTPS for all

I previously mentioned that if you visit Gmail via HTTPS at https://mail.google.com, your Gmail session will be secure, meaning that nobody will be able to see your information as it flows from Google to your computer. While this is great, it's easy to forget to type https:// when you visit Gmail.

So last year, we announced the ability to force Gmail to always use HTTPS, meaning that no matter how you enter into Gmail, your session will be secure. However, users had to manually turn this on, so most people didn't take advantage of this.

That's why I'm happy to report that we've now enabled HTTPS by default on all Gmail accounts. Users don't need to do anything different - but now, their access to email and chat will be fully protected by HTTPS.

This is a great step forward, and I'm glad to see Google leading the way here - from my quick tests, HTTPS is not yet supported on Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, or AOL Mail.