January 2007

Similarly as on Windows, the latest releases of Skype for Mac (2.5.0.85 or newer) support high-resolution video calls. You can call in 640x480 resolution, and with good computers and Internet connection, you can get very very decent picture and sound quality. I just tried it out with my buddy Andrus, with me being on a Macbook Pro, and him being (I think) on a regular Macbook. I haven’t doctored this in any way, this shot came straight from the fullscreen call.

Want to get high-resolution calls with Skype for mac youself? Just follow these instructions.

Now there are two cool things about it on a Mac. First, the configuration is much easier. You just need to insert two lines in a configuration file when not running Skype. No extra software or muchos rocket science.

Second, the built-in iSights can do this, so you don’t need any extra hardware. How cool is that You’re good to go if you have a recent Mac (all Intel-based ones should qualify).

Today, 31st January, we have released Gold version of Mac 2.5.

It has one new feature and many improvements in addition to multiply bugfixes. Everyone is suggested to update their clients.

You can read more about new features and improvements on our main blog and download it from here.

Version released is 2.5.0.85, it has following changes compared to previous version:

• new feature: birthday notifications
• improvement: new Video codec
• improvement: updated Localizations
• improvement: added voicemail expiry date into MySkype area
• improvement: added “Send SMS” to the context menu of history list

Continue reading "Skype for Mac 2.5 Gold" »

Today, 31st January, we have released update to Skype for Windows 3.0. Build number for this release is 3.0.0.214.

This version has one known problem please be aware of it before updating:

• Skype Extras Manager displays error messages on launching some of the plug-ins under Windows’ Limited User account.

Other changes are:

• bugfix: SkypePM.exe crashes on first start after installation
• bugfix: Russian language display problems in updater
• bugfix: Groups panel stayed open when user was changed
• bugfix: Contact list focus was lost when using some toolbar buttons

You can download updated version from here and leave us feedback trough Developer Zone or Skype forums.

Today, 24th January 2007, we have release new hotfix for Skype for Windows 3.0.

Release notes for this build are:

• bugfix: Cannot send SMS from contact menu in Chat window
• bugfix: Updated Internet Explorer and Firefox plugins
• bugfix: ActiveX objects cannot be created in eBay tab
• bugfix: SkypeCheck did not work on clean 3.0 install

It is always recommended to update to latest version.

You can download updated version from here and leave us feedback trough Developer Zone or Skype forums.

Today we have released hotfix update to Skype for Windows 3.0.

It’s recommended to update your Skype client to latest version.

Released version, 3.0.0.205, has following changes compared to previous:

• bugfix: ‘Add SkypeOut Contact’ opens wrong dialogue
• bugfix: API: FOCUSED notifications missing
• bugfix: Hotkeys did not work correctly
• bugfix: Upgrade from client crashed on some rare cases
• bugfix: Skypecasts host is always shown as connected
• bugfix: Skypecasts incorrect number of participants showed
• bugfix: Skypecasts buttons are out of align for host
• bugfix: Rare error when joining conf call and 1:1 call simultaneously
• bugfix: Closing chat with non-authorized contact results an error message
• bugfix: Cancelling file transfer causes crash
• bugfix: File Transfer notification not formatted correctly
• bugfix: Sound Setting Widget: Mic indicator shouldn’t move, if microphone is muted
• bugfix: Sound Setting Widget layout design is messed up due to resize under Vista
• bugfix: Update Extras Manager menus to remove 2nd line of text
• bugfix: Issue in Finnish and Hungarian language files caused an error message when adding a friend

You can download updated version from here and learn how to leave us feedback through Developer Zone.

Here’s a trick for kicking off your new year if you’re into rocket science, and to get a taste of where Skype is heading. I just talked with our video engineers and got a demo of a flawless Skype video call with 640x480 resolution and 25 frames per second framerate. For comparison, the resolution of DVD video is 720x576 in PAL, and PAL framerate is equally 25 fps. The Skype video gets pretty close to that and this is why I call it “near-DVD” — it’s not fully DVD, but it’s pretty close.

See the Garage wiki for setup instructions for hardware, software and configuration. Currently Windows-only.

Once everything was set up, the call was great. Right after starting the call, the quality wasn’t actually that great, as it took a while for the systems to get set up and “calibrate” themselves. You could see the framerate and resolution improving until you reached the good quality.

We also looked at the effect of various settings on the quality. For example the ffdshow “deinterlace” option is really important — if you don’t turn that on, then you get an interlaced picture that sucks. So it’s important that you follow the LINK instructions to the letter.

They have named the computers after composers in our testing lab I could see “Mozart”, “Debussy”, “Beethoven” and “Shostakovich”.

Let us know in the Garage forum how it works for you.