# Please help me find a good video call software app. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 25, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-good-video-call-software-app/530443 "2010-02-25T21:18:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-good-video-call-software-app/530443/1 "2010-02-25T21:18:37Z")
Dopers, our family needs your help! We’ve been doing the skype video calling thing with the grand parents / in-laws for a few months now, and no matter what we do, their image keeps freezing after 30 seconds. They restart video, and it works for another 30 seconds, then the image freezes again. It’s making my son, who is highly visual, not want to participate anymore, because he can’t see his grandparents move. I’m getting sick and tired of coercing him into talking to the inlaws. Do you use something else? Can you suggest a good quality service or app we can use? I don’t paying a bit, if it can deliver the goods. I remember the Economist mentioned one a while ago, but I can’t find the reference anymore. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-good-video-call-software-app/530443/2 "2010-02-25T21:55:10Z")
There’s a chance it’s not the application that’s causing the issues, but their system setup\*. Do they have a fairly recent computer? A good amount of RAM? A decent video card? Skype does a pretty good job of streaming, from my experience and reviews I’ve read, which makes me suspect, if the problem is that bad, it might be the system instead. If that’s the case, switching applications won’t help. - I can’t quite tell from the way you’ve phrased your post if the freezing problem is at your end or their end. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-good-video-call-software-app/530443/3 "2010-02-26T01:50:44Z")
I agree with **Anamorphic**. I use Skype for video calling between my friends here and my friends in California and we never have any problems. Their video tends to drop out a little more than mine does because I’ve got a powerful camera hooked up to a powerful desktop, and they’ve just got some sort of laptop jobby. The friends in CA actually use Skype a lot more than me, to talk to THEIR parents and in-laws with the kid. The kid is very active. They haven’t switched away from Skype yet so I don’t think they have any complaints either. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-good-video-call-software-app/530443/4 "2010-02-26T08:53:17Z")
I’ve used both Skype and Windows Live Messenger (AKA MSN Messenger) - I generally find the latter a bit more stable for video conversations - Skype can be a bit of a memory/resource hog. (Actually, I don’t use Windows Live Messenger any more, I use a free, open-source alternative called [aMSN](http://www.amsn-project.net/) - it’s pretty good - worth a try.) ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-good-video-call-software-app/530443/5 "2010-02-26T12:20:27Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I agree with **Anamorphic**. I use Skype for video calling between my friends here and my friends in California and we \*\*never have any problems. Their video tends to drop out a little more than mine \*\* does because I’ve got a powerful camera hooked up to a powerful desktop, and they’ve just got some sort of laptop jobby. Doesn’t the video dropping out constitute a problem? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-good-video-call-software-app/530443/6 "2010-02-26T15:09:55Z")
> [@Fleetwood](#): > > Doesn’t the video dropping out constitute a problem? Well in 3-5 hour conversations their video might drop out once, while mine never does. We’re both on WiFi at our locations, so I attribute the loss to that. It doesn’t drop out enough to be probelmatic enough for us to want to switch from Skype. ---
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-find-a-good-video-call-software-app/530443/7 "2010-02-26T15:56:01Z")
Thanks for the responses. What happens is that their transmitted video freezes on our screen after 27-30 seconds. . Audio stays ok. They can see our video fine. From my understanding, they have a fairly recent machine, (1 or 2 years old), with RAM and video card being standard middle of the road options you’re likely to find in a package deal. Have any of you heard experiences with [Gmail’s video chat](http://www.google.com/chat/video) application?