Microsoft Portrait 2.2

[marlof]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://research.microsoft.com/~jiangli/portrait/' target='_blank'>http://research.microsoft.com/~jiangli/portrait/</a><br /><br /></div>It's been a while since the mobile video communication software by the Microsoft Research department, Microsoft Portrait, was updated but now version 2.2 has been released. For those of you who are not familiar with this product: "Microsoft Portrait is a research prototype for mobile video communication. It supports .NET Messenger Service, Session Initiation Protocol and Internet Locator Service on PCs, Pocket PCs, Handheld PCs and Smartphone. It runs on local area networks, dialup networks and even wireless networks with bandwidths as low as 9.6 kilobits/second. Microsoft Portrait delivers portrait-like video if users are in low bandwidths and displays full-color video if users are in broadband. In low bandwidths, portrait video possesses clearer shape, smoother motion, shorter latency and much cheaper computational cost than do conventional video technologies. Microsoft Portrait pursues providing presence notification, chat/voice/video functions anytime, anywhere, on any device."<br /><br />The new features are: <li>Supports the latest version of .NET Messenger Service<br /><li>Supports Microsoft Live Communications Server 2003 and other SIP servers<br /><li>Realizes new features such as multiparty chat in Microsoft Live Communication Server 2003

[tach911]

Seriously, if this works with a O2 Xda II/Qtek 2020/T-mobile MDA's built in camera than we are there! You have your own personal communicator with the ability to have video-phone conversations over the GPRS network.

[R K]

All the new features sound great, but personally, I'd rather have them tackle the issue that Pocket PCs can't use full duplex audio.
That's the only thing that's holding me back from using this program.

Right now, I use a free program called <a href=http://download.com.com/3000-2163-10197576.html>ViewTalk PDA</a href> for my PC to PC or PC to PDA calls. Besides the fact that it's free, one thing I like about this program is that it has instant compatibility with Windows NetMeeting, which means that no one else has to install any software when making calls with the Pocket PC.

[LongMountain]

The HP Photosmart Mobile Camera (FA185A) is not supported. I have sent an e-mail to the MS Portrait club. I hope for a positive reaction because there is no other software, for the ppc, that can do a video conversation.

[Sven Johannsen]

All the new features sound great, but personally, I'd rather have them tackle the issue that Pocket PCs can't use full duplex audio.

Right now, I use a free program called <a href=http://download.com.com/3000-2163-10197576.html>ViewTalk PDA</a href> for my PC to PC or PC to PDA calls. Besides the fact that it's free, one thing I like about this program is that it has instant compatibility with Windows NetMeeting, which means that no one else has to install any software when making calls with the Pocket PC.

Take a look at the Portrait link. Right at the top it indicates that full duplex voice is supported on WM2003. Problem with Netmeeting is that MS hasn't supported it in years.Not even located on the start menu since Win2K, though the app is still there. You have to know it is conf.exe. They are pushing Messenger as the current alternative.

[gai-jin]

I agree with others here... it's great to have this software out, but if it doesn't work with my i700, or with the xda series, or with the hp camera add on, what's the point?

Gai-jin

[iPaqDude]

Just for the heck of it, I gave this a quick whirl. I downloaded both the PC and the PDA versions, installed and configured them, then fired it up.

On the iPaq (2215) side, I configured Portrait to automatically start Messanger as well. When it does that, you can use your Messanger Buddy list. I used my Socket WiFi back to my Linksys "G" AP to provide connectivity. Through Portrait, I could see the messanger account from my PC online, then invited it to participate in a call. A few seconds later - on my iPaq - I could see via the camera attached to my PC and could hear great. Picture on the iPaq was very clear and had very little jerkiness to it. I don't have a camera for my iPaq (yet) so can not comment on the quality back from the PDA to the PC. I played around a little bit with the audio, selecting full and half duplex, etc. - all came out very well.

That done, I tried the same setup connecting via BlueTooth to my T-Mobile Nokia 3650 and connected to the Internet using GPRS connectivity. Again, through Portrait I could see the PC account and could invite it to participate in a call. But that was it - the PC came back with a dialog box indicating that the iPaq IP address would not accept a call back - it just could not make the round-trip.

I put all of this together in an email and sent it off to the Microsoft Portrait support folks.

Overall, I was impressed. This is Beta afterall, but still a good product. I mean - think about it. I had video and audio to my PDA via WiFi in realtime! Spock would be happy!

As they put more into it I am sure this glitch (which could be T-Mobile....) and the lack of camera support on the PDA side will be over come.

[gohtor]

It's great that they're getting closer to releasing this. I only hope that they'll offer more tighter integration with msn's existing voice/webcam support.

A more likely scenario is that msn will offer a upgrade to their communications server.

Robert Huie

[Kaber]

Support for Veo Camera yet?

[Soopafly]

Support for Veo Camera yet?
No. They didn't add support for the Veo Camera :evil: :evil:

[the sneak]

How exactly does this work with messenger? Would your partner, on a desktop, see you as if you were merely using a webcam from your pc? Or do they have to run the client too?

[Gerard]

As I understood things with previous versions of Portrait for the PC, MSN Messenger 6 and later (if there's a later version) would be able to open Portrait from within a menu in Messenger, and that it would also be able to launch download and install from within Messenger if notified of a Portrait user (PPC or PC based) tried to connect to them while Messenger was running and connected. Perhaps I misunderstood...? As far as I know, both parties must run Portrait to communicate via Portrait. The PC tools in Messenger are just a convenience for launching or installing it.