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EKK:LoFi Sounds in HiFi Spaces/Making connection/ooVoo (view source)
Revision as of 05:53, 22 April 2013
, 22 April 2013→The ooVoo Interface
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ooVoo manifests as a cluttered and non-native interface spread across multiple windows for its various tasks: a contacts list, a text chat window, a video chat window, etc. ''Every window'' in ooVoo displays advertisements at you. It can be assumed that these are targeted: during our intercontinental chats, I was shown a Volkswagen ad comprised of text in Spanish, German, and English simultaneously. Some ads automatically play audio at you, destroying any recordings you might be making - this is significant since call recording is a built-in feature. | ooVoo manifests as a cluttered and non-native interface spread across multiple windows for its various tasks: a contacts list, a text chat window, a video chat window, etc. ''Every window'' in ooVoo displays advertisements at you. It can be assumed that these are targeted: during our intercontinental chats, I was shown a Volkswagen ad comprised of text in Spanish, German, and English simultaneously. Some ads automatically play audio at you, destroying any recordings you might be making - this is significant since call recording is a built-in feature. | ||
[[File:oovoo.jpg]] | |||
In a video conference, ooVoo partitions the window based on how many participants are present. In the default view with two people, the video streams appear as adjacent rectangles. With three people present, the right and left streams are angled in a gratuitous 3D effect. As an alternative, any single stream can be designated to fill the window, with the remaining streams delegated into a single corner. | In a video conference, ooVoo partitions the window based on how many participants are present. In the default view with two people, the video streams appear as adjacent rectangles. With three people present, the right and left streams are angled in a gratuitous 3D effect. As an alternative, any single stream can be designated to fill the window, with the remaining streams delegated into a single corner. | ||
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We explored latency pragmatically. As an initial experiment, we attempted to clap steadily as a group. This failure found new form in our second attempt, where our hands were kept clearly visible in front of the camera, providing both strong visual and audio cues for timing. | We explored latency pragmatically. As an initial experiment, we attempted to clap steadily as a group. This failure found new form in our second attempt, where our hands were kept clearly visible in front of the camera, providing both strong visual and audio cues for timing. | ||
The power of feedback in mediating our group dynamic led us to our next experiment. We decided upon a feedback-based "call and response" exercise that would demonstrate the audio, visual, and perceptual latencies present. | The power of feedback in mediating our group dynamic led us to our next experiment. We decided upon a feedback-based "call and response" exercise that would demonstrate the audio, visual, and perceptual latencies present. | ||
Weimar found a way to stream a video file in place of the webcam image, and generated a series of stroboscopic videos displaying a burst of white between lulls of blackness. When darkness fell in San Diego, Weimar began broadcasting. With each flash, Weimar uttered the German word for light, "licht." The San Diegans, from independent locations, monitored Weimar fullscreen. Whenever they witnessed the light of Weimar, they responded in their own native tongues, Spanish and English: "Luz!" "Light!" | |||
With microphone gains and speakers set to maximum, an unsteady but hypnotic mantra emerged. The whole process was recorded by Weimar, who was witness to all three streams. Playback provided clear documentation of the timing discrepancies of audio and video between the three locations. Unable to resist the cycle of feedback, Weimar again recorded the viewing of this recording. We present the result here. | |||
==Video Links== | |||
Video 1: | |||
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/72950045/Video_1.mov | |||
Video 2: | |||
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/72950045/Video_2.mov | |||