Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!news.mathworks.com!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!nntp.crl.com!pacbell.com!well!miwok!pacific.net!northcoast.com!northcoast.com!not-for-mail From: savetz@northcoast.com (Kevin Savetz) Newsgroups: northcoast.support,alt.internet.services,alt.bbs.internet,alt.culture.internet,alt.winsock.voice,alt.winsock.ivc,comp.sys.mac.comm,comp.os.ms-windows.apps.comm,alt.answers,comp.answers,news.answers Subject: FAQ: How can I use the Internet as a telephone? Followup-To: alt.internet.services Date: 5 Jul 1995 03:00:16 -0700 Organization: NorthCoast Internet Lines: 266 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Message-ID: <3tdnrg$gto@redwood.northcoast.com> Reply-To: savetz@northcoast.com NNTP-Posting-Host: redwood.northcoast.com Summary: Answers the Frequently Asked Question "How can I use the Internet as a telephone?" Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu alt.internet.services:55541 alt.bbs.internet:33143 alt.culture.internet:13634 alt.winsock.voice:309 alt.winsock.ivc:205 comp.sys.mac.comm:111870 comp.os.ms-windows.apps.comm:8111 alt.answers:10454 comp.answers:12942 news.answers:47911 Archive-name: internet-services/voice-faq Last-Modified: 1995/4/27 Version: 0.2 FAQ: How can I use the Internet as a telephone? Version 0.2 - April 27 1995 * This is a DRAFT FAQ. This document is new and in transition. If you notice that software for doing speech over the Internet is missing from this list, or information herein needs updating, please send e-mail to savetz@northcoast.com * This document is copyright 1995 by Kevin M. Savetz. All rights reserved. More legal stuff is near the end of this file. *** TABLE OF CONTENTS Can I use the Internet as a telephone? How does it work? What software is available? For the Mac Maven NetPhone For Windows Internet Global Phone Internet Phone Internet Voice Chat For UNIX mtalk nevot vat ztalk Legal Stuff Where to Find this Document *** CAN I USE THE INTERNET AS A TELEPHONE? Yes. In recent months, several programs have become available that will let you, equipped with the right computer hardware, an Internet connection, and special software, to "speak" in real-time (or almost-real time) over the Internet - in effect using the network like a telephone. Some of the programs available to do voice on the 'net is free, others are commercial. Many of these products are ready for prime time, but others are still very experimental. Besides the software, you will need an Internet connection (a 9600 BPS connection will work for some software; others require as much as 56KBPS. Most of the PC-based software works nicely with a 14.4KBPS modem.) Shell accounts aren't enough: you need real IP access (such as a SLIP or PPP connection.) You'll also need a pretty speedy computer. Although the exact specs vary from program to program, a Mac Classic or a PC XT generally won't do the trick :-) Your computer will need a microphone and sound output capability. +++ HOW DOES IT WORK? It's magic! Audioconferencing programs work by digitizing your speech as you talk and sending the digital data over the Internet. But there's a problem: a typical modem connection has limited bandwidth - 14.4KBPS modems can send and receive a maximum of 1,800 bytes of non-compressible data each second. Telephone quality speech needs 8,000 bytes per second of bandwidth. There are two solutions to the problem: get more bandwidth, or compress the sound information before transmitting it. Although both solutions are used, most programs compress the audio. There are a variety of methods for encoding and compressing sound data, and as you might expect, the standards aren't necessarily very standard, yet. The quality of the audio you'll send and receive depends on the application you're using, the speed of your computer and the compression method used. In my tests, audio is usually understandable, albeit less clear than a phone call. Still, talking across the country or around the world for the cost of an Internet connection is kind of amazing, and easy on the wallet. You and the associate you are talking to need to be using software that can transmit and receive the same protocol. That doesn't necessarily mean you need the same software, or even the same type of computer. For instance, the GSM protocol is pretty standard. However, some programs can only use proprietary encoding methods, so they'll only communicate with the same software on the other side of the wire. Standard compression methods are: GSM: for more information: http://www.cs.tu-berlin.de/~jutta/toast.html CVSD RTP: Real Time Protocol *** WHAT SOFTWARE IS AVAILABLE? +++ For the Mac >>> MAVEN Maven was the first Internet audioconferencing tool for Macintosh. Maven is free software, but it is a bandwidth hog. Maven requires a minimum of 16KBPS, so even in its lowest quality sampling mode, it requires just a little bit more bandwidth than a 14.4KBPS modem can give you. The program can talk to other Macs running Maven, as well as the UNIX vat program. Platform: Macintosh, 16BPS of bandwidth Encoding/compression: vat or Maven-proprietary Web page: http://pipkin.lut.ac.uk/WWWdocs/LUTCHI/misc/maven.html Mailing list: send e-mail: To: listserv@cnidr.org Body: subscribe maven your name Software: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/packages/infosystems/maven Cost: free >>> NETPHONE NetPhone, like Maven, it gives an Internet-connected Macintosh the ability to do audioconferencing. But NetPhone works over slower connections, even with a 14.4KBPS modem. At a sampling rate of 10,000 samples per second, the sound quality isn't wonderful, but the voice of my NetPhone compatriots are certainly understandable. There's a free demo version of NetPhone available that limits calls to 90 seconds. Platform: Mac LC or faster, 14.4KBPS modem Encoding/compression: vat, CVSD, GSM E-mail: netphone-orders@emagic.com Web page: http://www.emagic.com/ Software: http://www.emagic.com/ Cost: $75 per copy, or $125 for two copies. Free demo. +++ For Windows >>> INTERNET GLOBAL PHONE Internet Global Phone is not a clean, ready-to-use application. In fact, it is very much a work in progress. Internet Global Phone is a "technology demonstration project" providing a code platform for two way real-time voice exchange over the Internet. The details of the project are documented in an article in Dr. Dobb's Journal in December 1994. If you like hacking in Microsoft Visual C++, you too can hack on Internet Global Phone. IGP currently lacks a real user interface. Platform: Windows 3.1, 20 MhZ 386 or faster, 14.4KBPS modem Encoding/compression: GSM E-mail: lsing@tor.hookup.net (Sing Li) Software: ftp://ftp.cica.indiana.edu:/win3/demos/IGP* Source code: ftp://ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de:/pub/local/kbs/tubmik/gsm/ddj Cost: free >>> INTERNET PHONE Internet Phone runs on top of Internet Relay Chat, providing you with a list of on-line users and topics of conversation, making it easy to find new people to chat with. Platform: Windows 3.1, 33 MHz 486 or faster, Winsock 1.1, 14.4KBPS modem Encoding/compression: Internet Phone proprietary E-mail: info@vocaltec.com Web page: http://www.vocaltec.com/ User directory: http://www.pulver.com/ Software: ftp://ftp.vocaltec.com:/pub Cost: $99 >>> INTERNET VOICE CHAT Internet Voice Chat provides almost - but not quite - real-time communication. Unlike other communications programs, it doesn't send sound as you speak -- it waits until you finish to compress and send the sound. The result is a slower-paced conversation with frequent gaps. (On-the-fly compression is planned for a future version.) Once the shareware is registered, the program includes features line an answering machine and call screening functions. Platform: Windows 3.1, 386 or faster, Trumpet Winsock 2.0B, 14.4KBPS modem Encoding/compression: Internet Voice Chat proprietary E-mail: ivcsupp@aol.com Newsgroup: news:alt.winsock.ivc Web page: http://futures.wharton.upenn.edu:80/~ahrens26/ivc.html Cost: shareware, $25 +++ For UNIX >>> MTALK MTALK is an "very alpha" experimental voice-talk system for LINUX. It uses low bandwidth (approx. 1 KBPS) and claims to work even on computers with very low bandwidth connections. Requires a LINUX workstation with a Soundblaster compatible sound-card. Encoding/compression: unknown Platforms: Linux E-mail: misch@elara.fsag.de Software: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/talk/ Source code: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/talk/ Cost: free >>> NEVOT NEVOT (Network Voice Terminal) provides voice communications using unicast, simulated multicast or IP multicast, using the vat or RTP protocols. Requires a high-end workstation. Encoding/compression: vat, RTP, GSM, LPC Platforms: SunOs 4.1, Solaris 2, Irix, HP/UX Web site: http://www.fokus.gmd.de/step/employees/hgs/nevot/nevot.html http://www.cs.tu-berlin.de/~jutta/toast.html Software: ftp://gaia.cs.umass.edu/pub/hgschulz/nevot ftp://ftp.fokus.gmd.de/pub/minos/nevot Cost: free >>> VAT Vat was the first audioconferencing tool for the Internet. Requires a high-end UNIX machine. Encoding/compression: vat Platforms: Sun Sparcstation, Silicon Graphics and DECstation 5000 Software: ftp://cs.ucl.ac.uk/mice/videoconference/vat/ Cost: free >>> ZTALK Simple, "Extremely alpha" voice software for Linux. Includes a voicemail feature. Encoding/compression: GSM Platforms: Linux E-mail: feinmann@cs.mcgill.ca Source code: ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/talk/ Cost: free *** LEGAL STUFF This document is copyright 1995 by Kevin M. Savetz. All rights reserved. Permission for the following types of distribution is hereby granted, provided that this file is distributed intact, including the above copyright notice: - non-commercial distribution - posting to Internet archives, BBSs and online services - distribution by teachers, librarians and Internet trainers - inclusion on software/FAQ/Internet-oriented CD-ROMs Permission for commercial distribution may be obtained from the editor. SHARE THIS INFORMATION FREELY AND IN GOOD FAITH. DO NOT DISTRIBUTE MODIFIED VERSIONS OF THIS DOCUMENT. This document is new and in transition. If you notice that something important is missing, or information herein needs updating, please contact the editor. The editor and contributors have developed this FAQ as a service to the Internet community. We hope you find it useful. This FAQ is purely a volunteer effort. Although every effort has been made to insure that answers are as accurate as possible, no guarantee is implied or intended. While the editor tries to keep this document current, remember that the Internet and its services are constantly changing, so don't be surprised if you happen across statements which are obsolete. If you do, please send corrections to the editor. Corrections, questions, and comments should be sent to Kevin Savetz at savetz@northcoast.com - please indicate what version of this document to which you are referring. *** WHERE TO FIND THIS DOCUMENT This file WILL BE BUT ISN'T YET posted twice monthly (on the 5th and 19th of each month) to Usenet newsgroups You can find it on the WorldWideWeb: http://www.northcoast.com/~savetz/voice-faq.html You can receive each new edition of this document automatically via electronic mail, if you are so inclined. This is a low-volume list, with updates every few weeks. To subscribe, send e-mail: To: voice-faq-request@northcoast.com Subject: subscribe voice-faq Body: You can also receive it once via electronic mail (without subscribing to automatic updates). To: voice-faq-request@northcoast.com Subject: archive Body: send voice-faq You WILL BE ABLE TO BUT CAN'T YET receive it via anonymous FTP: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/internet-services/voice-faq ###end of document###