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Thread: Skype Alternatives for Podcasters

  1. #1
    Administrator andrewzarian's Avatar
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    Lightbulb Skype Alternatives for Podcasters

    I have been testing a few Skype alternatives over the past week and have written a blog post about it.
    http://www.ibroadcastnetwork.org/blo...t-broadcasting

    I am a big fan of Zoom.us as an alternative for anyone who is looking to bring in multiple participants and record their podcast at the same time.


    what do you guys use? What do you think is missing from Skype?

  2. #2
    Member Dahalabit's Avatar
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    I have used google hangouts a lot to do podcasts. I screen capture it on my end and release it later on. It works well but not the best. I would use Skype if it offered high quality video for group calls.

  3. #3
    Senior Member oscarmartz's Avatar
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    I have tried using Zoom in the past. out of everyone on that list its probably the best one.
    you best get steppin

  4. #4
    Senior Member PaulSaunders's Avatar
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    I have used FaceTime on my phone but never on my computer. I am getting ready to record my first podcast soon. Do you think it would be a better idea to use Skype ?

  5. #5
    IAIB Pro Broadcaster techzentv's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by PaulSaunders View Post
    I have used FaceTime on my phone but never on my computer. I am getting ready to record my first podcast soon. Do you think it would be a better idea to use Skype ?
    Paul,

    Last time I tried facetime, there was no way to hide or resize the window that shows you. I have always had good video and audio with facetime. Also, it is important to remember that facetime is an apple only solution.

  6. #6
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    Hey, I love Skype for social interactions. If you are asking for business meetings alternatives for Podcast, I would recommend using RHUB web conferencing appliances. It works from behind network firewall; hence provides better security.

  7. #7
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    I've begun looking into the software (VOIP) ISDN codec alternatives, for audio, as a replacement for Skype. The playing field is not that large yet, but interesting.

    Has anyone found anything that interests them in this area?

    Some that I find interesting are:
    Audio Compass
    IpDTL
    Luci Live

    I've had the opportunity to do a bit of testing with Audio Compass, using their free trial. As a Windows only application, it provides a full-duplex option. I've found it to be a Wine wrap-able application, for use on Macs, but have not had the opportunity to test it yet, in that aspect.
    IpDTL is a Chrome browser service that, while I've not tested, has had interesting things written about and there are some good examples of its use.
    Luci Live is a multi-platform application that is interesting in some of its capabilities. It is available for mobile devices (iPhone, Android) as well as desktop systems.

    Thoughts?
    Richard Wildman
    Executive Producer / Host
    Music Scene Investigation
    http://musicsceneinvestigation.com

  8. #8
    Senior Member PaulSaunders's Avatar
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    I think there are a few good services out there if you are looking to do audio only. the issue is video and audio together. either some have great audio or great video. Skype still is kind because it does both pretty well

  9. #9
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    If you are conducting an audio only podcast, or broadcast, you might be interested to know that, self proclaimed ISDN replacement, IPDTL is now offering free accounts for all, along with some updates and new features...

    During my tests, IPDTL worked very well. There are some instances where the free accounts may not work correctly, especially where the participants are in remote locations. Had an instance where connecting with talent in Australia was problematic and required a relay server, which was only available on their paid accounts.
    Richard Wildman
    Executive Producer / Host
    Music Scene Investigation
    http://musicsceneinvestigation.com

  10. #10
    Moderator / IAIB Pro Broadcaster mcphillips's Avatar
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    The free IPDTL accounts are limited to 40K. If you're using a Google Hangout for your audio, you're not concerned about quality, and the free account will be fine. However, if you're interested in broadcast quality audio, you will need a paid account. Unfortunately, you must have a paid account on the sending AND on the receiving end of the channel.

    While their pricing may be competitive for commercial broadcast outlets, they're priced out of the market for most (hobbyist) podcasters and Internet broadcasters.

    There is a free solution called Fideliphone. It's geeky, but the tests I did with it showed it to be useful. I don't remember what the latency is, so it may be unusable for two-way communications. Unfortunately it's not aggressively supported, so you're own your own.

    One of the best kept secrets is TeamSpeak. If you manage your own server so that you can control the available bandwidth, it works. Unfortunately, although the bandwidth was very adjustable on a beta version of the server software, when the stable version was released, I believe the bandwidth was capped. Nick Craig will know more. I did a radio show with the host on TeamSpeak with the beta server. You could not tell the audio quality from Skype. (We may still decide to set up a server with the beta software, if Nick still has it.)

    Maybe one of our Linux members can look over Scenic2 and report back.

    Is TeamTalk the same technology as TeamSpeak? The bandwidth parameters appear to be adjustable.
    Last edited by mcphillips; 04-21-2014 at 07:27 AM.
    Please direct all questions for me to the forum so that all can benefit.

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