Using Skype with VShow

1. Skype Overview
2. Connect to Skype
3. Enable Skype for a Meeting
4. Send Invitation via Skype
5. Record Skype phone calls
6. Call Skype users from VShow

Skype (http://www.skype.com) is an Internet telephony service. You can use Skype to make phone calls with your PC to another Skype user or to a phone number.

You can use Skype for your voice communications in a Persony meeting. VShow can record both your and your partner's voices in a Skype phone call, and synchronize them with meeting events. You can also use VShow to webcast Skype phone conversation to all meeting attendees..

You can send meeting invitations via Skype's Instant Messenger. Recipients of the instant message can click a link to join a Persony meeting.

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VShow needs to connect to Skype in order to make phone calls or send invitations via Skype. A Skype dialog box will show up to ask for your permission to allow VShow to access Skype. Click "Allow this program to use Skype". 

If you want to change VShow's access to Skype later, you need to open Skype's "Options" dialog box under the "File" menu. Click the "Privacy" tab and then the "Manage other programs access to Skype" button. Select "Persony VShow" and click the "Change" button to change VShow's access to Skype.

Notes:

1. You need to have Skype version 1.0.0.97 or above for the connection with VShow to work.

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If you want to use Skype for your voice communications in a meeting, right-click the meeting and select "Edit..." on the popup menu. Select the "Voice" tab in the "Meeting Properties" dialog box and check "Use Internet phone...". Select "Skype" as the service name and enter your Skype user id (the user id will be filled in automatically if you have entered it in your "Profile" under the "Edit" menu).

Once you have enabled Skype for a meeting, your Skype user id will be listed in the meeting invitation. Attendees can call you via Skype. In addition, when an attendee joins a Skype-enabled meeting, he or she will be asked to enter a Skype user id (optional). You can initiate a Skype call from VShow to anyone who has entered a Skype user id.

Notes:

1. You can still use Skype during a meeting even if you don't enable Skype as an voice option for the meeting. You only need to enable Skype for a meeting if you want to record the conversation or call a Skype user from the meeting.
2. You can only call one Skype user at a time from VShow and cannot initiate a Skype conference call from VShow. If you need to have more than 2 people on a Skype phone call, you need to start a conference call in Skype.

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You can use Skype to send a meeting invitation to any Skype user or anyone on your Skype contact list.

In VShow, right-click a meeting and select "Send Invitation" and choose "Skype". You can choose to select from your Skype contacts list or enter a Skype user's id. An instant message, which contains the meeting URL and greetings entered by you, is sent to the Skype users you have chosen.

Once a Skype user receives the message, he or she can click the meeting URL to instantly join the meeting.

Notes:

1. You can use Skype to send invitations for any meeting--including those not set to use Skype for voice. 

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To record or webcast both party's conversations in a Skype phone call, follow the steps below. Note that this function only works for Windows XP. If you have Windows 2000, you can only record the host's voice.

1. In VShow, check "Single input" in Tool/Audio Devices and select an audio device to match the sound devices settings in Skype (Skype/Tools/Options/Sound Devices). Keep VShow's Audio Devices dialog box open so you can see the audio input meters moving when sounds are detected.

2. Set up Windows Sounds and Audio Devices Properties according to the settings shown in the picture here. You should uncheck Box 1 and check Box 3 shown in the picture. The settings allow you to record from both the microphone (your voice) and the computer speakers (the other party's voice). Note that this only works for sound devices that support output mixing. See "Audio Recording and Webcast: Recording Computer Playback Sound" for details. In Skype's Sound Devices, uncheck "Let Skype adjust my sound device settings" so Skype will not attempt to set the sound devices settings back.

4. In VShow, start a meeting and select to record when prompted. Make a test call with Skype to echo123. The audio meter on the bottom of VShow's main window should be moving when either you or the other party is talking.

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To call a Skype user from VShow, you need to first set Skype as a voice option for the meeting. When an attendee joins the meeting, he or she is asked to enter a Skype user id (optional). You can call any attendee that has entered an id.

To call a meeting attendee with Skype, start a meeting and make sure Skype is connected to VShow. Right-click the attendee name and select "Call Attendee" from the popup menu. A call will be placed via Skype.

If "Call Attendee" is not enabled, it may be because: 

1. the attendee did not enter a Skype user id, 
2. Skype is not connected to VShow, or
3. Skype is not set as a voice option for the meeting.

If "Call Attendee" is enabled but you cannot call the attendee via Skype, check that Skype is associated with "callto:" links. VShow uses "callto:" to invoke Skype. Type "callto://skype_user_id" in your browser's address bar and see if Skype is invoked. If not, select Skype's Tools/Options/Advanced/Other and make sure the "Associate Skype with callto" is checked.
 

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