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HoneyQ^tm

by Honey Software LLC

Frequently asked Questions

Here are the most frequently asked questions (and the answers) to HoneyQ

What video devices do you support?

HoneyQ supports most Video for Windows compliant direct and overlay video capture boards and devices. Except for those camera's listed in "not recommended", all PC digital cameras have worked in the applications. Some of these cameras may require special settings to optimize performace. However, here is a partial list of tested devices that we really liked.

What PC Digital Cameras do we not recommend.

These cameras, although they may be good devices, have problems in video conferencing software such as HoneyCom and HoneyQ. If you are currently in the market for a new camera, we recommend against these devices.

Are there any special adjustments that I should make on the camera?

For optimum results we suggest the following settings on the camera. To set these, click on the menu item Actions, then Video adjust.

1. Turn off all auto everything, such as auto brightness, auto contrast, etc. Since it takes a lot of computation to set these parameters, turning it off will save a lot of CPU time. This allows the CPU to work on other tasks such as voice, sending/receiving data, compression, etc. You will then need to set the contrast and brightness manually each time you use the camera, but you need to do this only once in each session.
2. Set the camera compression, if available, to RGB 16 or RGB 25. If RGB is not a setting, use YUV9, 9-YUV, or Indeo Raw. These last three are all identical but is known by different names.

Will HoneyQ work over a LAN and how many people can you have on at one time?

HoneyQ will work on a LAN or inside the firewall on an Intranet. You need to know the Domain name or IP address of the person you want to call. Just click on Actions->connect and type the IP/DN, then click the "connect" button. You can connect only two people at one time. If more than two are desired, try using HoneyCom. Over the LAN, the video rate goes up, too. Frame rates of 15fps can easily be achieved.

Does HoneyQ load the ICQ server down?

ICQ is used to find the IP number of the person you want to call. Once connected, it doesn't use the ICQ server at all. Mirabilis cannot get angry at you for using too much of their machine time :-). In fact you can even close ICQ and HoneyQ will work.

If I want to set up ICQ manually, how do I do that?

To set up ICQ:

1. Click on the ICQ button,
2. Click on Preferences,
3. Click on the Voice/Video/Games tab,
4. Click on the "New external" button,
5. Fill in the edit boxes as displayed below.

To contact someone in your "friends" list, make sure that person is Online and select him/her, right click, select external "voice/video/games", then HoneyQ. Of course, the person you are contacting also needs a copy of HoneyQ.

The button under the Audio Setup always says "sending" (V1.2 indicator light keeps flashing) and I can't hear the person I'm connected to but they can hear me. What's happening.

You probably didn't set up the audio correctly. Make sure you adjust the audio before connecting to someone. Just click on the "Adjust" button on the HoneyCom/Phone toolbar. Go through the proceedure. Then slide the record threshold slider halfway up. The record threshold slider is located just to the right of the Record meter. Grab it with your mouse and slide it up. You want to slide it just below where the meter deflects as you talk. When the voice level goes above this point, voice will be sent out over the network/Internet. If the problem persists, keep sliding the slider up until the "send" button changes to "push".

You may also "push to talk" mode. Remove the VOX option under the menu Options->General Properties Voice tab. To talk, just click on the "push" button or the little mike icon on the Windows task bar notification area.

How fast is the video?

You will see about 3 fps using a 28.8K modem connection with an average Internet speed. With ISDN you can see up to 15 fps. If your connection is good, you can change the frame rate and see faster video by clicking on the Options->General Properties and altering the frame rate under the video tab. Only change the frame rate if you have a faster Pentium class machine.

What to look for when HoneyQ or HoneyCom won’t record a message or your voice.

If you are having problems recording a voice message try these different fixes in the order given: The programs are designed so you can test your sound card to make sure it is working properly before you make your call. Start HoneyQ or HoneyCom from the win95 "start" button. IF THE RECORD METER IS ALWAYS ON RED AREA

1. If the "record" meter is always up showing in the red area, lower the MIC gain. The Mic gain slider is just to the right of the Record meter. Lower it all the way down. You will probably hear the sound card play back to you. If that is the case the mic level is too high up. Raise the mic gain at the position where you can speak into the mic and the meter raises.
2. If you raise the slider up and it the meter pops into the red area, you may have to turn off full duplex. Go into HoneyQ or HoneyCom options and look for the Voice tab. Click off Full duplex. Click OK and try recording again.

1. Click on the Windows "start" button, go to Programs, accessories, multimedia, sound recorder,
2. Try recording a message. Clicking on the button with the Red Circle will start the recording, clicking on the button with the square will start it. A message like 1, 2, 3, is usually sufficient.
3. Click on the button with the forward arrow to play back the message.<\li>

1. The mic is plugged into the correct connection on the sound card,
The mic select is enabled in the Windows mixer as follows: Open up the sound cards mixer (Volume controls) by: A. Click on the start button, go to programs, accessories, multimedia, volume control. The volume control mixer will open up. You can also do this by double clicking on the "speaker" icon on the win95 task bar, B. Click on menu item Options and make sure the Advanced Controls is checked if possible. Not all sound cards support this option. C. Click on menu item Options, then properties. D. Click on the radio button for "recording controls". Make sure all the boxes are check in the area "Show the following volume controls". E. Click the OK button. F. Look for the MIC balance line and make sure the mic is selected and the slider is about halfway up. If this mic is not selected that is your problem (or at least one of them) and you can try HoneyQ or the sound recorder. There is a 90% chance that this was the problem.

1. Check your mic. If you have another microphone try it.
2. Make sure there aren’t any other applications that require the microphone running. Such applications are like a speakerphone, winfax answering machine, etc. Close these applications.

1. Try raising the Mic gain on the recording meter. The recording meter is in the red area above the label "RECORD". There is a slider there that is just to the right of the meter. Slide that up and speak into the mic. The Meter should go up as you speak.
2. Try turning off VOX mode and use push to talk mode instead.