For a desktop or laptop client system, Click to Meet and Conference Client support only Microsoft Windows
operating systems and applications.

System Requirements

One of the following Microsoft Windows Operating Systems:

• Windows 2000 Professional
• Windows XP Professional Edition
• Windows XP Home Edition
• Microsoft DirectX 8.1 or later should be installed for optimal conferencing capabilities.

Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 6 :

• Only Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (or later) is supported. Other browsers are not supported.

Hardware Requirements

This section provides information on various personal computer configurations that provide different levels of meeting capabilities. Note that in addition you must have adequate network bandwidth.

• Best quality video and audio (QCIF at 30fps with 4 to 6 videos opened; CIF at 15fps, 1 Best quality video and audio (QCIF at 30fps with 4 to 6 videos opened; CIF at 15fps, 1 to 3 video windows open) Pentium 4, 2+ GHz, 512+ MB RAM (Windows XP)
• High-level video, audio and presentation (QCIF at 15 fps with 4 video windows open; CIF at 15 fps, 1 or 2 video windows open) Pentium 4, < 2 Ghz, 512+ MB RAM (Windows 2000 or Windows XP)
• Mid-level video, audio and presentation (QCIF at 15 fps with 4 video windows open) Pentium III, 800 MHZ, 1GB RAM (Windows 2000 or Windows XP)
• Audio only with web-touring capability Pentium III, 500 MHz, 512+ MB RAM (Windows 2000)

Note: In any of these system configurations, video frame rates can be increased by reducing the number of video windows or the video window size. For example, with the recommended system, you could open up 6 to 8 SQCIF video windows.

Video

• USB (1 or 2), Firewire (IEEE 1394), or analog (color) video camera
• Video capture card (for analog cameras) and drivers (if needed)

Audio

• Microphone (echo canceling if using speakers)
• Headset or Speakers
• Sound card and drivers (as needed)

Audio

In general, headsets are a good idea to get better privacy and performance. If you are using a headset, you do not need to have Echo Cancellation enabled in the Conference Client Control Panel Audio settings tab. However if you are not using a headset, make sure to enable Echo Cancellation.

Automatic Gain Control is enabled by default on the Conference Client, and will adjust your audio level so as to not send audio which is too low or too high during a call. If you want to manually adjust your audio gain, you need to disable this in the Audio settings tab. Click to Meet 4.2 features software in the Conference Client and the Conference Server to limit the maximum gain level that any individual client can send into a conference (known as Automatic Gain Limiter). This functionality will keep all users at a balanced audio level. This can not be disabled in the Conference Client; the Conference Server has some settings that you can adjust.

Laptop System Issues

When it comes to audio and video, you don't always get the best or newest technology on a laptop computer. Watch out for the following:

• Slower video graphics cards lack sufficient RAM capacity. This deficiency increases the system central processing unit (CPU) load, as the CPU is used instead of the any graphics acceleration hardware. Mitigate this by using fewer colors on the screen, for example use 16-bit (65,536 colors) color settings for the display
• Built-in microphones on laptops are notoriously bad. The keyboard and fan create noise. For decent audio, use an external microphone. Some laptop fans cause issues even with an external microphone! You may need to get a special microphone that eliminates this noise. A combination headset/microphone unit offers a better solution.
• If your users want to use a camera connected via FireWire (IEEE 1394) to a laptop, they need a powered FireWire connector. If they do not have a powered connector, you need to get a camera that is externally powered or connected via a powered FireWire hub.

Video Settings

On most machines, the option Use D3D hardware acceleration should be checked (on the Video settings page of the Conference Client Control Panel). However, on a few video cards or laptops you might see errors or bad video. If you experience this, turn the value off.