Kalpana Kalpana (Editor)

SightSpeed

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Developer(s)
  
SightSpeed Inc.

License
  
Unknown

Operating system
  
Windows or Mac OS X

Website
  
www.sightspeed.com

Stable release
  
6.0 (1 March 2007) (Discontinued)

Type
  
Videoconferencing/P2P/VoIP/Instant messenger

SightSpeed is a videoconferencing company, supplying VoIP and instant messaging software for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh operating systems. The service allows people to make video calls, computer-to-computer voice calls, and calls to regular telephones, with free and paid versions.

Contents

In October 2008, the company was acquired by Logitech for $30 million. The Logitech Vid service is based on SightSpeed's technology. Due to competing software, the Logitech Vid video calling service will be discontinued as of 1 July 2013 and the downloading of the product has already been terminated. As a result, Logitech is no longer accepting new account registrations.

Technology

SightSpeed uses a proprietary algorithm for video compression. The video conferencing technology is capable of transmitting 30 frame/s video, and uses the standards-based H263 codec.

SightSpeed's video codec was originally developed at Cornell University's Discover Lab and is based on H263.

SightSpeed's network technology is SIP based.

Features

  • SightSpeed users are able to have free video calls with each other.
  • Video Mail messages can be sent to any e-mail address.
  • The SightSpeed software is able to host video conferences with up to nine participants.
  • "Phone Out" is the name of the service that allows users to make phone calls to landlines and mobile phones, paying with pre-paid credit. "Phone In" allows SightSpeed users to receive phone calls from regular telephones.

    • Limitations

    The main criticisms are:

  • Lack of true privacy features such as encryption.
  • SightSpeed "Phone Out" does not support outbound caller ID in the United States, where people commonly reject calls from unrecognized numbers. The recipient sees "unknown" or a blank field instead of the caller ID number.
  • Though it uses the SIP standard it is not interoperable with SIP networks and can only be used with a SightSpeed account.

    • References

    SightSpeed Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA