Zoom, Skype Technical Q&A here:

[Qapla]

The virtual background feature sounds interesting ...

 

 

[jayrtom]

12 hours ago, Qapla said:

The virtual background feature sounds interesting ...

 

 

I can't see the utility of using that feature 🤔

 

 

 

[AH173]

I'm glad I've got no use for zoom virtual background because of obs studio. 

[jayrtom]

1 hour ago, AH173 said:

I'm glad I've got no use for zoom virtual background because of obs studio. 

With a green screen it is pretty good and simple to use. I just don't see why would we make it an obligation...

[AH173]

Just a preference for me, no obligation. 

 

Later I'll show some screenshots of my 2 other obs backgrounds I use. Gray and white. 

[jayrtom]

42 minutes ago, AH173 said:

Just a preference for me, no obligation. 

 

Later I'll show some screenshots of my 2 other obs backgrounds I use. Gray and white. 

I meant that a new update of zoom gives the possibility to the administrator to make it an obligation to use virtual background, or the video can't be turned on... Maybe useful for a corporate meeting not for us...

[More4me2do]

Since we are continuing in this virtual world for awhile and possibly move to a hybrid version of meetings, I just ordered a new Intel NUC with an i-7 11th generation processor and plenty of horsepower and storage. There are times I would just love to put on a plain very light bluish virtual background but at present I am running a 1st generation i-7 from 2009. Time to update. On the other hand there are times that I would love to have as virtual background a picture of a theocratic library with the distinguished WT and Awake volumes plus the colorful yearbooks. This would be useful when one has no parts and is just participating in the meeting with the camera on. BUT devices that are high performance and are on the bleeding edge are needed for that.

[Qapla]

@jayrtom just because I said it was interesting does not mean I thought it should be used for Congregation meetings ....

 

Our meetings is not the only time I use Zoom - I may give it a try on some meeting I host - like I have with the "immersive backgrounds"

 

Then again, what if a Congregation decided that having everyone having the KH auditorium or stage would be nice ... who knows - but I rather doubt that will happen

 

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

...I just ordered a new Intel NUC with an i-7 11th generation processor and plenty of horsepower and storage. There are times I would just love to put on a plain very light bluish virtual background but at present I am running a 1st generation i-7 from 2009. Time to update. On the other hand there are times that I would love to have as virtual background...

How did you find the new i7?
I have an old Gen 1i⁷ and a newer 7th Gen SSD gaming unit. The old one requires the 'green screen' option to use the virtual background.
However I have stopped using the virtual background it as it blurs around the edges. Sometimes parts of my wife disappear. I find that more distracting than my background.
Does the 11th gen do better?

Old (Downunder) Tone

[More4me2do]

Tuesday 25th the box will be here after that I will let you know how it turned out. The blurring around the edges is what I am trying to solve and I have the gut feeling that you need hardware that has horsepower, sort of like with every tie MS rolled out a new OS you needed knew hardware and I was thoroughly convinced MS was in the hardware business.

[AH173]

7 hours ago, AH173 said:

Just a preference for me, no obligation. 

 

Later I'll show some screenshots of my 2 other obs backgrounds I use. Gray and white. 

avs video/sound check- Gray

Digging for gems part-Monday

using appendix b6 for backdrop

 

With white background for Sunday Field Service

With black blackground for avs meeting before weekend meeting

[WilliamChew]

45 minutes ago, AH173 said:

avs video/sound check- Gray

Digging for gems part-Monday

using appendix b6 for backdrop

 

With white background for Sunday Field Service

With black blackground for avs meeting before weekend meeting

We just had our live CA over jwstream and I think all the speakers were using a plain gray background like your 2nd image.

 

Seems to be the most pleasing to the eyes as there is nothing else present to distract the eyes.😁

e.g. Our eyes would likely stray occasionally to the clock distracting us from your talk.

 

The white and black background (last image) doesn't look so pleasing to the eyes. (I can't explain why)

Is that related to why computer text is gray and not black on a white background?

 

 

[More4me2do]

1 hour ago, AH173 said:

Digging for gems part-Monday

That is some massive headset and please, please forgive me my brother when this reminded me of a Disney character with big ears.

[AH173]

Underneath the headphones are big ears.

[AH173]

1 hour ago, WilliamChew said:

Seems to be the most pleasing to the eyes as there is nothing else present to distract the eyes.😁

e.g. Our eyes would likely stray occasionally to the clock distracting us from your talk.

 

The white and black background (last image) doesn't look so pleasing to the eyes. (I can't explain why)

Is that related to why computer text is gray and not black on a white background?

Thank you for your input.

 

The colors I seen while I was listening to the 2018 or 2017 annual meeting was a white background.

 

Another annual meeting I was seeing today was gray. And some programs I've seen are a light blue.

1 hour ago, More4me2do said:

That is some massive headset

Those are my Logitech Bluetooth gaming headphones. The audio is nice despite the hugeness of it all.

[Old]

13 minutes ago, AH173 said:

Underneath the headphones are big ears.

My big ears was a WW II aviator helmet. I bought it surpius for 50 cents. I called it my BIG EARS hat (8 year old), my mistake, after a serious ear infection my parents made me wear it to school, a mile walk in cold weather. Humiliating to say the least. I took to hiding it in a hedge on the way to school and picking it up on the way home.

My Big Ears 

 

[Qapla]

7 hours ago, ➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone said:

However I have stopped using the virtual background it as it blurs around the edges. Sometimes parts of my wife disappear. I find that more distracting than my background.

 

6 hours ago, More4me2do said:

The blurring around the edges is what I am trying to solve and I have the gut feeling that you need hardware that has horsepower

 

Before building my current PC I was using a sorely underpowered computer: AMD A4-5000 1.5GHz with 8GB RAM

 

While this PC was totally incapable of virtual backgrounds without a physical greenscreen - I did find that, when I did use the greenscreen it worked, to some extent. The big change came when I added LIGHT ... by making sure I am well lit from the front the problems with my virtual backgrounds went away.

 

I replaced that PC with one I built. This one is far more powerful: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 8-core 3.50GHz with 32GB RAM

 

I can now do the virtual background without a physical greenscreen. However, for it to work the best, I still need LIGHT. If I do not have my lights turned on I find that my chair will appear and disappear from time to time, depending on how much I move around. However, if I have my lights on, the chair is not visible and the picture stays clear and all is in focus.

 

Your computer may be fine, horsepower wise, it could be your lighting. Are you well lit ... especially from the front?

 

[WilliamChew]

50 minutes ago, Qapla said:

I can now do the virtual background without a physical greenscreen. However, for it to work the best, I still need LIGHT. If I do not have my lights turned on I find that my chair will appear and disappear from time to time, depending on how much I move around. However, if I have my lights on, the chair is not visible and the picture stays clear and all is in focus.

 

Your computer may be fine, horsepower wise, it could be your lighting. Are you well lit ... especially from the front?

 

Thanks. That's good advice. I wonder if this was the advice given to brothers on live jwstream? They were very well lit in front.

 

I find the best front lighting is when placed very high up in front.

e.g. on the ceiling.

 

If the front lighting is low, its too glaring.

 

I saw a photo once of a brother who put his lamp on a high stool that was placed on his table in front of his computer. 😁

[jayrtom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, ➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone said:

How did you find the new i7?
I have an old Gen 1i⁷ and a newer 7th Gen SSD gaming unit. The old one requires the 'green screen' option to use the virtual background.
However I have stopped using the virtual background it as it blurs around the edges. Sometimes parts of my wife disappear. I find that more distracting than my background.
Does the 11th gen do better?

Old (Downunder) Tone
 

 

I have now a ryzen 7 4700 with 16gb of ram and the virtual background works perfectlly (but with good lighting like @Qaplasaid above. However the physical green screen still is the best choice to appear as natural as possible. I bought a green screen cotton sheet (4m x 2m) for 20 bucks and just figured a way to hang it behind the chair over a physical window

 

9 hours ago, AH173 said:

avs video/sound check- Gray

Digging for gems part-Monday

using appendix b6 for backdrop

 

With white background for Sunday Field Service

With black blackground for avs meeting before weekend meeting

Like others said, I find that oversized headphones distracted (no one told you that on your congregation?) - Wouldn't you do well with in-ear earphones? Much less obtrusive (like any journalist or tvshow pivot uses) - But it may be just my taste

 

As for the colors I also find the gray one much more pleasant than the white or black (may be due to the high contrast)

I also use gray or light blue or light cream

 

Some doubts:

what's the meaning of the "avs meeting"?

What do you use the clock for? - I use a clock for my parts but on my pc screen not on the shared screen... Also, on meetings and assemblies the clock is usual behind, out of the sight of the assistance...

 

 

[Luigi62]

10 hours ago, AH173 said:

avs video/sound check- Gray

Digging for gems part-Monday

using appendix b6 for backdrop

 

With white background for Sunday Field Service

With black blackground for avs meeting before weekend meeting

Who do you get the t current time displayed?

[AH173]

Avs is a term used in USA branch documents. 

 

Clock is only t used before meetings to help friends be aware of time

 

[AH173]

3 hours ago, jayrtom said:

Like others said, I find that oversized headphones distracted (no one told you that on your congregation?) - Wouldn't you do well with in-ear earphones? Much less obtrusive (like any journalist or tvshow pivot uses) - But it may be just my taste

 

You are the first (probably not the last) non complimentary view on my audio headset. 

 

My cobe and other elders /friends haven't done so. 

 

Your opinion is appreciated. 

 

(I'm trying to apply today's daily text in my response) 

Edited May 20, 2021 by AH173
update

[jayrtom]

19 minutes ago, AH173 said:

You are the first (probably not the last) non complimentary view on my audio headset. 

 

My cobe and other elders /friends haven't done so. 

 

Your opinion is appreciated. 

 

(I'm trying to apply today's daily text in my response) 

I probably didn't apply it, sorry...

[AH173]

No worries Bro. The reply probably sounded better in your mother tongue. 

 

USA English is like that. It's all good. 

[Myew]

I don't personally care about background features, but if you happen to be using an Nvidia RTX GPU, you can offload most of that stuff to it rather than the CPU. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/may-2021-nvidia-broadcast-update/