SkypeWebCams
Skype and Web Cameras
Following the recent [http://www.skype.com/intl/en/download/skype/linux/beta/ release] of a beta version of Skype that has support for video calling, this page will give a list of webcams that have been tested on Skype, and other details. This may differ from the list of webcams working in general on Ubuntu, given [https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportComponentsMultimediaWebCameras here]. For general webcam issues see [https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Webcam here].
Instructions for Contributing to the Lists
* To find out the device ID of your webcam, type lsusb in a terminal window. This will list all USB devices. Try to find the relevant line. The ID then appears after "ID" on that line, in the form xxxx:xxxx where the 'x's are numbers or letters.
* If your webcam is working on some applications other than Skype 2.0 beta, then it would be useful to know what particular driver your webcam is using. To find out, type lsmod | grep videodev. The driver name will appear on the line starting with "videodev".
List of Webcams that 'Just Work'
Make and Model |
Ubuntu Version |
Device Id |
Driver |
Notes |
Chicony Electronics built-in 2MP Compal |
7.10 |
04f2:b018 |
uvcvideo |
|
HP dv6000t built-in webcam |
|
|
|
|
Logitech Quickcam Express II |
7.10 |
046d:0928 |
gspca |
|
Logitech Quickcam Pro for Notebooks (2007) |
7.10 |
046d:0991 |
uvcvideo |
Video half-freeze after some seconds due to a driver bug in 30 fps mode, will be workarounded in the next release of Skype |
Logitech Quickcam Notebook |
7.10 |
|
|
|
Logitech Quickcam Notebook Deluxe |
7.10 |
046d:08a9 |
gspca |
Crashes Skype after 50 secs. This is possible due to a resolution change from 340x240 down to 160x120 when too many frames are being lost. Skype is working on a fix. |
Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000 |
7.04 |
|
|
|
Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000 |
7.10 |
046d:08b2 |
pwc |
|
Logitech Quickcam Ultra Vision |
7.10 |
046d:08c9 |
uvcvideo |
|
Logitech Quickcam Zoom |
|
|
|
|
DELL Inspiron 1520 Integrated Webcam |
7.10 |
05a9:2640 |
uvcvideo |
|
Logitech/Acer intergrated orbicam (Acer 5670) |
7.10 |
046d:0892 |
gspca |
|
Philips SPC900NC |
7.10 |
0471:0329 |
pwc |
Works nice out of the box with the latest driver 10.0.13, is the webcam used by one of the skype developers |
EZonics EZcam II |
7.10 |
0923:010f |
gspca |
|
Sony VGP-VCC2 (VAIO SZ) |
7.10 |
05ca:1830 |
r5u870 |
Grab the driver at http://avilella.googlepages.com/r5u870-0.10.0.tgz. This driver also supports the following devices: 05ca:1832 (VAIO UX); 05ca:1833 (VAIO AR);05ca:1834 (VAIO AR); 05ca:1835 (VAIO SZ); 05ca:1836 (VAIO AR/FE);05ca:1870 (HP dv1000 series); 05ca:1810 (HP Pavilion Webcam). Installation: cd to folder and type sudo make, then sudo make install, then reboot |
List of 'Fiddle to Get Working' Webcams
Make and Model |
Ubuntu Version |
Id |
Driver |
How to make it work |
Logitech Quickcam Messenger |
7.10 |
046d:08da |
gspca |
Works but without internal microphone. Switch to an external microphone. This is the same with Ekiga. Another problem is that when skyping with video the bottom of your picture can be "fuzzy" and Skype can die after about one minute. Could be the same problem as the Notebook Delux above. |
List of Non-Working Webcams
Make and Model |
Ubuntu Version |
Id |
Driver |
Notes |
Logitech Quickcam Express |
7.10 |
046d:0870 |
quickcam |
|
Logitech Quickcam Notebook Pro |
7.10 |
046d:08b1 |
pwc |
Camera is recognized, but 'Test Camera' button only shows black screen. |
Creative Vista |
7.10 |
041e:405f |
ov51x_jpeg |
depend on chip, there are models of this cam that uses different drivers (different USB id) which could work |
Mediaforte MV300 (AVermedia/Omnivision) |
7.10 |
05a9:a511 |
ov511(+) |
black screen. |
Philips SPC300NC |
7.10 |
0471:0326 |
gspca |
(AMD64) Camera is not recognized in Skype |
Additional Notes about Video on Skype
You may need to modify the "Sound in" device in the "Sound devices" options menu, to point to USB device (as appropriate) instead of Default. Likewise, ensure that video input is correctly defined.
Besides checking under options > video devices and click test on the preview window in Skype 2.0, you can also try to make a test call to videoecho123.
TODO
If this page gets enough useful information, we might want the following pages to link to it, because people wanting that information might look there first:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Webcam
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportComponentsMultimediaWebCameras