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Video Chat using Unity

Hey, is there a way to integrate a video chat function to an existing project?
This is so basic that there has to be a way...

I know about the VideoChat asset from the asset store for $130 but the performance is really shitty..

Is there a way to integrate skype in Unity or any other way to have a video chat?

CEO UniVRsitas

Best Answers

  • james_ashleyjames_ashley ✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓

    @DineshPunni,

    You can't integrate Skype into your own HoloLens app at this point. I haven't seen any good 3rd party solutions though I have heard of various people building their own proprietary chat apps for use in HoloLens.

    James

    James Ashley
    VS 2017 v5.3.3, Unity 2017.3.0f3, MRTK 2017.1.2, W10 17063
    Microsoft MVP, Freelance HoloLens/MR Developer
    www.imaginativeuniversal.com

  • dbarrettdbarrett ✭✭✭
    edited October 2017 Answer ✓

    Skype cannot do video chat with another app open at the same time right now anyway even if you started a call from skype then opened your app it doesn't work it just goes to Voice only. So as long as that is not an issue and you don't have to have your app open you can do a Skype call through Cortana, since she can execute a Skype call.

    Basically, what we did is create a button that when it is clicked invoke Cortana in listening mode through a URI and then the user can just say "Call ContactName". As long as Cortana recognizes the contact name she will pause your app and start up Skype calling the Contact you specified.

    UnityEngine.WSA.Launcher.LaunchUri("ms-cortana://Reactive/?StartMode=Reactive&ListeningMode=True", true);

    This solution only opens Cortana in listening mode, but if you have to use Skype then this could be a good alternative. If you aren't up to creating your own API

    AR Developer

Answers

  • james_ashleyjames_ashley ✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓

    @DineshPunni,

    You can't integrate Skype into your own HoloLens app at this point. I haven't seen any good 3rd party solutions though I have heard of various people building their own proprietary chat apps for use in HoloLens.

    James

    James Ashley
    VS 2017 v5.3.3, Unity 2017.3.0f3, MRTK 2017.1.2, W10 17063
    Microsoft MVP, Freelance HoloLens/MR Developer
    www.imaginativeuniversal.com

  • Sounds like bad news :/
    So there is not much i can do other than writing my own API for videostreaming.

    But thanks

    CEO UniVRsitas

  • dbarrettdbarrett ✭✭✭
    edited October 2017 Answer ✓

    Skype cannot do video chat with another app open at the same time right now anyway even if you started a call from skype then opened your app it doesn't work it just goes to Voice only. So as long as that is not an issue and you don't have to have your app open you can do a Skype call through Cortana, since she can execute a Skype call.

    Basically, what we did is create a button that when it is clicked invoke Cortana in listening mode through a URI and then the user can just say "Call ContactName". As long as Cortana recognizes the contact name she will pause your app and start up Skype calling the Contact you specified.

    UnityEngine.WSA.Launcher.LaunchUri("ms-cortana://Reactive/?StartMode=Reactive&ListeningMode=True", true);

    This solution only opens Cortana in listening mode, but if you have to use Skype then this could be a good alternative. If you aren't up to creating your own API

    AR Developer

  • @dbarrett said:
    Skype cannot do video chat with another app open at the same time right now anyway even if you started a call from skype then opened your app it doesn't work it just goes to Voice only. So as long as that is not an issue and you don't have to have your app open you can do a Skype call through Cortana, since she can execute a Skype call.

    Basically, what we did is create a button that when it is clicked invoke Cortana in listening mode through a URI and then the user can just say "Call ContactName". As long as Cortana recognizes the contact name she will pause your app and start up Skype calling the Contact you specified.

    UnityEngine.WSA.Launcher.LaunchUri("ms-cortana://Reactive/?StartMode=Reactive&ListeningMode=True", true);

    This solution only opens Cortana in listening mode, but if you have to use Skype then this could be a good alternative. If you aren't up to creating your own API

    Thank you. That sounds like a good alternative.

    CEO UniVRsitas

  • @dbarrett The cortanaButton alternative works really well. Thanks again.
    Unfortunately cortana sometimes has struggles to understand some people here in germany because of their strong accent.

    Is it possible to actually store the voice command in a string inside a variable and use this to speak to cortana ???
    For example instead of saying "Call Dinesh" i'd like to have a variable
    string dinesh = "Call Dinesh" and then tell cortana to 'listen' to this string variable on a buttonclick.

    That would be AWESOME.

    Thanks so far

    Ps: Is there actually any cortana API for hololens development available?

    CEO UniVRsitas

  • dbarrettdbarrett ✭✭✭
    edited November 2017

    That would be pretty awesome, I am having the same problem. Cortana has trouble understanding Americans haha. Honestly, I haven't looked into it to see if there was a Cortana API or if what you say is possible. The command to get Cortana to start in listening mode might work somewhat like an HTML request if you get the right variables you could possibly be able to do it. I however do not know of such a thing. There is an API for Cortana for UWP apps so it should work for HoloLens. Here

    If you do get it going please post on this thread because I'd love to get that kind of functionality out of it.

    Here are a few more links that may or may not help:

    [Windows.Media.SpeechRecognition

    ](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/api/Windows.Media.SpeechRecognition "Windows.Media.SpeechRecognition")

    System.Speech.Recognition

    AR Developer

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