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Ventrilo
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Ventrilo is a proprietary Voice over IP program with clients for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Most users of Ventrilo use a headset or microphone and use the program to talk freely to each other, similar to a telephone conference call.
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Usage
Users install the Ventrilo client and connect to a Ventrilo server. The Ventrilo client is released as freeware and is available for Microsoft Windows. A prototype version is available for Mac OS X, and future support is planned for operating systems based on the Linux kernel, however, the client has been under development since 2005 with no new updates, causing users to suspect that a Linux client will not be released. The server is available under a restrictive license and is available for all of these systems as well as Solaris, NetBSD and FreeBSD. As of this date though, the Mac OS X client is still unable to properly utilize most servers due to a lack of support for the widely used GSM codec.
The default sound quality is comparable to a telephone but it can be changed to a higher quality by changing to a different codec. A codec is a setting that will tell you how each server sounds. Ventrilo currently supports GSM, and Speex as their main codecs.
The Ventrilo developers have attempted to keep its bandwidth to a minimum but users with a low-bandwidth dial-up connection may still find themselves restricted to using low quality settings.
Ventrilo is often used by multiplayer computer game players. Gamers can use the software to communicate with other players on the same team of a multiplayer game. Communicating by voice gives a competitive advantage by allowing players to keep their hands on the mouse and action keys while playing a fast paced game such as a first-person shooter, particularly in team-based, tactical games. This kind of quick and easy communication can be crucial for those who participate in electronic sports. Most gamers refer to Ventrilo simply as "vent." Ventrilo is also popular among players of other genres of online games, especially MMORPG games and real-time strategy games.
The gaming instant messaging utility Xfire displays the Ventrilo server address to which the user is connected.
Ventrilo is used for gaming such as Dark Age of Camelot, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, Soldat, etc. but it can be used for c-band, LPFM and internet radio interactive radio programmes as well as general chatting.
The quality can vary but depending on your sound card, codec selected by the administrator, and microphone, it can sound good or just like a telephone call.
Version and Licensing
As of December 2007, the current version of Ventrilo was 3.0. After version 2.1.2,Flagship Industries changed the software license governing the Ventrilo server to limit connection capacity of the freeware server to 8 users. A new license was also debuted for the "Pro" server which supports more than 8 simultaneous users. Among other restrictions, only companies wishing to host multiple servers with a minimum of 1000 slots may purchase licenses for the "Pro" server at the sole discretion of Flagship Industries. Additional restrictions include having a "legitimate business license" and the expectation that slot counts will "grow on a regular basis." Flagship Industries reserves the right to refuse licensing.
Version 2.1.2 of the server can host a maximum of 200 connections, according to the included documentation. Unlike later versions, version 2.1.4 of the client can still connect to servers running 2.1.2. Older versions are no longer supported according to Flagship's EULA agreement.
The Licensed hosts can vary and offer pricing that can also be cheaper and not all offer or include the high quality codecs.
New Version Release
In 3rd quarter 2007, Flagship had announced that he will be updating the version of Ventrilo
Users expect that Flagship will fix several issues, including the GSM (or lack there of) codec in the Mac version as well as other common problems and bugs in the software.
Version 3.0 is said to be released on November 14th, 2007. (Stated in NationVoice Newsletter)
