[ubuntu] [SOLVED] Skype audio delay (lag)

[richbl]

Hello all,

Recently upgraded to Ibex (8.10) with no significant problems.

I have, however, run into an issue with Skype (2.0.0.72). For some--as yet unidentified reason--I'm getting significant audio delays of up to 15 seconds. Interestingly, receiving (incoming) audio is not delayed, only transmitting (outgoing) audio. In all cases, video appears to fine (<@2 second lag).

As for configuration, the webcam I'm using is a Logitech Quickcam Communicate Deluxe (id 046d:0992), and works fine with other applications.

I've read that there have been ongoing issues with Skype and PulseAudio. To that end, I've tried using Skype 2.0.0.72 static and OSS static builds, but with no success.

Has anyone come across a solution for this problem?

Are there any further diagnostics that I can perform to help further troubleshoot the issue?

Thanks.

[amontero]

Exact same problem here.

The delay seems to grow and grow throughout the first minute. At first, there is only a second or two lag...then five, then ten, then it gets so long I give up.

Any ideas?

[NMZmaster]

Ditto (using PulseAudio on my setup); the lag starts out as a second or so and then just grows and grows until conversation is impossible. Is this a known bug?

[richbl]

Well, much as I hope PulseAudio is the panacea that folks have been talking about, clearly it has not yet matured to that point. Either that, or Skype needs a serious upgrade... Or both!

In any case, the solution (as kindly presented to me on the Skype forum here: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?s=&...post&p=1059071) is to change the audio settings in Skype Options/Sound Devices.

So, in my case, I changed my Sound In setting from "pulse" to USB Device (plughw).

That solved my interminable lag problem in Skype.

Thanks all.

[michal6103]

Unfortunately, this is not solution, this is workaround.

[andy80]

I fixed the problem using this workaround, anyway I'm really getting sick about this ****-proprietary software!

[october1917]

Just uninstall this terrible pulseaudio and restart. Then go to Skype preferences and chose default option for the sound devices.

It will ask you to uninstall ubuntu-desktop too. Don't be afraid. Do it.

The integration of PulseAudio was a BIG mistake for the Ubuntu developers. As the developer of PulseAudio says

Some distributions did a better job adopting PulseAudio than others. On the good side I certainly have to list Mandriva, Debian[3], and Fedora[4]. OTOH Ubuntu didn't exactly do a stellar job. They didn't do their homework. Adopting PA in a distribution is a fair amount of work, given that it interfaces with so many different things at so many different places. The integration with other systems is crucial. The information was all out there, communicated on the wiki, the mailing lists and on the PA IRC channel. But if you join and hang around on neither, then you won't get the memo. To my surprise when Ubuntu adopted PulseAudio they moved into one of their 'LTS' releases rightaway [5]. Which I guess can be called gutsy -- on the background that I work for Red Hat and PulseAudio is not part of RHEL at this time. I get a lot of flak from Ubuntu users, and I am pretty sure the vast amount of it is undeserving and not my fault.

At least in my case the un-installation of pulseaudio DID solve many problems.

[armorsmith42]

I would be wary. I did this and It must've removed an Xwindow dependency because when I next tried to login, the session lasted for less than 10seconds and logged out, bringing me back to the login screen.

how I fixed this:
from the login screen hit ctrl-F3
this brought me to a text based login
username:afarrell
password:gullible

and once logged in, I just reinstalled the package:

afarrell@ender$ sudo apt-get install pulseaudio
password:gullible
afarrell@ender$ logout

which brought me back to the normal login screen.

[baytuni]

I still have this problem since I do not have an usb sound drive. Is there any permanent solution or why this post is flagged as solved?

[AstroLlama]

by changing the options to plughw I lose outgoing sound! it doesn't work for me...
anyone have any ideas?