how do i change my default video player on mac osx

And make sure youre wearing pants, just in case you need to stand up suddenly.

Rather than type, were much more comfortable using a VOIP solution like Skype.

Nothing beats actually hearing the sarcastic abuse your friends heap on you.

While Im going to go over multiple programs (Skype, iChat(s aapl), and FaceTime), my preferred app is Skype because its available for most platforms, allowing you to talk to people on almost any kind of hardware.

You will end up producing a sound not unlike yelling into a flushing toilet bowl, albeit one with great acoustics.

Headsets with boom microphones are relatively inexpensive at around 30, so do your listeners a favor and buy one.

Make sure your microphone is plugged in to your Mac, and that OS X sees your microphone and youve set it as the default input device, and set the headset as the default output device.

Since its unlikely youll keep your headset plugged in all the time, when you unplug it, OS X will go back to the default setting of the built-in gear.

Even so, its the perfect place to make sure OS X can detect and use your hardware.

Its very easy to set up and use, but for video, the protocols it supports are limited.

Google Video Chat (s goog) accounts, for instance, are rumored to not work well with iChat video.

MobileMe and AOL Instant Messenger (s aol) accounts work well, however.

Open up the iChat Preferences, choose AudioVideo, and choose your camera from the drop down list.

Im using an Xbox 360 Camera (s msft) as my test, so thats why I have a Camera 2 showing.

So long as you have a recent USB webcam (one thats USB Video Class compliant and uses USB 2.0), it should be recognized under OS X 10.6.6 (the latest version).

Currently, FaceTime only supports recent iPod touches, iPhone 4s, and Macs running 10.6.4 or higher, making the number of people you can reach fairly limited.

Another limitation is that I couldnt get FaceTime to detect my external video camera.

FaceTime will then prompt you for the email address you want to be identified by.

Its easy to set up, and since everyone is using the same network (Skype doesnt support multiple protocols like iChat), a lot of hassles are eliminated.

Then go to Preferences, AudioVideo and select your preferred Microphone, Speakers and Camera from the drop-down source lists.

Skype lets you specify different devices for in-call audio and the ringer for incoming calls, which can be useful if you have your headset plugged in but you arent wearing it.

Also, if its a business call make sure your on-camera surroundings are neat, and your camera isnt aimed at the pin-up calendar on your back wall.

How Do I Change My Default Video Player On Mac Osx