Comment by awelkie | Hacker News Reader

Comment by awelkie | Hacker News Reader

I live pretty far from my parents, and I really want to set them up with a nice video conferencing setup so we can chat as well as in person. I started to spec out a nice setup with open-back headphones, 60 Hz 1080p camera, nice microphone, low latency screen, the works. But this would cost at least $1k, and I'm sure it would be difficult for them to operate. Plus it would be hard to use in certain situations like with children or while eating.

So I've decided to get them the iPad Pro. I'm trusting Apple to focus on things like screen latency and microphone/speaker quality in their products. Plus it should be quite easy for my parents to use. It just seems to me like the iPad Pro is the best product for setting up non-tech people with a decent videoconferencing setup.

Has anyone else solved this problem, or have thoughts on using an iPad for video chatting?

For video chat, you don't need the latest. After the camera on my MacBook stopped working, I started using a 5th gen iPad mini. I use it with a stand on the kitchen table, in landscape mode, and it's fine.

Bigger isn't necessarily better. My wife has a full-size iPad and I find it awkwardly big for most purposes.

But for ease of use for the technically challenged, I think something like a Nest Hub Max might be better, since it will automatically point the camera. Caveats: it's not easy to set up for someone without a cell phone (it's technically unsupported), but once you do it for them, it's easy to make a call. Also, weirdly, the video only works when they call me; if I call them it's audio only. (I ask them to call me back.)

> nice setup with open-back headphones, 60 Hz 1080p camera, nice microphone, low latency screen, the works.

Why do all these niceties go out the window when the alternative is an iPad?

Based on the use case, a simple last-gen iPad should do the job just as well.

I felt like the system that’s in the portal from Facebook would be the ideal vc setup for my parents (i.e. video calling on a tv). Though, there’s no way I’d want to put a camera from Facebook in my parents house. I did try Google duo (I guess it’s call meet now?) with a Google tv, but since it was with a 3rd party web cam, things like autofocus didn’t work as well as I’d like.

Second with what others said, the new standard iPad should fit your bill. It has the ultrawide camera too with people tracking which makes it even better.

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