Skip to content

Video Chat

kn-sock provides real-time multi-client video chat with voice, allowing multiple users to join rooms and communicate with both video and audio in real time.

Overview

Video chat features in kn-sock: - Multi-client support: Multiple users can join the same room and see/hear each other - Rooms/Channels: Users can join named rooms; only users in the same room see/hear each other - User Nicknames: Each client can set a nickname, which is shared with the server and other clients - Text Chat: Real-time text messaging with chat overlay on video window - Mute/Unmute: Toggle audio on/off with keyboard shortcut - Video On/Off: Toggle video camera on/off with keyboard shortcut - Real-time video and audio: Uses OpenCV for video and PyAudio for audio - Simple API: Easy to start a server or connect as a client

Basic Video Chat

Video Chat Server

from kn_sock.video_chat import VideoChatServer

server = VideoChatServer(host='0.0.0.0', video_port=9000, audio_port=9001, text_port=9002)
server.start()
print('Video chat server started on ports 9000 (video), 9001 (audio), and 9002 (text).')

# Keep the server running
try:
    while True:
        pass
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    print('Server stopped.')

Video Chat Client

from kn_sock.video_chat import VideoChatClient

client = VideoChatClient(
    server_ip='127.0.0.1', 
    video_port=9000, 
    audio_port=9001, 
    text_port=9002, 
    room='myroom', 
    nickname='alice'
)
client.start()
print('Connected to video chat server in room "myroom" as "alice".')

# Keep the client running
try:
    while client.running:
        pass
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    print('Client stopped.')

Advanced Configuration

Custom Server Configuration

from kn_sock.video_chat import VideoChatServer

# Server supports only basic configuration parameters
server = VideoChatServer(
    host='0.0.0.0',
    video_port=9000,
    audio_port=9001,
    text_port=9002
)
server.start()

print("Video chat server started:")
print(f"  - Video port: {server.video_port}")  
print(f"  - Audio port: {server.audio_port}")
print(f"  - Text chat port: {server.text_port}")
print("  - Supports multiple rooms")
print("  - Users can join with custom nicknames")

Custom Client Configuration

from kn_sock.video_chat import VideoChatClient

# Client configuration with available parameters
client = VideoChatClient(
    server_ip='192.168.1.10',
    video_port=9000,
    audio_port=9001,
    text_port=9002,
    room='conference',
    nickname='john',
    enable_audio=True  # Enable/disable audio functionality
)
client.start()

Multi-Room Setup

from kn_sock.video_chat import VideoChatServer
import threading

# Start multiple servers for different rooms
def start_server_for_room(room_name, port_base):
    server = VideoChatServer(
        host='0.0.0.0',
        video_port=port_base,
        audio_port=port_base + 1, 
        text_port=port_base + 2
    )

    print(f"Room '{room_name}' starting on ports {port_base}-{port_base+2}")
    server.start()

# Configure different rooms
rooms = [
    ("lobby", 9000),
    ("meeting1", 9100), 
    ("meeting2", 9200)
]

for room_name, port_base in rooms:
    thread = threading.Thread(
        target=start_server_for_room,
        args=(room_name, port_base),
        daemon=True
    )
    thread.start()

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Audio Issues (Most Common)

If you encounter PyAudio assertion errors or audio crashes:

  1. Disable audio temporarily: 

    python examples/video_chat_client.py 127.0.0.1 myroom alice --no-audio

  2. Use the no-audio client: 

    python examples/video_chat_client_no_audio.py 127.0.0.1 myroom alice

  3. Test audio separately: 

    python examples/test_audio_only.py

  4. Install audio drivers (Arch Linux): 

    sudo pacman -S pulseaudio pulseaudio-alsa

  5. Set audio environment variables: 

    export PULSE_SERVER=unix:/tmp/pulse-socket
export ALSA_PCM_CARD=0

Display Issues

# Set display backend for OpenCV
export QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb

Camera Issues

  • Make sure your camera is not in use by another application
  • Check camera permissions
  • Try different camera device numbers if you have multiple cameras

Dependencies

# Install required packages
pip install opencv-python pyaudio numpy

Note: The video chat feature works perfectly without audio. If you have persistent audio issues, you can still use video and text chat functionality.

Requirements

Python Dependencies

pip install opencv-python pyaudio numpy

Hardware Requirements

  • Webcam: For video functionality
  • Microphone: For audio functionality
  • Speakers/Headphones: For audio output

Network Requirements

  • TCP ports for video, audio, and text streams (default: 9000, 9001, and 9002)
  • Sufficient bandwidth for video streaming
  • Low latency for real-time communication