In a nutshell, I'd review DarkStar, our Vent Host, as outstanding. Our experience has been phenomenal, there has been no downtime and the transition to Ventrilo 3.x was smooth. We haven't had any problems with the service.
Deciding a Vent Provider
Originally I bought service from three providers, in an attempt to determine which one was best. I don't even remember the other providers I tried, but I felt the most comfortable with DarkStar at the time - from the getgo I had warm and fuzzies. The Ventrilo server was set up instantly and has been up up ever since.
One thing I remember overlooking was codecs. Not all Ventrilo providers allow you to use high quality codecs and some make you pay more. DarkStar happened to include the premium Ventrilo codecs for free, a value which cannot be overestimated. The lower end codecs just don't hold up to the high quality "premium ventrilo codecs" that DarkStar provided.
Reliable Ventrilo
Obviously as a serious raiding guild, we needed a quality Ventrilo server with outstanding uptime. DarkStar Ventrilo has been up since we signed up, I haven't noticed any downtime. For Ventrilo to be useful, you have to be able to use the Vent server whenever you need it. Uptime is the all important factor in deciding what Ventrilo provider to go with.
DarkStar Review
The first thing I did when I decided to write a review for DarkStar is look for other reviews. The first DarkStar Review I came across was a long list of positive things said by their clients. I wish I had known about the contest sooner though. I didn't even know they had a blog. All positive comments though, which is a big plus and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who has had great service.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Ventrilo rocks!
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 full 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. 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 also used at a call-in method on radio shows, and for general voice-chat. The picture above is a server that is used for a LPFM, Internet_radio and mpeg 2 free to air radio network
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
The default sound quality is comparable to a telephone but it can be changed to a higher quality by changing to a different codec. 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 also used at a call-in method on radio shows, and for general voice-chat. The picture above is a server that is used for a LPFM, Internet_radio and mpeg 2 free to air radio network
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
Monday, December 10, 2007
All about Ventrilo
Someone emailed and asked what ventrilo was, so here's an article on it:
Ventrilo sets the industry standard for Voice over IP (VoIP) group communications software. By offering surround sound positioning and special sound effects on a per user, per channel, per server or global configuration level, the program provides each user the option to fully customize exactly how they wish to hear sounds from other users or events.
Ventrilo is best known for it's superior sound quality and minimal use of CPU resources. It features a simple user interface that any first time computer user can learn quickly.
Ventrilo can be used for home/personal applications like talking to friends and family, or playing organized online games where Voice Communication can make them more exciting and productive. It can also be used in an enterprise environment as a productivity tool for conducting long distance group discussions.
A Ventrilo server could be used to complement a web site that has voice interaction with its creators, or for communicating with other people who share a common interest. If voice communication isn't your cup of tea then you can always use Ventrilo as a more reliable form of IRC without the hassles or frustration of trying to teach someone how to setup a real IRC client.
Ventrilo sets the industry standard for Voice over IP (VoIP) group communications software. By offering surround sound positioning and special sound effects on a per user, per channel, per server or global configuration level, the program provides each user the option to fully customize exactly how they wish to hear sounds from other users or events.
Ventrilo is best known for it's superior sound quality and minimal use of CPU resources. It features a simple user interface that any first time computer user can learn quickly.
Ventrilo can be used for home/personal applications like talking to friends and family, or playing organized online games where Voice Communication can make them more exciting and productive. It can also be used in an enterprise environment as a productivity tool for conducting long distance group discussions.
A Ventrilo server could be used to complement a web site that has voice interaction with its creators, or for communicating with other people who share a common interest. If voice communication isn't your cup of tea then you can always use Ventrilo as a more reliable form of IRC without the hassles or frustration of trying to teach someone how to setup a real IRC client.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Ventrilo 3.0 is decidedly amazing
We've upgraded to Ventrilo 3.0 and we love it. All the features make the upgrade well worth it.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
WOW Voice Chat Vs Ventrilo
The new voice chat in wow is not an acceptable alternative to our Vent server. After playing wow since it's release, I dislike this feature more than any other.
I constantly get static noise, no volume or lag. People spam voice chat in crowded areas and battlegrounds are just spam. People are not held accountable for their actions and often say racial slurs and obnoxious or offensive things.
It just makes wow an unrelaxing atmosphere. The voice quality is sub-par.
I constantly get static noise, no volume or lag. People spam voice chat in crowded areas and battlegrounds are just spam. People are not held accountable for their actions and often say racial slurs and obnoxious or offensive things.
It just makes wow an unrelaxing atmosphere. The voice quality is sub-par.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Happy with the new stuff
Get your guild members to donate LONG before the due date. they'll talk and talk and talk, but i can see this is going to be a problem, as only half the people are actually donating.
The Ventrilo Server is all set for the next 6 months.
The Ventrilo Server is all set for the next 6 months.
Monday, September 10, 2007
And the winner is....
DarkStar LLC for the least lag and best extra features.
I tried out 3 providers, and i must say, Ntaion voice was the worst. They refused to answer my tickets, and that server was by-far the laggiest.
I tried out guild-o-matic, because they also offered a website that was easy to set up. No complaints there, I was able to do everything I wanted.
The third one i tried out was Darkstar llc. I didn't notice any lag, and they offered me a free website if i upgrade to 50 users.
I submitted one support ticket to each, with varying response times
Nationvoice: 96 minutes
guild-o-matic: 22 minutes
darkstarllc: 3 minutes
serioiusly. i was surprised at the difference. What sold me was DarkStar's Clanpay system, which let me pass the bill to my guildies. The ventrilo hosting by darkstar was significantly better than the rest.
I tried out 3 providers, and i must say, Ntaion voice was the worst. They refused to answer my tickets, and that server was by-far the laggiest.
I tried out guild-o-matic, because they also offered a website that was easy to set up. No complaints there, I was able to do everything I wanted.
The third one i tried out was Darkstar llc. I didn't notice any lag, and they offered me a free website if i upgrade to 50 users.
I submitted one support ticket to each, with varying response times
Nationvoice: 96 minutes
guild-o-matic: 22 minutes
darkstarllc: 3 minutes
serioiusly. i was surprised at the difference. What sold me was DarkStar's Clanpay system, which let me pass the bill to my guildies. The ventrilo hosting by darkstar was significantly better than the rest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)