Re: Audio device selection

On 02/08/2013 08:53 PM, stephane.cazeaux@orange.com wrote:
>
> Hi all
>
> I am wondering if something is not missing in audio device selection 
> for some communication case.
>

Well, first off, this is a media capture matter, so should go to 
public-media-capture@w3.org....

> Regarding to audio device selection, the media capture scenario 
> document 
> (https://dvcs.w3.org/hg/dap/raw-file/tip/media-stream-capture/scenarios.html) 
> talks of the case where the user selects between a microphone device 
> plugged to the audio jack, or the microphone of a webcam. But there is 
> another common case: the user has a microphone in the audio jack and a 
> usb headset (speaker+microphone). To me, in this case:
>
> -When the user selects the microphone device in the audio jack, he 
> will most likely want to hear the remote party in the speakers of the 
> computer
>
> -When the user selects the USB headset device, he will most likely 
> want to hear the remote party in the headset
>

"Most likely" isn't the same as "always".
I regularly use a headset with a broken microphone; in those cases, I 
need to select the camera microphone (because that's the one that gives 
the best sound).

I think it is better that the API present those as independent choices.

> But with some tests based on Chrome 24, the audio is always played 
> through the OS default audio device, even if I select a usb headset as 
> audio capture device (which is of course not the OS default device).
>
> AFAIK, this is explained by the fact that on one hand the media 
> capture API enables the selection of the capture device only. On the 
> other hand, audio HTML tag uses the default rendering device of the 
> system. I could not find any document talking of audio rendering 
> device selection.
>

Chrome 24 doesn't have input microphone selection yet.

Please don't judge the specification by the state of the implementation.

> Any thought about this? Did I miss something?
>
> Stéphane.
>
> **
>