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Video Calls

Status: Complete

How to use camera video and screen sharing during voice calls in Chatalot.

Enabling Your Camera

There are two ways to start video:

  1. Join with video -- Click the Video button when joining a voice channel. This acquires your camera alongside your microphone from the start.
  2. Toggle mid-call -- Click the camera button in the call controls to turn your camera on or off at any time.

When you toggle video mid-call:

  • Turning on: Your browser requests camera access (if not already granted), adds the video track to all peer connections, and renegotiates with each participant.
  • Turning off: The video track is removed from all peer connections, stopped, and renegotiation occurs. Other participants see your avatar instead.

Screen Sharing

To share your screen:

  1. Click the monitor button in the call controls (hidden on small screens).
  2. Your browser shows a system picker where you can choose to share:
  3. Your entire screen
  4. A specific application window
  5. A browser tab
  6. Once selected, the screen share stream is added to all peer connections.

To stop sharing:

  • Click the monitor button again, or
  • Click the Stop sharing button in your browser's native sharing indicator.

Screen Share Audio

Chatalot attempts to capture system audio alongside your screen share:

  • Browser tab sharing -- Audio is typically captured automatically.
  • Application window / entire screen -- Audio capture depends on your operating system and browser:
  • Linux (PipeWire/PulseAudio): Chatalot looks for audio monitor devices and captures system output through them.
  • Chrome 105+: The systemAudio: 'include' option is used when available.
  • If no audio source is available, a "No audio" indicator appears on the screen share.

Tip: For the most reliable audio sharing, share a browser tab rather than an entire screen or window.

Screen Share Volume Control

Other participants can control the volume of your screen share independently:

  1. Right-click on the screen share area.
  2. A panel appears with a volume slider (0% to 100%) and a mute toggle.
  3. An indicator shows the current volume or "Audio muted" status.

Focus Mode

When someone is sharing their screen, the video layout switches to show the shared content prominently. You can toggle between two viewing modes:

  • Tiled mode (default) -- The screen share occupies the main area, with participant tiles stacked on the right side.
  • Focus mode -- The screen share fills the full width, with participant avatars shown in a compact strip below. Click the expand icon (top right of the video area) to enter focus mode, or the grid icon to return to tiled mode.

Tip: Enable Settings > Voice > Auto-focus streams to automatically enter focus mode whenever someone starts sharing their screen.

Video Layout

The video grid adapts based on the number of participants and whether a screen share is active.

Standard Grid (No Screen Share)

Participants are displayed in a responsive grid:

Participants Grid
1 1 column
2--4 1--2 columns
5--9 2--3 columns
10--16 3--4 columns
17--25 4--5 columns

Each tile shows the participant's avatar (when video is off) or camera feed (when video is on), with their display name overlaid in the corner. A green ring around the tile indicates the participant is currently speaking.

With Screen Share

When a screen share is active, the layout switches to a master-detail arrangement:

  • Master pane (left): The screen share(s) fill the available space.
  • Detail pane (right): Participant tiles are stacked vertically at 176px wide.

Multiple simultaneous screen shares are stacked vertically in the master pane.

Voice Background

Chatalot supports customizable backgrounds for your voice tile (visible when your camera is off):

  • Settings > Voice > Voice Background lets you choose from:
  • None -- Default dark tile
  • Solid color -- A single color
  • Gradient -- Two colors with a configurable angle
  • Preset -- Six built-in presets: Fireplace, Aurora, Rain, Sunset, Space, Cozy
  • Custom image -- Upload your own background image (max 10 MB)

Custom image backgrounds are stored on the server and visible to other call participants. When you upload a custom image, other users in the call see it as your tile background. Presets, solid colors, and gradients are applied locally and are only visible on your own screen.

Performance Considerations

Chatalot automatically adjusts video quality based on the number of participants to balance quality and bandwidth:

Participants Resolution Frame Rate
1--4 640x480 30 fps
5--8 480x360 24 fps
9--15 320x240 20 fps
16--25 240x180 15 fps

These adjustments happen automatically when participants join or leave. Audio quality is not affected by the number of participants.

Tip: If you experience performance issues in large calls, consider turning off your camera. Audio-only participation uses significantly less CPU and bandwidth.