14 DAY TRIAL // With the new Yahoo Messenger 10 Beta out, users were curious to try it, especially the new video-chat feature. Still, some users encountered problems when trying to use the new feature, so Yahoo put together a small guide to answer some of the most common complaints and issues.
If you have the latest beta version, you are good to go, otherwise you can go ahead and download it from below. Now, with Yahoo Messenger 10 Beta installed, you need to make sure that your computer is up for the task of streaming and receiving video and audio in real time. According to Yahoo, the minimum requirements are Windows XP for the operating system, a CPU running at 1Ghz or more and at least 512 MB of RAM. The Internet connection also has to be able to handle the communications, so a broadband connection of at least 300 Kbps download and 128 Kbps upload speed is required.
If you meet the minimum requirements and have your webcam properly installed (you can check out Yahoo's webcam detection page to test it), you are good to go, though Yahoo recommends going through the video-call setup wizard first. It should pop up when you try to make your first call, but, if it does not, you can find it under the Preferences entry under the Messenger menu. Then go to “Video & Voice Devices” and click on “Open Video and Voice Setup.” Normally, at this point, everything should be ready and you should be able to place video calls.
One common complaint and source of confusion among users is the fact that the “Video Call” button is sometimes grayed out and disabled. This happens when the other user in the conversation has an earlier Yahoo Messenger version, which doesn't support video calls. To check what version your friend is currently running, he or she can go to the Help menu and click on “About.” If the video calls still don't work properly, Yahoo has more detailed instructions here.
Yahoo! Messenger 10 Beta is available for download here.