Use Private Spatial Channel

At the Shelter we have 5 16sq. meter parcels that we would like to enable voice on using the "private spatial channel".

Currently the main shelter is set to use the estate channel, and it works fine.

However, when you walk on to one of the small parcels that use private, voice doesn't work.

To get it to work, you need to be standing on the parcel when it is set to private. Then if you leave the parcel and come back, you can't hear.

Is this how it's intended to work? Seems odd.

I'm not sure I'm quite getting what you mean. I think (think) that the private spatial is meant to allow those there, at the time it is enabled, voice privacy on that parcel.

Anyone coming in later won't be able to hear.

Why not use the IM voice feature?

I thought it was supposed to be a separate channel off of the estate one so that separate conversations could be had. Maybe I had the wrong idea of what it was for

Milo Linden said in another thread "2) Have a channel that is limited to that parcel, you wont be heard from other parcels or on the estate channel".

That makes it sound like it should be treated as a separate channel you can walk in and out of.

Also, last I checked...when you are in a Private Channel and walk out of it, you can continue to hear what's going on, but when you walk back in you stop hearing.

No, I think you have the right idea, I just don't think it can be used in that manner. It is a seperate channel, but how is that parcel supposed to know who to allow to listen if they aren't already there when it's turned on?

Better would be to have a list that you add to, of those allowed to listen. But, that's not an option I'm afraid.

I'm curious, when you walk out and can still hear the private channel, can you also hear the public one?

I figure the server knows when you switch between parcels, so the voice chat should know to add you to that channel instead of the estate channel.

Might be something they're fixing/fixed with the release tonight, will have to check tomorrow I guess.

Seems the optional update last night fixed the issue.

Now if you have 2 parcels set to private next to each other, walking from one to the other switches you to the parcel's private channel.

That's good news!

The private voice channel works in much the same way as any media. Walk out of a parcel and sometimes you can look back and still see a movie running, but not always, thats to do with draw distance physics, much the same way as someone in the adjoining sim can see you even though they are on a different server.

Walking back into a parcel, will take a short while (sometimes longer or never) to re-register your presence to the voice chat server. Your client polls the server, giving it your location and spatual positioning. Voice in SL is an 'add on' not an integral core programme, so it comes a bit down the priority list as far as the polling goes. Sometimes you have to logout and back again, to reset the servers, sometimes disabling the voice in preferences, and re-enabling it again, can reset the system but don't hold your breath.