I've been having so much trouble with Skype since their new version and update. I updated my video cam and it worked, but since the latest update from skype it stopped.
Now I can't even talk. I have PulseAudiovolume and I tried to follow the selections I used to have. For example:

in the Playback window, I used to see "speech-dispatcher: playback" It now shows "Firefox audiostream". Why?

In the Input Window the top display initially showed "HD Webcam C615 Analog Mono" [with my old cam it showed QuickCam Communication STX analog Mono] but then I don't know what I did but it now shows "Built in Audio Analog Stereo".
And the second or bottom half of the window now displays "HD Webcam C615 Analog Mono" instead of Built-in Audio Analog Stereo.

The Output window is the same.

The Configuration Window with my old video cam used to show: "Quickcam Communication STX" and the Profile: "Analog Mono Input". The second part used to show: Built in Audio Profile "analog Stereo duplex". Then when I checked earlier this morning it showed:

top line: HD Webcam C615 with Profile "Analog Mono Input". The lower portion showed: "Built in Audio" and Profile: "analog Stereo duplex".
Now PulseAudio shows the two portions in reverse order. I don't know if this is significant.

In the Playback Window:
Originally it showed:
First line: "system Sounds"
Second Line "speech-dispatcher: playback"
third line: "speech-dispatcher playback"

this morning I saw in Playback:
first Line: System Sounds
Second Line: "speech-dispatcher: playback"
Third line: Firefox: audiostream

PulseAudio currently shows:"System Sounds".

I believe that the input window should show in th first line "mono". and I don't know why Firefox stream would appear.

Was skype using firefox before? How are you using skype, which interface, browser? Can you try to find out what distro you're using? Someone must know. It sounds like skype on your system switched to using the web plugin.

thanks AwesomeMachine for replying. Firefox is my browser so I assume skype is using it [?]. However, I have never seen Firefox referenced before in PulseAudio.
I use skype strictly to speak/see friends in Italy and elsewhere.
I am using GUI as my interface. [Is that what you are asking?] I also have Mint 18 with Mate, but although I still have them I only use Xubuntu.
I typed the necessary commands and got what you see below.
What command do I type to find out what interface I am using?

DISTRIB_ID=Ubuntu
DISTRIB_RELEASE=16.04
DISTRIB_CODENAME=xenial
DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION="16.04.3 LTS (Xenial Xerus)"
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS"
VERSION_ID="16.04"

VERSION_CODENAME=xenial
UBUNTU_CODENAME=xenial



Linux reynold-Aspire-XC-603 4.4.0-109-generic #132-Ubuntu SMP Tue Jan 9 19:52:39 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Can you please paste the output from the following command (expand the terminal window as much as you can before doing so in order to avoid truncated output):

Hi hydrurga. Here goes:
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description
+++-=====================================================-===============================-===============================-==================================================================================================== ===========
ii skypeforlinux 8.13.0.2 amd64 Skype keeps the world talking, for free.
reynold@reynold-Aspire-XC-603:~/Desktop$

Thanks RenH. That is exactly what I have on a working setup.

By "PulseAudiovolume", do you mean pavucontrol?

If so, the Playback tab will show open applications that are using sound, hence why you can see Firefox on it if you have Firefox open.

Is your webcam working outside Skype?

P.S. If you can still edit it, you might want to get rid of some of the ='s in the code you posted so that we can back to normal width for this thread.

Hi hydrurga,

Yes, I re-read my notes and I think Pavu control is PulseAudio Volume control. I tried Skype with Firefox open but it did not make any mention of it. However when I tried to test skype I saw in Playback that it was using skype. I don't see any indication of Firefox right now.

When I clicked on cheese the video worked fine! But on skype the symbol for video does not appear.

I don't understand re =s in the code: I looked but could not find any. Sorry I'm not code literate. I do notice that the width is large but I can't see why it should be.

I get it --you mean the equal signs! OK I'll try!

Sorry, I don't seem to be able to cut the = signs.

Thanks. In Skype, have you tried going into Tools->Audio and Video settings?

Through that you can change the devices Skype uses for the microphone, speakers and camera.

After the update, my skype working good never give any issue and now skype it's awesome after the update.

Hi Hydrurga,
I got the sound working [at least according to the skype test]. It seems I had to turn the input to 79%. Before that it was greyed out. Earlier I ran through all the options for sound in skype in audio video but no change. Anyway, now sound works.

However, video seems dead. In skype, in audio video "Camera" shows "no device" I had this same problem with my earlier video and I was told that it was obsolete and would not work with the new skype. So I bought this one I'm using and tested it and it worked. So I don't know. I'll try different USB ports.

Many thanks!

You said that the video camera works in Cheese, yes?

And by "sound", you mean the video camera microphone, yes? Or do you have another microphone on your computer?

Video works with cheese -- just re-tested it to be sure. Yes, sound in the sense that I can speak on skype and hear. So I presume that is the video camera's microphone [?]. No,I haven't installed another microphone unless the computer has one but I doubt it: it's a cheap Acer --I'm told it's a laptop in a box.

Speaking and hearing on Skype are two separate things - microphone and speakers.

Anyway, can you check to see which device Skype says it is using for the microphone? It will help us determine whether Skype is recognising the webcam at all.