No Official Channel, just like no official Servers... But there is if you create one, by hosting yourself on your local machine, or buy from a server company...
If you're happy to have a limit of 8 connections then I would seriously suggest that you use Ventrilo instead of TeamSpeak.
It has superior sound and benefits from having DirectInput allowing the setting of the push-to-talk key (better than voice-activated) directly from your controller without having to use a profiler.
I dont see any difference between Ventrillo (which, i must admit i havent used in a while!) and Teamspeak Sound Quality wise. I understand about the button problem, but "Joy2Key" does this fine. Are there any comparison mp3's to show the difference?
8 connections? Bit outdated on the info there Haven't touched teamspeak in a long time here, find it rather bad for counterstrike etc. Oh with ventrilo, you can change the voice codec on the server settings, speex 8905bytes/sec one is exceptionally good quality.
Teamspeak 2 allows DirectInput and the setting of a ptt key, which is only better than voice-activation if the user wants it this way. Attatching that button to a key is really easy too now, as Jakg says.
If you want ease of use and something thats cheaper, choose TeamSpeak 2.
Teamspeak Quality has always been perfectly clear for me. Speex 25.9 is what i tend to use on Teamspeak.
also as said Ventrillo only allows 8 Connections up to the point where you have to pay for the software. If renting it wont be a problem.
Only ever really used Vent once and i found it no where near as easy to use as Teamspeak. But i have always used Teamspeak and in the old days. Roger Wilco.
I pay 5 pounds every 3 months for my ventrilo server, a 10 connection server, personally i find ventrilo easier to use than teamspeak but different for everyone, last time i used teamspeak was about 3 years ago i think. I wouldn't run ventrilo off my connection at anyrate, 256k up and playing cs/lfs at the same time just isnt going to happen Renting is the way to go expecially with how cheap it is nowadays.
How pushing a button to talk is better than voice activation is beyond me. So much easier to just talk when driving instead of holding a key down. I use GSM codecs and don't notice any difference between Ventrilo and TS2, they both sound good enough.
because as i've seen people talk about their mates Sister, and people swear about the driver in front, and they never meant to say a word over teamspeak, but said it all