Hercules announced their new HD Twist webcam during CES this past January in Las Vegas. With a suggested retail price of only $34.99, this webcam features 30fps, a 720p sensor that provides 1280×720 video resolution, 5 megapixel photo resolution, and a built in microphone with noise reduction. The unique thing about this webcam is its flexible silicon base that can be formed to adapt to any computer screen. The Mini HD Twist will be available later next month in your choice of six different colors.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, News

Tagged: Webcam

Hercules Mini HD Twist – A Webcam With Fashion Sense originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 24, 2012 at 8:00 am.

Are you a fan of sending webcam films of little Wanda and her loose tooth to Aunt Millie in Iowa, or any other webcam uses?  Genius, a Florida company with an extensive line of webcams has just released what looks to be a pretty cool new webcam, the eFACE 2025 which is bundled with CrazyTalk software.  Here are some of the “particulars” on this webcam:

• 720P HD 2.0 M pixel video
• CrazyTalk Cam Suite Pro software
• captures still images at up to 8.0 megapixels
• foldable and easily transportable
• PC and Mac compatible
• about $60

The CrazyTalk software looks pretty cool.  A preview of its features can be found on this tutorial:

http://www.geniusnet.com/event/webcam/

The tutorial was dreadfully slow to load on my computer, so here are some of the features of the software:

• Image and Video Capture with a one-click YouTube upload button
• Monitor mode where the webcam is switched into security mode with motion detection
• Avatar Live where users become their chosen avatar that can change facial expressions and voices
• Media Desktop Share so users can share video clips, photos and live desktop activity without delay

Looks like Aunt Millie may be getting more in her in-basket soon!

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, News

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, Webcam

Genius HD Webcam with Crazytalk Software originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 26, 2010 at 10:33 am.

Logitech has a made a pledge to bring HD video to anyone, anywhere, and has taken another step toward that goal by unveiling a full lineup of HD webcams and the recently announced Logitech Vid HD, the free and easy way to make an HD video call.  A few of the new features include HD 720p video calling, full HD 1080p video recording and Logitech Fluid Crystal technology, one-click Facebook and YouTube uploading.  Available now in the following pricing: HD Pro Webcam C910 $99.99, HD Webcam C510 $59.99, HD Webcam C310 $49.99, HD Webcam C270 $39.99.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, News

Tagged: Video, Webcam

Logitech unveils new HD webcam and vid HD family originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 9, 2010 at 9:17 pm.

The Tandberg PrecisionHD USB Video Camera is a high quality camera that captures 30 frame per second full 720p (1280×720) video and mono audio. This would be the ideal camera for corporate desktop video conferencing, or for casual or mobile video podcasting. It’s large size and decent heft make it less appealing for the business traveler who is probably hauling a laptop with a passable VGA or better webcam built into their laptop already. Its relatively high cost and the current dicey support for HD video in non-business videoconferencing systems like Skype, Google Chat, or MSN, along with the higher bandwidth demands for HD conferencing, makes it a bit of a reach for the rest of us. Still, the future is always just a few months away, and if nothing else the Tandberg sets a pretty high bar for 720p HD video.

Before I get too far into the review, it’s helpful to check with the manufacturer’s marketing blurb on their product page to see how they’re pitching it. Quite accurately they position the PrecisionHD as providing “business-quality HD video communication” for “executives or mission critical employees”. There is nothing wrong with that, and I believe they’ve hit their target dead center.

Look & Feel

The device is constructed out of a metal top half, and plastic bottom half, and has a 39″ long USB cable attached. The hinged base is designed such that it can sit on a surface, or hook over the top of your monitor for more natural video chatting. The styling, the heft, even the quality of the included carrying pouch all convey a professional, business vibe.

You can see from the photo above that the PrecisionHD is not small. It’s hanging onto a 16″ laptop screen in the photo. You can also see the green indicator LED showing it’s powered up. The LED glows orange (or maybe it’s yellow?) when the camera is transmitting. The small dot on top is the omni-directional microphone.

The camera is auto-focus, but you can still twist the ring around the lens. If you do, you’ll engage the privacy shutter (shown above) which blocks the lens. When blocked, the camera transmits a nice “TandbergHD” information screen as the video image. You can use that image to check your firmware revision as well – more on that a bit later. It’s important to note that the microphone is NOT muted in that mode, just the video is disabled.

It’s a hand full for sure! It does pack up nicely into the semi-rigid carrying case supplied

Installation

The PrecisionHD is a UVC webcam. There is no software shipped with the PrecisionHD. Webcams following the UVC specifications are “driverless” – and compatible with a wide range of operating systems and software. It will work with Macs, Windows, and Linux – at least that’s the ones I threw at it. On all three you just plug it into a USB 2.0 port and you’ll get a video and an audio device, which you then select in whatever software you’re using.  Like any other high bandwidth USB device, you may have difficulties if you use a hub loaded with other high-bandwidth devices, but that’s a USB limitation.

Camera Performance

I don’t have the kind of video evaluation equipment I’d need to do a fully accurate assessment. The best I can do is put the camera into some challenging situations and show you how it performs. I also don’t have access to either of the two supported HD video conferencing systems (both enterprise/business systems including Tanberg’s own Movi video conferencing system, and Microsoft Communicator) that directly support the device.

For the purpose of the review I was able to coax Skype into a “HD/High quality” 640×480 video chat, and  I used native video capture software to view/record/frame grab from the camera in full 720p mode. Finally, I compared the microphone quality vs the inbuilt microphone of a laptop. Let’s look at each, beginning with a couple of shots from Skype:

These probably say more about Skype then about the PrecisionHD, but as you can see, even in 640×480 mode the camera delivers a sharp image. The setting is in a room with lots of windows, midday, on a sunny day. Lots of backlight, and yet the camera was able to adjust exposure well. The second screen capture is of a printed chart I held about 14″ away from the camera. You’ll see that chart again later. Even though this is not a software review, it does bring up the somewhat thorny problem of bandwidth use. Most home (or hotel) Internet connections are somewhat anemic on their upload speeds. Trying to push 720p video through anything less then a 1Mbit wide pipe isn’t going to be very pretty, no matter how good the camera is. Also, trying to process 720p video is going to require a fairly decent CPU. I was able to use an Acer Aspire One (Atom 1.6Ghz CPU) but it was running full out, and it was barely keeping up. Any Core 2 or better CPU should be fast enough, but if you’re trying to use something from more then three years back, it may not be able to handle it.

Example of video captured to AVI format:  tandberg-precisionHD.avi (39mb download)

Auto Exposure, Auto Focus

For these next tests, I’m using the full 720p mode, capturing frames from the video stream. I positioned the camera in a challenging (but very typical) setting, with the subject (me) strongly back-lit with daylight through a window.

First, I am nearly out of frame. The camera focused and set exposure for the tree outside, as you would expect.

As I leaned in, the camera adjusted the exposure and focus compensate. The window is blown out, but the exposure is very good for the subject (me) and even with the blown out window there is no flare or bleed into the subject. This is NOT the kind of performance you get out of a $30 webcam, and shows off the good optics used in the PrecisionHD.

Finally, I held my hand up in front of the window, a little closer to the camera.

This forced the exposure up even more, completely blowing out the window. But again, look at the clear, sharp outline of my hand – no flare, no bleed, very clear all the way to the edge. The focus has pulled in more, such that the window/back wall is now clearly out of focus, but the focus depth is wide enough that my face is still in focus.

Hey, it’s that chart!

The last test was to hold up the chart while shooting 720p. Again, I was making it hard by having a bright backlight. This was from about 14″ back from the camera.

Since we resize the images here, I’ve provided a 1:1 crop of the center of the frame below:

You can see that the camera is sharp and even – good optics, good focus, good sensitivity.

What this translates into for someone doing a video conference is what I call the “document test”. It’s the point in the conference where someone holds a diagram or document up to the camera for the other person to see. Here’s a couple pages from the PrecisionHD, as viewed by the PrecisionHD, in 720p (resized down by nearly 1/3rd!)

Even shrunk down to liliputian-sized for the web, you can see that the text is completely readable. That’s pretty impressive performance right there. And yes, we are still in the same bad lighting situation here.

Can you hear me now?

The final test is just as subjective as those video tests. I recorded a clip of audio from the built-in laptop microphone located just above the keyboard on the right side, and from the PrecisionHD when it was positioned on top of the monitor in the typical “video conference” configuration. I sat in front of the laptop, and also moved around a bit, from all sides, and from about 10′ away. As you might expect if you’ve ever used your laptop mic, the built in mic picked up my voice and the whine of the fan and the click of keys and other machine noise, yielding a messy but understandable voice when directly in front. From the back, sides, or from any more then a couple feet away the results were pretty bad. Compared to tha the positioning of the microphone way above the fray on the PrecisionHD, along with what I can only assume is a higher quality microphone, resulted in a far clearer and more natural sounding voice when recorded from the PrecisionHD. It also picked up sound well from other directions, and from a fair distance away.

Conclusion

I’ve used a lot of cameras, a lot of webcams, and a few HD digital camcorders. The PrecisionHD has the video performance of a good quality point & shoot HD digital video camera, such as one of the Aiptek HD cameras. It’s got acceptable audio performance – not as good as a high quality microphone, but better then the tinny noisy mics on most laptops and low end webcams. It’s all wrapped up in a largish but lugable package. It also has one last surprise – you can update the firmware on the camera (from a machine running windows XP or Vista, at least) by downloading the latest version from the Tandberg web site.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews

Tagged: A/V, USB, Video, Video conferencing, Webcam

Tandberg PrecisionHD USB Video Camera Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 26, 2010 at 12:30 pm.

I enjoyed reviewing the Wi-Spi EX30 security camera from Brickhouse Security, it is missing one important feature – remote viewing from the internet. I think I may have found a better solution for those times when I would like to see what’s going on in my home while I’m at work. It’s the Avaak Vue personal video network. It is not a webcam, but a wireless network with remote live video streaming capabilities. It uses a wireless technology called FrameMesh, which consumes 99 percent less power than WiFi, and is the first camera system to run on batteries. The miniature cameras are completely wireless and wire-free making them easy to mount and move to any location. In addition, unlike most camera systems the Vue personal video network does not require any software installation. The system which includes 2 cameras and a network gateway will run you $299.00. Extra cameras are priced at $99.00.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, News

Tagged: Security, Spotlight Gadgets, Webcam

Wirelessly stream video with a Vue Personal Video Network originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 4, 2009 at 2:49 pm.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to play with the new Microsoft LifeCam Cinema and I am impressed.  I haven’t tried any other HD webcams but compared to my previous webcam, the Microsoft LifeCam Cinema is far superior.  To make this review simple, I compared the QuickCam Pro 9000 that I purchased in March 2009 with the new Microsoft LifeCam Cinema.  What a difference!  The picture quality is much clearer.  Check out the videos and see for yourself (you can even see the dust on my floor).

LifeCam-1 (.WMV file)

QuickCam-1 (.WMV file)

I didn’t know my old webcam was so horrible!  I initially thought the poor image quality might be due to the low lighting in the hallway, so I recorded two more comparison videos just to make sure.

LifeCam-2 (.WMV file)

QuickCam-2 (.WMV file)

The Microsoft LifeCam is clearly the winner here.  (Notice the files are 20 times larger than the QuickCam Pro 9000 however).  The QuickCam Pro 9000 is an older camera so this may not be a fair comparison but the box does say that it has high definition video (up to 1600×1200), whereas the LifeCam has 720p HD widescreen video (1280×720 video resolution).

Installation of the LifeCam Cinema was easy, I just inserted the CD into the appropriate drive, followed the directions and plugged in the camera.  Operating the camera is simple too (except I almost went nuts trying to locate the dashboard only to discover that it was minimized and right in front of my face).  The design is sleek and simple and it’s not much bigger than a D cell battery.  The sound quality is good.  It has a digital noise-cancelling microphone to help improve speech.  The webcam also has a Windows Live Call Button on the top of the unit to access Windows Live Messenger.  (I use Skype so I didn’t try this button.)  The webcam works fine with Skype, the picture quality wasn’t fabulous but that’s due to Skype, not the camera.  I even surfed the net while on Skype to see if my computer would freeze due to the power requirements of the LifeCam but I didn’t have any problems.  (My PC has a little more than the minimum system requirements.)

Overall, this is a good webcam with a sleek design for a reasonable price.   I recommend it.  Just make sure you have the minimum system requirements; I have listed them below.

System Requirements: Windows® 7/Windows Vista®/Windows XP (with Service Pack 2 or higher) Intel Dual-Core 1.6 GHz or higher and 1 GB of RAM (recommended: Intel Dual-Core 3.0 GHz or higher and 2 GB of RAM) 1.5 GB free space CD-ROM USB 2.0

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Digital Cameras and Gear

Tagged: Video, Webcam

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema – a Webcam with True 720p HD originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 5, 2009 at 11:00 am.

I became a big fan of BlueMic products after reviewing thei BlueMic Snowflake microphone. Today they are announcing the Eyeball 2.0 – its next generation Web camera with built-in microphone. Now featuring a higher-quality lens and 2-megapixel camera (1600 x 1200 pixels), Eyeball 2.0 is a plug-and-play webcam with professional-class, digital audio. It is available now for MSRP $79.99 at www.amazon.com, Apple retail stores and Fry’s Electronics stores.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, Webcam

BlueMic announces the Eyeball 2.0 Webcam originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 1, 2009 at 12:15 pm.

We’ve got another webcam claiming to be the first one with 720p capability. Late last week it was Microsoft’s LifeCam. Today it’s the Hercules DualPix. The DualPix comes in at a better price point ($59.99) than the LifeCam ($80.00) and appears to be more adjustable with two axes that can rotate for capturing pictures.

Filed in categories: Laptops and Gear

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, Webcam

Who had the first 720p webcam? Microsoft LifeCam or Hercules DualPix? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 27, 2009 at 4:24 pm.

I’m not a big fan of web cams and don’t use them very often. I like the fact that I can roll out of bed with crazy hair and mismatched pajamas, chat with people and they can’t see me. If I weren’t so self-conscience, I might be tempted to check out what might be the very first 3D web cam on the market from Hammacher Schlemmer. It  can capture video at 800 x 600 resolution at 15 frames per second, and it can focus on a subject up to 12″ away. Five pairs of special 3D glasses are included with the camera.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Spotlight Gadgets, Webcam

Scare people even more – 3D web cam originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 9, 2009 at 5:00 am.

I have a dog at home and I have a mounted webcam to check in on him. This system works fairly well but occasionally he isn’t on the couch in the living room and it is at times like that, that I’ve wished for a camera that I could pan and tilt. I was really excited when I heard about Rovio, I thought it would be the perfect solution! Forget pan and tilt, I could actually go find my dog and check in on him where ever he might be.

Here is the Rovio that I received on Friday night.

I was pretty surprised to get a note just inside the box telling me not to use the included software and instead download the newest version from their website. Instead of a note, why not include a new CD?

Package Contents

Rovio
Docking Station
Mast
Power cable
Battery
Standard USB cable
Rovio Install CD
Rovio quick start guide
Rovio Owner’s manual

The docking station. The Cone shaped object on the right side is the TrueTrack beacon. It projects 2 points of light up at the ceiling which the Rovio uses to orient itself. The light is only visible when you touch the cone so you can aim them.

The mast (it just clips onto the dock).

The battery.

The Rovio.

Docking station with mast attached.

Battery compartment. The 2 silver squares are charging contacts.

I had a problem getting the battery installed. I was following the quickstart guide, it had one line about installing the battery and no picture, it said “Install battery.” I spent a couple of minutes trying to get a roundish peg into a square hole, with little success. I finally looked at the owners manual and it had a nice picture showing how the battery is supposed to go in.

This is the only position the battery will fit in the compartment.

After getting the basic setup done, everything went downhill from there. After downloading and installing the software, on the first attempt to run the software it notified me that there was an update. Strange, I just installed the newest software, so just in case I told it to go ahead and install the update it found. After downloading and installing the update I ran the software again, and it notified me that there was an update. Ok, so this time I tell it not to do the update and tried to continue, but no matter what I did the setup software wouldn’t see the Rovio. Vista would only see a drive and it kept asking me if I wanted to format it.

Stymied in my attempts to setup the Rovio via USB I had to use the only other method available, manually by ADHOC wireless network. This involved looking for wireless networks, picking the network called ROVIO_WOWWEE, then manually setting the IP address and gateway on my wireless network card, after that I was able to get to the Rovio and join it to my own network, only to be completely disappointed.

The huge problems:

Once docked it doesn’t charge even though it says it is charging. It shows 100% charge when docked regardless of how much it is charged. When the Rovio tried to auto dock because of a low charge it dies before it gets home, even if it starts 1 foot away.

The web interface from Pocket IE is broken. Instead of video and the ability to control the Rovio, you get a still picture and you can’t control the Rovio at all. Sometimes the Rovio just stops responding, black video, no control, until rebooted.

The minor annoyances:

The Blue LEDs built into the top are not user controllable at all. So long as the Rovio is on, they are on.

The camera doesn’t work well in low light conditions, the headlight is useless to help for this. Can only connect to WEP networks (WPA is supposed to be added in a firmware update).

It is possible that all the problems I encountered could be fixed by an updated firmware. My Rovio arrived with firmware 3.97, which I upgraded it to 4.02. Since returning the Rovio Wowwee has released 4.09beta. Whether that would have fixed my Rovio, I’ll never know, and it was not something I was ready to risk my money on. For something that I paid 280 bucks for, even though it is a first generation product, I expect a certain level of operation, the Rovio failed completely. Charging itself, which for a remote viewing robot I would argue is its most critical function, did not work.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Wireless

Tagged: Security, Webcam

Rovio Mobile Webcam Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 4, 2008 at 8:45 am.

I’m a big fan of webcams. Once I figured out how to broadcast a webcam stream on a webpage,
I started broadcasting from work so that my mom and friends could see me. One idea I had related to this was setting up a little home
surveillance system with my two Logitech QuickCams and my eeePC 701′s integrated webcam. I’m mostly just curious to see what my cats do
all day while I’m at work. While setting up such a stream is pretty easy, it requires running a computer 24/7 and can be a little power and
bandwidth hungry.

For those really interested in setting up home surveillance, a networked video camera system can be a better solution. The Security Network
Control IP Camera from Brando is one such device.

Unlike a regular webcam, Brando’s camera is designed to be connected directly to a network. It has a fast Ethernet (10/100) NIC built in,
and it supports DHCP and static IP addresses. The general premise of this camera is to hook it up to your home network, and access it by
IP and port (or via a service like dyndns.com) through your browser. You can remotely control the camera’s position through the browser
interface. It seems like a pretty good idea. The question is, does it cut the mustard for being a $130 camera? Let’s find out…

What’s in the box

• VGA (640×480)b IP Security Camera
• Power adapter
• Plug adapter for U.S. outlets
• 3′ ethernet cable
• 3′ crossover ethernet cable
• A/V cable (3.5mm minijack to RCA)
• User’s guide
• Drivers CD

The hardware

The camera itself is surprisingly large. The base holds an SD card reader, an on/off switch, an ethernet port, and a 3.5mm A/V port. This is
part of this camera’s feature set. The web browser interface allows setting the camera to use two motion detectors to take still snapshots
whenever motion is detected. These snapshots can be uploaded via three methods – to the FTP server of your choice, to a temporary folder on
your local machine, or to an SD card.

The front of the camera holds – shocker – the lens itself, along with two motion sensors (indicated by dim LEDs that glow when the camera is
on) and a microphone.

I like the SD card idea – rather than relying on a network connection (which might fail while you’re gone),
you can be sure to capture any detected motion directly to the card. The user’s guide recommends at least a 2GB card, considering that you
might end up with many pictures (particularly if you leave the motion detector enabled while you’re at home, or if you have pets).

The A/V output allows you to connect the camera to a television for a sort of closed-circuit security system. I don’t have a TV in my office
(which is where I’ve put the camera), so this feature isn’t particularly useful to me. However, it could be pretty handy if you want to
put the camera in the baby’s room and have a reliable connection to it that doesn’t rely on a network.

The main method of connectivity is, of course, the ethernet port. This allows you to connect the camera directly to your home network.
The web interface allows you to configure what port to use, so that you can access the camera remotely. The user manual is sparse and doesn’t
actually explain why the crossover cable is included. I can only assume that it’s to setup a crossover connection directly with a computer,
which would allow you to use the camera without the need of a television or a home network.

The camera’s image quality is far from good. However, being a security camera, I don’t know that high resolution is absolutely necessary,
but this camera is quite poor. The image sensor is VGA (640×480 or 0.3MP), but it’s much lower quality than a regular VGA webcam, as you
can see from this sample image:

The Software

This camera is entirely controlled through a built in web interface that only works with Microsoft Internet Explorer. I’m not a big fan
of the software. Instead of using Java or Flash to display the video image in the browser window, the interface relies on a cabinet file
that is a bit difficult to install – I ended up having to turn off all the security in IE just to get it to install the file.

The web interface allows you to move the camera around remotely, take still shots with it, enable the motion sensors, and manage the
camera’s image and configuration settings. It has built-in support for dyndns addresses, so you can set it to a text address rather than
relying on the IP for remote access.

The web interface is good in theory, but very bad in implementation. It’s slow, unstable, and requiring a CAB file (with no digital
certificate, mind you) to use the camera seems pretty unnecessary. Not only that, but I’ve since discovered that IE 7 in Windows Vista
SP1 crashes whenever I try to use the web interface.

Conclusion

All in all, this camera is a good idea. It’s pretty easy to setup, although the instructions were no help (Chinese-to-English never works
very well, it seems). The web interface is pretty crucial to using the camera, and it’s just a total flop in my book. For that reason,
I’d personally recommend looking at other products for your home surveillance needs.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: A/V, Audio, Device, Video, Webcam

Brando IP Security Camera Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2008 at 10:28 am.

I’m a bit of a webcam aficionado. I have several – my Dell XPS M1330 and eeePC 701 have integrated webcams, plus I have an older
VGA Logitech QuickCam and a new 2MP QuickCam Orbit AF. Video chatting can be a lot of fun when your friends live out-of-state – or on the
other side of the globe. Julie sent over a couple webcams for me to review – the
IPEVO PoV and a networked security camera from Brando.

The PoV is a different take on video chatting – rather than a camera that sits on your desk, it’s designed to be picked up and
pointed at things (hence the PoV, or point-of-view, brand name). It has a manual focus ring and a shutter button on the camera
itself, so you can take photographs to send to your friends. It’s definitely not your typical webcam.

IPEVO is big on the Skype market. They have created a number of products specifically designed to work well with Skype, including
USB phones and other webcams. I’ve done a lot of video chatting and personally perfer to use Windows Live Messenger. I find Skype
uses far too much memory and processing power. At any rate, we’ll see if this camera is a worthy competitor to my Logitech Orbit AF.

Right off, IPEVO’s packaging is very slick. Included are some cards with line drawings illustrating suggested uses, along with a
drivers and software CD-ROM and the camera itself. The camera is nestled securely in thick foam blocks.

In the box is everything you need to get going:

• VGA (640×480) web camera with attached USB cable
• Clip to attach camera to laptop or desktop display
• Desktop stand to position camera on a flat surface
• Drivers/software CD-ROM
• Instruction manual
• Suggestion cards

The camera itself is extremely easy to use. The included software worked perfectly in Windows XP SP2 and Vista SP1. I used it
with both Skype and Windows Live Messenger without any problems.

From the side, you can see that the camera is well-shaped to accomodate even large, adult hands. You can hold like a pen or a
remote control to point it at various objects.

The top of the camera has a large shutter button for taking still images, a “send-out” button (more on that in a moment), and a
convenient on/off switch. The front has a green power indicator LED and a red recording indicator LED.

Because you might want to use this as a regular webcam once in awhile, IPEVO includes two different mounting options – a tabletop
stand and a spring-loaded clip to attach the camera to a display. The stand actually attaches to this clip, as shown below.

The monitor clip is pretty cool. It’s designed to be mounted on a regular CRT or LCD desktop display, or a thin laptop display. It
has a spring-loaded piece that can be pulled out to accomodate different display sizes. It attached securely to both my
desktop’s LCD and my eeePC’s display:

This camera does not have autofocus, so you must use the thumb ring around the lens to adjust the focus manually. The ring moves
smoothly without being too loose, and it has a wide focus range – you can zoom in on objects as close as 4cm (about 1.5″). Even at
its low VGA resolution, close-ups are pretty sharp, as you can see here:

Click thumbnail for fullsize image

Image quality from some distance isn’t spectacular, but it’s pretty on par for any VGA camera. The default settings are a little on
the blue side, but the software provides image adjustment options to correct this as necessary. I wouldn’t use this camera in lieu of a
regular camera for face shots, but it’s pretty good for quick macros of text and small objects. Here’s a sample regular image in
medium lighting:

Click thumbnail for fullsize image

As you can see, my cat is thrilled to be an Internet celebrity. Hah!

The software is really designed to work in tandem with Skype. The “send-out” button I mentioned earlier will, when running the included
software and logged into Skype, immediately take and send a picture to the selected Skype contact. Given that I know a grand total of one
person who ever uses Skype, this feature is pretty useless to me. Without Skype, it functions as a normal webcam. The software is still
usable for tweaking the camera’s image quality, as well as taking still images with the shutter button (or the software shutter button,
if you prefer).

Overall, this is a pretty decent webcam for the price, given its added point-and-shoot and macro features. If you’re a heavy Skype user,
it might be just the thing for you. I like that it’s compact and very portable, and the display mounting clip is really ingenious. It works
just fine as a standard webcam, and the ability to use it as a point-and-shoot camera might come in handy.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear

Tagged: Webcam

IPEVO PoV Webcam Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 22, 2008 at 7:18 am.

This is a story that does not end well…

A webcam with a telescope lens attachment! How could I, an aficionado of webcams, resist the opportunity to try one of these?

I knew I was in for an adventure with a non-brand product with the intriguing name on the box of “Digital Product PC Camera”.

“Try my best to do always”: good advice! I tried my best to do with this unusual product.

Hardware Specs

Image sensor: CMOS sensor 480K
Resolution: VGA 800 x 600
Frame Rates: up to 30fps@320×240, up to 15fps@640×480
Focus: 50mm to infinity adjustable
Video digit format: 24 bits
Built-in image e-mail
Manual focus
Snapshot button for image capture
Auto white balance
Auto electronic exposure

Features:

7*18 telescope
Use telescope to magnify for near views
Lens rotation for adjusting clear image
Easy adjust the angle by mini tripod
Excellent still image capture
Video Conferencing
Snap shot button
LED indicator

Interface: USB 1.1, USB 2.0 compliant

Telescope dimension: 69x28x33mm
Web cam dimension: 80x32x33mm

Package Contents

Webcam with connected USB cable
Small vinyl case with the 7×18 telescope lens
Desktop tripod with extending legs and a ball swivel
Driver mini-CD
Instructions in Chinese and English (but without any company name or contact info)
Lens cleaning cloth (a nice touch!)

My first thought is… the telescope is solid, metal and rubber, but the webcam itself feels like it’s made from some kind of laminated paper. Very lightweight, possibly flimsy. More on that later.

First hurdle… how does the telescope lens attach to the webcam? The limited instructions say nothing about it. Fortunately, the Brando website lists this essential instruction: “Please remove the plastic band of the telescope before attached to the web cam.” Once you do that, you can easily screw the lens into the webcam.

Now it’s time for the driver install. The instructions say to run the Setup file on the CD. Fair enough. I open the CD, and…

Yaaah! What are all of these? Which one is my webcam’s driver?

I decide to plug in the camera in the hopes that it’ll know which driver to install. I immediately hear the “di-ding” of a USB device being recognized. And the automated software search finds the drivers. Success! Installshield kicks off and shortly I learn the name of this device: VIMICRO.

Shortly, my old friend AMCAP (Microsoft software, circa 1998) is up and running, and I’m seeing my first webcam image! Woot!

Okay, so it’s a blurry image with edges of the telescope showing, but it’s an image.

Before I try anything else, I feel strangely compelled to push the image capture button on top of the webcam, next to the red LCD that shows that the device is in operation.

Kaboom! AMCAP dies in a flurry of electrons, and I see this familiar screen.

Maybe I shouldn’t press that button? Can’t… resist… KABOOM!

Okay, enough fun of crashing AMCAP. I try AMCAP’s video capture, and that works just fine, capturing to .avi format and playing back in WMP.

Time to test the telescope’s capabilities, focusing on the trees across the street, about 50 feet away. It takes me a few seconds to focus the telescope lens, using the built-in webcam focus to fine-tune it.

Image quality is reasonable but not great. I decide to take this on the road and find some more interesting images than the trees outside my house.

And then… disaster strikes! On my second attempt to use the webcam, it breaks. The focus mechanism of the webcam is now loose and floppy, unable to be adjusted to produce any kind of good image. The device can no longer be focused. And that ends the experiment with this intriguing new device.

Can I recommend this device? It is, obviously, very flimsy, and prone to breakage. I could see some people having a use for this, but not most webcam users, even webcam aficionados. And realistically, focusing the device takes a fair amount of work… this is the sort of device you’re going to want to set up and focus once at a specific image target and then never adjust again. I could see using this for a specific webcam target, such as a garden, a bird feeder, a busy traffic intersection, your neighbor’s apartment window… that sort of thing. But the webcam breaking was a sad, sad moment. Even if you set it up once and take the utmost care in doing so, it is too fragile.

Overall, I think it’s a great concept for a niche market, but this specific device is not sturdy enough to recommend.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Webcam

Brando USB Webcam with Telescope originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 9, 2007 at 2:29 pm.

Product Requirements:
Web Cam mode: USB port, MS
Windows 98SE (install USB driver), WinME, Win2000, WinXP OS with DirectX 8.1 or
later
    Graphics Adapter capable of 800×600 resolution, 64k colors
    Pentium II 266, with 64MB RAM (Win 98/ME), or 128MB RAM
(Win2K/XP)
Pen Drive Mode: MS Win 98SE, WinME, Win2000, WinXP

Updated 02/07/05 – new comments are in red and
italicized.

How many times have you seen something that you wished you could take a photo
of, but your camera was back at home? Or how many times have you wished that you
had a video recorder with you as you watched something unusual happen? While
it’s not very likely that many of us will ever run into a
Sasquatch while out hiking (unless you live
in Skamania County, Washington, that is), there are plenty of everyday things
which occur that we later wish could have been captured – whether as a photo, a
video or as a voice recording.

I know as well anyone that just because I own a great camera does not mean I
will always tote it along. There have been plenty of times when I have been out
running errands, carrying just the basics, when I would see something that would
make me instantly regret that my Olympus was at home next to my desk. What I
need to keep in my purse is a tiny camera which weighs next to nothing, takes up
little to no space, and that will take a decent picture in natural light.

When I was approached by Octave Systems Inc.
about reviewing their

Multipod 5 in 1, I was game but I honestly didn’t expect much. First of all,
the name threw me off – Multipod. I knew it was supposed to be a camera of some sort,
but my first thought was that it must be yet another attachment for the iPod –
in this case a camera. I read the Multipod’s description on Octave System’s
website and found out that I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Photo courtesy of the Octave System’s website

The Multipod 5 in 1 is a tiny little gadget that measures approximately 3�"
long x 1" wide x �" thick and weighs in at just 0.7 ounces. Included in it’s
Lilliputian measurements is a gadget that is capable of the following:
Video Recorder – Capture up to 12 minutes of full motion
video with sound (640 x 480
pixels @30fps)
Digital Camera – Take up to 3,000 pictures (320
x 240 pixels)
128MB of Data Storage – Use it as an external drive for
your PC or Laptop. Great for moving files about.
Web Cam � Connect with others far away.
Voice Recorder � Record notes or an entire meeting at
8kHz

The packaging includes the Multipod 5 in 1, a flexible metal USB extension
cable for the web cam, a necklace storage pouch and a software CD.

The necklace storage pouch is handy for those times when you are out and
about without pockets and without a bag, but you don’t want to be without a
camera. The metal extension cable allows the Multipod to be propped up to film
the user – provided there is a USB port at their head’s height. This should work
very well with laptops, as well as PCs like my Dell 4600C, which place the box
on the user’s desktop.

The skeptic in me is very wary of devices that claim to be a convergent end-all be-all,
especially when they are only a little bit bigger than the size of my pointer
finger. Once I received the Multipod, I played with it for a little while and
then began to seriously put it through its paces. While I would never expect any
one little gadget to replace five dedicated devices, I wanted to see if
the Multipod could be a good solution for someone that needed the most portable
5 in 1 device, well the only 5 in 1 device, that I’ve ever seen.

When the Multipod is first unwrapped, it will need to be plugged directly
into a free USB port for at least two and a half hours to charge the internal
lithium battery. When plugged in, a green light will glow and a long high
pitched beep will sound. Next will come the ubiquitous USB recognition tones.
There is no indication when the battery is full, but when the battery gets lo,
L6 will be displayed on the tiny LCM display.

The software CD should be run, installing the Web Cam Driver and the
eDVR.Create software. This might be a good time to also take a look at the
manual, as there are a lot of little LCM indications that the user should
familiarize himself with.

To power on the Multipod, the user should press the Mode/Power button for a
second. The green LED will glow, and a long beep will sound. dn, 0n,
HI then dc will flash on the LCM as a long beep sounds. This lets
the user know that everything is working properly and the Multipod is in
hi-resolution digital camera mode. In this case, hi-resolution is 640 x 480
pixels, versus low resolution which is 320 x 240.

Video Recorder: The video recorder is activated by turning on the
Multipod. Once it has run through its start-up routine, the user should press
the Mode/Power button until du is displayed. Next the Snap button is
pressed to start the recording and an amber LED will glow. When finished, the
Snap button is again pressed. At this point, the screen will flash PP,
HI then go back to dc. There are actually two video record settings –
HI, which is the default setting. It records at the rate of 30 FPS with an 11KHz
audio sample rate. The user can also select Lo, which records at the rate of 15
FPS with an 8KHz audio sample rate.

It would be great if videos could be played in their native format directly
from the Multipod, but they must first be converted from their STJ format.

This is done by installing then running the running the eDVR.Create software
included on the disk. I have the program set to grab the STJ movie files
directly from the Multipod, convert them, deposit the newly created ASF files in
My Documents folder, and then delete the old files from the Multipod. These ASF
files will play in Windows Media Player.  If a conversion must be done,
then this is a pretty efficient way to accomplish it.

You can see some great

video clips that other users have uploaded on the Octave Systems website.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the vocal quality and the video
smoothness. While the indoors video that I took was quite grainy, the ones I did
during the day, in natural light, were much better.

Obviously this video recorder is not meant to replace your thousand dollar
handheld, but I have yet to see a skier tape one of those to their
goggles before heading downhill, as one of the user videos shows in the Octave
collection. Be sure to watch the video of Sophie, the yellow lab wearing her
snow booties – she is precious!

Digital Camera: Similar to the digital picture that you can get with a
typical mobile phone or camera enabled PDA, the Multipod will take pictures in
hi-resolution (640 x 480 pixels) or low resolution (320 x 240). Here you can see
a picture taken at 5:30 pm on a cold winter’s day. The sunlight isn’t the best,
and I was probably shaking from the cold, but the picture came out remarkable
clear and just about as gray as the day was.

This picture was taken inside, with unnatural light at approximately 6:00 pm.
As you can see, the Multipod does not do as well with poor light. If the user
remembers that there is no flash, and that natural sunlight creates the best
lighting situation, pictures like this will be avoided.

I am a little bit concerned about the lack of cover for the camera lens. I
realize that it would be a pain to always have to remember to remove one, but it
seems like it would aid the life of the lens if there were a way to protect it.

128MB of Data Storage: When the Multipod is plugged directly into a
USB port, it shows up as a removable disk. Up to 125MB total is available for
storage of files, pictures, digital movie recording, etc. No special driver is
needed for the Multipod to serve this purpose, so this means that on top of
everything else, the user will now be able to carry and move files back and
forth between computers. There is no encryption, so be careful what type of
information is stored if you wouldn’t want it to fall into the wrong hands.

Web Camera: Well, I did not have good luck with this feature of the
Multipod. Yes, I installed the driver and restarted my computer, but the CA
option on the Multipod, which is supposed to indicate the Web Cam was never
offered to me. In fact, when I plugged the Multipod into the flexible metal
extension cable, Hd for Hard-drive showed in the LCM, but not CA as I was
hoping for.

With the Web Cam properly installed, I went ahead and tried to run the Direct
Cap software included on the CD, which enables streaming audio and video – but
no dice. As you can see by these pictures, when I hit the option button for
Video device, none is shown. It should offer the option of "NMS Video Camera
(Webcam)"

I did have the audio option when I hit the button.

So, for me – using the Multipod as a Web Cam was a bust.

Updated 02/07/05: I found out what the problem was!
The Multipod must be turned completely off, then the Mode/Power button
must be held until there is a long beep. At this point, CA will be
displayed in the LCM and the web cam will be functional.

Voice Recorder: To record audio clips, power on the Multipod and then
cycle through the modes until you come to Rc, which actually looks more
like Ac. Once in this mode, you press the snap button, and the green and
amber lights will glow together – looking somewhat yellow. When you are done
recording your deep thoughts, press the snap button again. The resulting file is
saved as a WAV file, which will play without any conversion.

I suppose that the Multipod 5 in 1 is some might call a "jack of all trades and a master of
none," which is not necessarily a bad thing. It does everything that it is
supposed to do remarkably well when its size and price are considered. It’s not
the best camera or video recorder, but it small enough that when you don’t want
to carry its full size counterparts, you will at least be ready should something
amazing occur. If you
should ever find yourself hiking in a Washington forest and the Sasquatch should
come streaking by, you will be quite glad that you had it with you.

Here is the Online Manual
for those that would like to review the Multipod 5 in 1′s features and
operation.

Price: $149.99

Pros:
Five in one device that allows the user to take digital photos, record movies,
record voice memos, use it as a webcam and as a 128MB flash drive
Takes very good photos in settings with good natural lighting
Takes very good videos in settings with good natural lighting
Excellent voice recording capability
Handy USB Flash drive
"It’s a jack of a trades…

Cons:
…but only a master of some"
No cover for the camera lens
Takes the best pictures only in settings with good natural lighting
Takes the best videos only in settings with good natural lighting

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Digital Cameras and Gear, Miscellaneous

Tagged: A/V, Audio, Camera, Device, Digital Camera, Video, Webcam

Octave Systems, Inc. Multipod 5 in 1 Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 2, 2005 at 12:00 am.

Product Requirements:
Device:
Windows 98 and higher, USB port
 

I love webcams. Most of my family live overseas, and we rely on instant
messaging with webcams to stay in contact. I am always eager to try new webcams,
and was especially interested in this model from
Crayton Electronics.

The Qcam 530M is a very small webcam on a 6” flexible gooseneck cable attached
to a odd-shaped plastic stand, with a 42” USB cable. The physical design is
good… the cable is long enough to reach to a below-the-desk CPU, and the
flexible gooseneck means you can easily adjust the angle of the camera.

I know they made a compromise between size and function, but I do think the
bottom should have been more weighted, since you are limited in the angles you
can bend the cable just because the device won’t stay upright at more extreme
angles. And it is a little awkward to have the webcam on a stand directly in
front of the monitor, blocking some of my monitor view. But I like the
flexibility of camera angles to our current webcam, which, like most models,
sits in a small holder on top of the computer monitor and can’t be adjusted to
as many camera angles. Since I frequently use IM and the webcam while I have my
somewhat hyperactive 5-year-old daughter sitting in my lap, being able to
quickly bend the cable and reposition the camera is a major plus for me.

The size of the webcam is also terrific; I can easily see bringing this along
with my laptop on business trips, even though this is not the Q-cam model
specifically designed for laptop use.

Hardware Specifications

Camera Lens: 1/4" CMOS PC Camera
Pixel: CIF Format 352*288
Resolution: 640*482, 352*288, 320*240, 176*144, 160*120
Frame per second: Up to 30fps@352*288, 35fps@176*144
Capture Resolution: Up to 640*480
Focus Distance: 3cm~infinity (CIF)
Lens: wide angle 56 degree Diagonal
Brightness: Auto-Detect
Exposure control: Auto-Detect
Image format: RGB24
Power consumption Full Run: 300mw typical
Operating System: Windows 98/2000/Me/XP
I/O interface: USB 1.1 Full Speed
Microphone: -47 DB

Unfortunately, the first negative is that the Q-Cam wouldn’t work on our
powered and non-powered Belkin USB hubs, or the USB jack on our Microsoft
Natural Keyboard Pro. It would only work on a USB port directly on my CPU. I’ve
seen this problem with some other USB devices, and it is frustrating. If you
don’t have many USB devices, this won’t be a concern for you, but if you’re like
me, this is a problem.

I tested this on a Pentium III running Windows XP, and had to install Q-Cam’s
own drivers. Here was the screen that greeted me:

To be fair, there are many terrific hardware devices that have not passed
Windows driver certification. But it was still “edge of my seat” excitement
during the installation process and reboot. After rebooting, the device and
drivers were immediately recognized, and I put the camera to work:

The streaming video image quality from the camera was good (the lower image)
for an inexpensive webcam, much better than my current (and also inexpensive)
SiPix webcam. It compares well to the slightly more expensive Logitech webcam
used for image above (though low lighting may have been part of the cause). Like
all other webcams I’ve used, this one performs best in a brightly-lit room.
You’re trading picture quality for the risk of glare, but I think it’s worth it.
There was some occasional freezing during video capture, but considering the
distance and lag-time of the international connection, that may not have been a
problem with the hardware.

Next, I added audio to the webcam chat. The audio was surprisingly clear.

After a few minutes of IM chat, I began exploring the other software included
on the mini-CD. The two programs are Vidcap and Amcap (a rather aged Microsoft
video program.) Both programs have many features such as the ability to change
the video and audio settings, adjust the camera image parameters, etc., but
neither of them performed particularly well with the Q-cam. With Vidcap, the
video was noticeably darker and more grainy than when I used the MSN Messenger
webcam software. And if you want to access the Help file for Vidcap, well, this
is what you’ll see…

It is not included on the mini-CD.  However, for my
intended use of the webcam (MSN Messenger streaming video webcam chat), the
missing file was not a problem.  There are sufficient instructions on the back
of the package for me to easily get this webcam up and running. 

Another odd aspect of this camera is that it has a button
on the back to activate three white LED lights.  I’m not sure why they were
included, as they appear to have no effect on the webcam image quality.

In summary: if you need a high-end webcam with the ability
to capture quality streaming video and still images, or are very new to webcams
and will need substantial documentation to get you started… this is not the
webcam for you.  But the Q-cam 530M is a very portable webcam that compares well
to other inexpensive webcam products.
 

Price: $44.99

Pros: 

Small
Easy to install
Flexible cable
Reasonable video quality
Good audio

Cons: 

Unable to work with USB hubs
Minimal documentation

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Desktop Computer Gear

Tagged: Webcam

Qcam 530ml Plus Webcam Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 4, 2004 at 12:00 am.

Product Requirements:
Device:
Windows 98 and higher, USB port

Instant messaging applications such as
Windows Messenger, ICQ and
Yahoo! Messenger are extremely popular
with both teens and adults alike. The ability to type in real-time back and
forth to your friends is fantastic. I know I would feel totally cut off if I
didn’t have Windows Messenger running on my PC at all times. Personally, I have
never had a real interest in combining video and voice with plain old text
message style chatting. But, when
Crayton Electronics asked if I would like to review their Qcam 210 WebCam, I
thought I’d give it a try.

Hardware Specifications

Camera Lens: 1/7" CMOS PC Camera
Pixel: CIF Format 352*288
Resolution: 640*482, 352*288, 320*240, 176*144, 160*120
Frame per second: Up to 30fps@352*288, 35fps@176*144
Capture Resolution: Up to 640*480
Focus Distance: 5cm~infinity (CIF)
Lens: wide angle 56 degree Diagonal
Brightness: Auto-Detect
Exposure control: Auto-Detect
Image format: RGB24
Power consumption Full Run: 130mw typical
I/O interface: USB 1.1, Full Speed

The Qcam is a very small WebCam that is suited more for laptops than a
desktop PC because of its short flexible cable which can be bent into the
desired angle for the camera to point. This cable is 12 inches long with a USB
connector on the opposite end of the camera.

Installing the camera couldn’t be easier. It’s just a matter of plugging it
in and then popping in the mini CD when Windows asks you for the driver disc.
Your PC doesn’t have to be restarted and the camera is available to you right
away.

Since this is a pretty inexpensive web cam, you don’t get much in the way of
extra software included with it. Actually the only thing you do get is a generic
capture application that you can use to snap still images and capture video
streams. Also included are instructions for using the Qcam with NetMeeting.
Unfortunately, the instructions seem to assume that you already have NetMeeting
installed… As far as I can tell, NetMeeting does not come as part of the
default Win XP Pro installation. At least it isn’t installed on my machine.

I first used the generic capture application just to get an idea of the
quality of the video. Right off the bat, I was pretty disappointed. The captured
image was dark and very grainy.

This same application allows you to capture a video stream in AVI format.
Even at 30 frames per second, captured video is blurred during movement.

I also captured a few still shots just to get an idea of how well the Qcam
handles color and focus.

The picture on the left was snapped in a medium bright room with a 2 bulb
overhead light turned on. The same image was taken while I shined a mini
flashlight on the card. As you can see, the more light, the brighter the colors
and the less grainy the image.

The still images are actually saved in a strange file format (.DIB). But I
found that if I renamed them to .BMP, that I was able to then convert them into
JPGs without any problems.

Most people won’t be purchasing this WebCam to take still images though, they
will be wanting to use it with their favorite instant messaging application. I
first tried to test the cam while chatting with Judie via Windows Messenger.
Unfortunately, she never saw my video feed. So, I gave up on that IM app and
tried the Qcam with Yahoo’s IM application. Getting the cam to work with Yahoo!
was a snap. I started up the app, initiated a chat with my friend, and started
the video feed. He did the same and voila, we were talking and seeing!

The picture on the left is the video preview of my side of the conversation.
The picture on the right is my friend Dave as we were chatting back and forth.
You can really tell a big difference in image quality between the two images.
His is less pixilated and has much better color definition. His WebCam is an
ADS
1394 WebCam (Firewire) priced at around $74. Even though his cam is Firewire,
his image blurred just like mine as he moved around in front of the cam.

The Qcam is an inexpensive WebCam that can pretty much fit in any laptop bag.
Although it doesn’t give you the sharpest, or brightest image, there is
something to be said for portability and price. I wouldn’t buy this to use with
a desktop… I’d rather spend a few extra bucks for something that gives a
better image. That said, if you are looking for a cam for your laptop and don’t
mind fuzzies, you might consider adding the Qcam to your shopping list.

Price: $29.99

Pros:
Small
Easy to install
Flexible cable

Cons:
Grainy, dark image

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Webcam

Qcam 210 WebCam Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 24, 2003 at 12:00 am.

Program Requirements:
Desktop:
Windows 98
Free USB port

The iFive WebCam by AIMS  is one of the first
USB webcams available.  This WebCam comes with a nice bundle of software including
Howdy, VDOPhone, and M@X.

iFive camera specs:

Optical system : ¼" CCD
Active pixels CCD : 512 (H) x 582 (V)
Output resolutions : CIF 352×288 pixels, 15 frames per second
QCIF 176×144 pixels, 24 frames per second
Sub-QCIF 128×96 pixels, 24 frames per second
White balance : Automatic/Fixed mode (Selectable via software)
Microphone : Electret
Signal to noise ratio : > 48 dB
Gamma : 0.45
Gain control : Automatic
Iris control : Electronic
Synchronization : Internal free running
Video output : Digital via USB compliant with H263 and H261
Power supply : 5VDC/<2.5W
Control : Camera functions and frame rate are controllable via software
Viewing angle : 51×39 degree
Lens mount : Integrated, 3.8mm F3.0
Dimensions : 77 (W) x 62 (H) x 84 (D) mm
Interface : One USB cable (2 meters)

The iFive has just one cable coming out of it and that is the USB cable. You don’t have
to worry about power as it gets this from the USB port. Installing the drivers was pretty
easy and thorough instructions were included.  I REALLY like USB. In my opinion, it’s
the best thing to happen to PC’s in a very long time.  No more IRQ conflicts! Just
plug and play.

The camera is small and compact. It sits on a removable rubber base that lets you
easily adjust the angle and direction that the camera is in.  The front of the camera
has a green LED that lights up when the camera is plugged into the computer. There is also
a small microphone on the front of the camera. I found this microphone work great. It was
able to pick up my voice just fine.  The lens on the camera can be adjusted by
unscrewing it. This allows you to focus very close to the lens (even as close as an inch
or so away).  The lens can also be removed by completely unscrewing it.

The software package that comes with the iFive will let you do video conferencing,
video email and multimedia postcards.  VDOPhone is the video conferencing software
package.  It is similar to Microsoft NetMeeting (which it is also compatible with).
With iFive and the VDOPhone you can create a virtual business card that includes your
photo, your name, your email address and a brief description. These Virtual Business Cards
will be displayed with each incoming call, for screening purposes. You can also build up a
photo album of your friends so that dialing is just as simple as clicking on their
picture.  As with Microsoft NetMeeting, the software requires that you log into a
server in order to talk with people. I found that the VDOPhone server was much easier to
get connected to than the NetMeeting servers. The VDOPhone server is separated into
‘clubs’. This is supposed to help keep children more safe in the video chat areas.  
Some of the clubs are: Friends and Family, Ham Radio, and Movie Fans. Unfortunately, even
in Friends and Family you run into perverts. While I was testing the cam and software, I
had a shirtless guy want to show me his ‘body’ <sigh>…   Other than that, the
VDOPhone software is easy to use and setup.

The M@X software package is included for sending video email messages.  This
package boasts of having 250kb per minute compression rates.  This software lets you
set the compression rate has high or low as you wish.  It saves the video files with
a .AVM suffix. It also (I found this out by accident) saves the file in your root
directory as a standard .AVI file.  The .AVI files it creates are very large (7meg or
so for less than 10 secs of video).  I created 3 videos with M@X set at different
compression rates. You can download the files below and check out the quality of the
video.

M@XMail-big.avm  – 89k
Set at the lowest compression rate (biggest file size).
M@XMail-med.avm  – 31k Set
at the medium compression rate.
M@XMail-sm.avm  – 27k Set
at the highest compression rate (smallest file size).

maxplayer.zip – 147k .ZIP
file.

Once you create the video, you can then email it using either a MAPI email program or
the built in email program. I could not get the built in program to work but once I set
Outlook Express as my default simple MAPI device, it worked great.

The other software package that is included with the iFive camera is Howdy. Howdy lets
you create multimedia postcards that you can email to people.  You can pick
background pictures and frames that you place an image and/or video on top of.  You
can also add audio and text to your postcard.

This program is ok… but I doubt if I would really use it that much. For one thing,
the file size for a postcard that has a short video, music, image and some text is about a
meg.  It’s about 150k smaller if you don’t include the player with the file. You do
have the option to save it to a disk, email it or even create a webpage out of it (this
just sends the postcard to Howdy’s webserver so that the person you’re sending it to can
get it from there instead of through email).

All in all, this is a decent little camera for the money. It’s easy to set up. The
Video quality is adequate and the software bundle is nice. The best part of the whole
package is that it’s USB and is easy to set up.

Price: $149.95

Pros:
USB
Nice software bundle

Cons:
I never did figure out how to take a still image shot.

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear

Tagged: Webcam

iFive WebCam Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 25, 1999 at 12:00 am.

Program Requirements:

Desktop:
Windows 95

System Configuration:
Pentium 75mhz or faster
Bi-directional Parallel Port, (ECP for optimal performance)
16MB RAM min.
Sound card, microphone, speakers.
Enough free disk space to store your videos.

The eCam from Newcom
Inc. is a desktop digital video camera that you can use to take videos, and email them
to others.  The idea sounded great. A camera small enough to stash in the laptop
case, and all the hardware cables were included. Here are the actual hardware specs:

Unfortunately, performance was not what I expected.  First of all, I should mention
that although the ECam web site has driver for Windows NT 4.0, their technical support
told me that "the ECam will not work on the
NT platform.". This was good to know, since I spent days trying to get it working on
my NT system. (I thought, since I found an NT driver on their web site, that it was
supported.)

So, we went and loaded the drivers on a Windows95, 400mhz machine.  ECam worked,
but the quality of the video was not that good.  The screen display of the live
camera picture was grainy, and it stopped and started often. When I made a little
video recording, it was’t smooth at all. Also, while running the software, mouse movement
wasn’t smooth either… it was choppy. The software saved the video clips with an .AVI
extension but I couldn’t get them to play in the regular Windows Media player.

For the price, there are probably better cameras and software out there.

Price: $99.95

Pros:

Cons:
Slowed the whole system down while recording video.
Grainy video.
Wouldn’t work with NT.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Desktop Computer Gear

Tagged: Webcam

eCam Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 15, 1999 at 12:00 am.

Program Requirements:
Desktop:
Still Imaging: 486 DX 33 or better, 8meg Ram, parallel
port, Win 95, 98 or NT
Motion Imaging: 133 MHz Pentium or better, 16meg Ram,
parallel port, Win 3.1, 95, 98 or NT

ViCAM by Vista Imaging Inc. is an all in one
PC digital camera. It can take still shots or serve as a webcam. Check out the some of the
stats below:

• IEEE-1284 compatible parallel pass through
  on parallel port ViCAM molded right into the cable
• TrueColor 24bit, RGB555, YUV 9, 12, & 16
  Color formats, plus 256 (8bit) gray scale Black & White format
• Resolutions from 128×96 to
  1280×960
• 60 frames per second  for USB ViCAM®
• 40 frames per second for parallel port ViCAM®
• Light sensitivity of less than 1 lux

The ViCAM comes in two versions. A pass through parallel port version and and a USB
version (both are the same price). I was sent the parallel port version for this
review.  Setting up the ViCAM was very easy as an add in card is not required. It was
just a matter of plugging in the special parallel cable/keyboard power cable (the cable
has a pass through connector so you can still use your printer) into the printer port, and
plugging the keyboard power cable in between your keyboard and the computer. Installing
the software was equally easy. In no time I was using this camera as a webcam and regular
still frame camera.

width="200" height="176"/>

The camera is very small and compact. It has a swivel base that can be removed to
reveal a standard tripod mount.  There’s also an optional mount that will let you
attach it to a notebook computer.  An LED on the front of the camera glows green when
the camera is ON (in use).  There’s a button on the top of the camera that I never
did see mentioned in the manual. I’m assuming that it will allow you to snap a still image
in certain software.

Focusing the camera is quick and easy. You just turn the manual focus lens clockwise or
counter clockwise till the desired image is in focus. The ViCAM also has optional
interchangeable lenses that can be purchased separately. You can get a wide angle (3.6mm -
F:2.0) , closeup (8.0mm – F:2.5), and a super closeup lens (12.0mm – F:2.0). The lens that
comes with the ViCAM is 6.5mm – F:2.0.

Of the several webcams that I’ve reviewed so far, I would say that the ViCAM has the
sharpest picture. With the optional lenses, you can even do macro shots.  It is also
VERY good in low light situations. The colors also seem more true to life than other
cameras I’ve tested. The ViCAM did have a little trouble adjusting to images with both
dark and lighter colored objects or light sources.  As you can see the picture below,
there is a window on the left. With the sun coming in, it looks pretty glared.

width="320" height="240"/> Still image taken with the standard lens.

The great thing about the ViCAM is the huge software bundle that comes with it.  
It comes with:

Stefra Video Control – Provides Video Email and complete integration of video into your
Windows applications. This software can be used to send video or images with your Windows
email program.

MGI PhotoSuite SE – Software to edit, organize and be creative with photos. Users can
add special effects, improve photo quality, make greeting cards and calendars, arrange
photos in albums, and share photos over the Internet. Includes special effects and
filters, plus a host of other valuable features including: photo editing tools, a photo
lens kit, image capture, slide show, photo albums, and Internet capabilities.

MGI VideoWave SE – Turns you PC into a personal video studio, capable of combining
video clips, audio, still images, and graphics to create full motion video productions
quickly and easily for home use, business presentations, and the Internet. Includes a
variety of sophisticated transitions, the ability to add animated text and video clips,
special effects, narration, music, and real-time play back to "tell a story" in
video. Also has the ability to produce a video in MPEG-1 format.

White Pine CU-SeeMe Lite – A three (3) user version of White Pine Software’s internet
based video-conferencing application. With millions of registered users of CU-SeeMe you
will be able to connect and video-conference with users all around the world. Features of
the CU-SeeMe Lite version which differ from the full version are:· Limit of viewing three
(3) conferencing attendees at a time· Video conferencing quality is fixed at 75%. ViCAM
users can upgrade to the full version of CU-SeeMe and save USD$19 off the White Pine
price.

Visionics FaceIt PC – Software that brings to the PC an innovative use of face
recognition technology to achieve access control, file encryption, surveillance, and
secure visual messaging, with remote communications capabilities through the Internet.

Prescient Systems GOTCHA! – Time lapse photography and motion sensing. This program is
great for security! With the ViCAM constantly watching, this program will start capturing
video when it senses motion. It can even be configured to dial a pager and key in a unique
code, notifying you of an intruder even when you are gone! Then remotely call into the
system to review what it has captured. Being a full featured trial version it will timeout
after 30 minutes of use each time. GOTCHA! is being provided with ViCAM to allow you to
play with and see if it is something you would like to own.

Miros TrueFace PC – Computer intelligence has come to your desktop. TrueFace PC allows
your PC to recognize your face. Use it to keep your PC private. With TrueFace
PC, a person’s face is their password, enabling the user to open and
encrypt files. Working in conjunction with the ViCAM, TrueFace PC
has great biometric algorithms that can analyze an individual’s unique facial features,
and accurately match them with the stored database of faces that are authorized to use a
particular PC.

Neil Kolban’s WebCam32 – Set up your own webcam. This software lets
allows you to automatically ftp webcam snapshots to your webpage.

MicroSoft Netmeeting – Video teleconferencing software that includes audio,
video, file transfer, chat, document/application sharing, and whiteboard features.

If you need a webcam that works well in low light and has the ability to use different
lenses, then you should really check out ViCAM.

Price: $199 (Optional lens pack is $59.95)

Pros:
Terrific software bundle
Brighter / truer colors
Easy to setup
USB version available

Cons:
More expensive than most cameras on the market

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Desktop Computer Gear

Tagged: Webcam

ViCAM Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 3, 1999 at 12:00 am.

Discontinued Product

Program Requirements:
Desktop:
PC with a Pentium processor and an available PCI slot.
Windows 98 or 95
Minimum 16mb RAM
4mb disk space from CVideo-Mail
Sound card (SoundBlaster compatible)
CDrom
Monitor capable of viewing 256 colors

CVideo-Mail Pro is a software/hardware solution for sending video email to anyone,
including family, friends, co-workers,etc. CVideo-Mail lets you attach full-motion video
with audio to your every day email and requires no special software to play these emails
on the receiver’s side. CVideo-Mail’s MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface)
compliance is compatible with Netscape Communicator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, America
Online, Compuserve and all other e-mail programs that allow file attachments.

The CVideo-Mail Professional Package includes:

• Video Capture Card (the circuit card you place inside your PC)
• Desktop video camera (can also buy CVideo-Mail without the camera)
• Audio adapter
• CD-Rom includes:
  CVideo-Mail software(v 2.0)
  CVideo-Mail player
  CVideo Snapshot 1.0
  Software drivers for the CVideo-Mail capture card
  Eudora Pro Email(v 4.0)
  Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0
  Apple Quick Time
  Qualcomm’s Pure Voice
  McAfee Virus Scan 3.1.1
  AOL Instant Messenger

Hard copy documentation includes:

• CVideo-Mail User Manual
• CVideo-Mail Professional Quick Start Guide
• Eudora Pro User Manual
• Eudora Pro Quick Start Guide

The CVideo-Mail Pro hardware/software combo
was a pain to install, in my opinion. You had to first install the software drivers. Then
you had to power off your computer and install the PCI video capture card. Then you had to
power back up and finish the software install. I’ll admit that the first time thru, I
didn’t read the instructions and just put the PCI card in, powered up and installed the
drivers… it didn’t work.  Once I followed the instructions, things flowed smoothly.

Hardware:

CVideo-Mail Pro comes with the Philips Desktop Video Camera, which has a built-in
microphone, a 3.8mm f2.0 lens that can be adjusted from almost zero for extreme close-ups
to infinity for long shots. The camera is small and sits on a black base that lets you
adjust the direction and angle. There is a green ON light and a mini
microphone on the front of the camera. On the back of the camera are several switches that
let you control gain and contrast. Other small desktop cameras, home camcorders or VCRs
can all be plugged directly into the card to create video e-mail.

The video card has 3 jacks: microphone, power, and the video jack. This make it
complicated because the original cord is not long enough if you want to move the camera
any distance away from your computer.

One problem that I encountered was that my sound would be turned off whenever I would
finish using the camera. I had to go into my multimedia settings to manually turn it back
on.

Software:

The video capture software was not as easy to operate as other video capture software
that I have tried. On others, everything was on the main program window. With the
CVideo-Mail you have to go into the settings to change things. When you take a still
picture it records sound in the back ground. I was not happy with that. When you go to
save something to your hard drive with save as… it will not
automatically go to the last place you saved something. You have to navigate to the same
directory each time. Others I have used would automatically return to the folder you last
saved in.

CVideo-Mail can compress video to file sizes as small as 500KB per minute. Depending on
the compression settings that a user chooses, the average file size is 1MB per minute of
video. It saves the still images and video as a self extracting .EXE file which that
doesn’t require a special player. This is convenient.

CVideo-Mail video clip 705k
CVideo-Mail still macro image 182k

Using this camera with video conferencing software such as Netmeeting resulted in
choppy video.

All in all, the little camera was decent. The set up was somewhat tricky. The video
quality was adequate. The software was decent. I have just seen better in my opinion.

Price: $179.95 (also available for $99.95 without camera)

Pros:
Good compression scheme.
Works with any email program that allows attachments.
Person receiving the file doesn’t need a special player.

Cons:
Installation was strange.
Image quality is a little fuzzy.

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Webcam

CVideo-Mail Pro Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 21, 1999 at 12:00 am.

The WinCam.Live Internet Camera System by StarDot
Technologies is a fully automated webcam. This isn’t one of those little webcams that
you use to do video chat through Microsoft NetMeeting or other such programs. WinCam.Live
is more suited although not limited to surveillance type work. This product can be easily
configured to take a picture every 60 seconds and then upload it to a webserver for
instant viewing.

height="368"/>

The WinCam.Live is a 4" Wide X 3.1" High X 5" Deep plastic bodied camera. It has a CCD chip resolution of 512×492 pixels but has options to go as high as 640×480. The color depth of the camera is 24-bit color or up to 16.7 million colors. The camera sits flat on non skid rubber feet or can be attached to a tripod via standard screw in mount. Also, the package I received included an adjustable metal stand that could use that screw in mount. A small LED on the front of the camera shines green when the camera is in use, yellow when it is not in use, and red when taking a snapshot. The camera comes with an 8mm lens. Several other lenses and filters including outdoor, telephoto, and wide angle can be purchased separately. Outdoor enclosures can also be purchased separately.

The WinCam.Live is attached to your PC via a 24AWG CAT.5 25ft phone cable (included).
One end plugs into the back of the camera and the other end plugs into a dual AC adapter,
25 pin serial connector. You then plug this connector into a free serial port on your PC.
What makes this camera somewhat unique is it’s ability to move far away from the
controlling PC. You can use a 200ft cable, or with an optional extender kit, up to 1 mile
away! Or, you can even connect an external modem to the camera and move it anywhere you
want as long as there is a phone line to connect it to (I did not test this).  
Another feature is the ability to have one PC control up to 6 separate cameras one one
comport via an optional multiplexing box.

Included with the camera is a software package called Capture Host.  This is the
software that controls the camera and uploads the pictures to a webserver. With it, you
can control image information such as capture resolution, number of images to save,
brightness, exposure, and Jpeg quality. There are also powerful scheduling options that
you can set such as the interval between snaps, days of the week and hours to enable use.
You can even setup nifty little features such as warning sounds to play when the camera is
getting ready to snap a picture, or the type of text overlay that you want each picture to
have such as time and date.

height="450"/>

When the software is running, you see a small live grayscale image in the window with a larger color image of the last snapshot.  A count down to the next snap is also displayed. From this main screen you have the ability to quickly turn off the camera, turn off ftp transfer, change brightness or zoom in 2x to 4x. Unfortunately, the zoomed image is only for viewing in the preview image window. It doesn’t effect the captured image.  I guess it is more for surveillance purposes. To the left you see an actual size image of the Capture Host software in use. I found the software to be powerful and user friendly.

To the left you see an actual snapshot that was uploaded to the webserver.   The quality of the pictures are quite good. The camera does a good job of setting the correct exposure for different lighting situations.  Indoor shots are good as well as outdoor shots. I did tests where I pointed the camera out the window on a bright sunny day and it did a terrific job. With the standard lens that comes with the camera, it can focus as close as a foot or so, to infinity. Uploading the pictures to your webserver is automatic. You just have

height="240"/>

to tell the software the hostname, and login information. Capture Host will then dial
up your ISP and ftp the files automatically. You can set up the software to keep the
connection open, or you can have the software dial the connection, upload the file and
disconnect.

I really like the WinCam.Live. The only real bad points about it are that it is
expensive and it can’t be used as a regular video conferencing camera.  Star Dot does
tell me that they are working on a driver that will allow you to use the WinCam.Live as a
video conf. camera in the future.

As for the price, you have to realize that it isn’t in the same class as the $99
webcams. This is not a toy, but a tool. I’ve had quite a bit of fun with it during the
review period. I set it up in my living room while I was at work so I could ‘spy’ on my
dog.  One day I even caught her sleeping in MY chair! 

This system would be great for businesses or people that want an easy to use and setup
camera system.

Price: $499.99

Pros:
Easy to setup
Ability to locate far from host PC
Ability to connect multiple cameras to one PC
Lots of accessory options like lenses and enclosures

Cons:
Price
Can’t use the camera as a typical webcam for video conferencing

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear

Tagged: Webcam

WinCam Live Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 24, 1998 at 12:00 am.