Digital Home Thoughts: Webcams for Hi-Def Video Chat

"[I]t wasn't long ago that VGA was good enough for online chatting. No more, and with the release of SkypeHD going high-def is easier than ever. To find out which multi-megapixel movie maker you want to clip onto your display... we gathered three cameras at a range of prices. Two will work with some particularly advanced TVs, while the third cam shuns Skype, offsetting that shortcoming with a middle-ground price and superior video quality. Which is your ticket to HD chat bliss, and how do they all compare to plain 'ol VGA?"

If you are in the market for a Hi-def Video Chat Camera, Tim Stevens has posted an article that will help you get started at Engadget.com, looking at models from FaceVision (TouchCam N1), Freetalk (Everyman HD), and Logitech (HD Pro Webcam C910). The article is fairly brief, but it does a nice job of summarizing the advantages and disadvantages of each model, particularly as regards their use with the SkypeHD service. Furthermore - and in addition to a number of useful photographs - an included video shows the HD output from each of these cameras, along with a section shot at standard VGA for comparison. Alas, each of these models presents at least one inherent flaw: the Everyman HD lacks a built-in microphone, the TouchCam N1 is relatively expensive, and the C910 lacks an onboard decoder and is - apparently - not compatible with SkypeHD (Logitech does offer instructions for using the C910 with "Skype," and also provides its own free HD video chat software, VID HD). These are not the only choices available, but the article provides a nice starting point for making an informed purchase. If you use video chat, is this the right time to go Hi-def?