Digital Home Thoughts - News & Reviews for the Digital Home

Be sure to register in our forums and post your comments - we want to hear from you!


Zune Thoughts

Loading feed...

Apple Thoughts

Loading feed...

Laptop Thoughts

Loading feed...





All posts tagged "webcam"


Friday, January 6, 2012

Logitech Lets You Skype In HD

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 02:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/05/...-skype-on-sale/

"If you were impressed by Logitech's C910 back in June, you may want to take a gander at the newly unveiled HD Pro 920. While it's the first webcam to offer 1080p video chatting with the latest version of Skype, the C920 can also capture 1080p video while offering 720p for Windows Live Messenger."

Is that a smudge on your friend's face? HD video chatting allows others to see the pores on your face with such clarity and detail that it is a wonder that everybody already does not already do it. Having used numerous webcams in the past, I have to say that if you want high detailed chatting, go for a high quality webcam. The cheap ones tend to use your CPU much more and never seem to offer good colour reproduction. The only other question I have is with all the interest with smartphones and tablets that have built-in webcams, is there enough of a market in desktops that these webcams still sell?


Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Put That Webcam To Good Use: Home Security

Posted by Brad Wasson in "Digital Home Talk" @ 05:00 PM

http://onesite.thoughtsmedia.com/?o...form(posting)=&

"Cammster doesn't require a download or special software, and works in all browsers and platforms. Just sign up for a free account, and when you leave home, leave Cammster open in a browser window. Select the level of motion sensitivity you want to trigger the service to start taking pictures, and walk away. If motion is detected that exceeds the threshold, the service will start taking snapshots and email you with a link where you can see the images as they're uploaded."

Webcams are pretty common these days. Many monitors come with them built in, and they are not very expensive to add as a USB plug-in if you need one. How often does it get used though? For most people it almost certainly has zero use when no one is home. That could all change if you would like to consider using it for a little home security detail. Cammster is a software application that works in all browsers on all platforms. The typical Cammster use scenario is that you leave your dwelling with the computer turned on, the webcam connected to the Internet, and the Cammster program running. If movement is detected in the field of view of the webcam, the program will take photographs with the webcam and will save the pictures to the Cammster site. You can then be notified by SMS (text messaging) and/or email that a pictures have been taken due to motion being detected. Note that motion detection sensitivity can be set to take into account pet or other object movement. Pricing for the service varies depending on how you choose to get notified (e-mail alerts are temporarily free).


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Webcams for Hi-Def Video Chat

Posted by Reid Kistler in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 05:30 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/28/...ke-on-logitech/

"[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?


Thursday, February 18, 2010

Public Schools are Watching You. They See Your Every Move.

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 02:30 PM

http://consumerist.com/2010/02/publ...e-included.html

"The lawsuit claims that the school district used a webcam shot as evidence of mysterious "improper behavior" at home on the part of the student. The high school's vice president confirmed to the parents that the school district can remotely activate webcams to spy on students."

Issues about privacy on the Internet have been making the rounds again. There is the site PleaseRobMe.com, which scrapes Twitter posts to find out who is not at home, and now there is news of how some school provided laptops have spyware installed, allowing officials to see what their students are doing through the laptop's webcam. At the moment, I think these are just accusations and there is no conclusive proof outside of an ambiguous statement by the school president. While I know that the technology exists for schools to do this, there are a wealth of reasons why doing so could open them up to a lot bucket truck load googolplex of litigation. Especially if they caught one of their students changing; Remember, these are minors. There is the flip side, being to what extent should publicly subsidized equipment be monitored? Do schools have the right to make sure their hardware is being treated properly and not used to surf questionable content? Would we be seeing the same brouhaha if all they monitored was Internet traffic? Is that any different than a parent monitoring their children through web tracking software?


Sunday, February 15, 2009

HP Mini 2140 Webcam a Huge Improvement Over the Mini 1000

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 10:00 PM

http://www.notebooks.com/2009/02/12...ni-2140-webcam/

"I’m a big fan of the HP Mini 1000 and it earned our first Editor’s Choice award, but the quality of its built-in webcam is a weak point. The Mini 2140 has a similarly spec’d webcam, but it delivers a dramatically better image than the one found in the Mini 1000. The Mini 1000’s webcam has a dark filter in front of it that doesn’t let enough light through."

If the only difference between the 1000 and 2140 cameras is the filter, then it is pretty obvious that the filter makes a huge difference. However, I'm curious if HP actually included a better quality, if similarly spec'd camera in the 2140.


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

New Webcam from Microsoft is Extra Bendy

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 04:00 PM

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/may08/05-13NewLifeCams08PR.mspx?rss_fdn=Press Releases

"Today, Microsoft Corp. reshapes the webcam experience with the LifeCam VX-5000, a webcam with a unique bendable attachment base that molds to virtually any surface — from a notebook to a desktop — so users can take it anywhere. For personalized flair, the LifeCam VX-5000 features a brightly colored ring around the front of the webcam in the colors Cool Blue, Lucky Green and Fire Red, allowing consumers to choose their favorite to suit their style. To complement the fresh, new look, the LifeCam VX-5000 features MSN Photo Swap, a special feature that lets consumers share digital photos in midvideo conversation and see real-time reactions as both callers view the pictures. The new webcam arrives just in time to help share summer vacation memories and keep consumers connected throughout the year."



The flexible base is an interesting idea. It looks like you can either use it freestanding as pictured, or bend it to mount on an LCD monitor. And as a plus, with some minor mods, it could substitute for the HAL 9000.

Tags: Microsoft, webcam

Featured Product

The Canon PowerShot S100 - The incredibly fun and small camera that offers you 12.1 megapixels with a bright f/2.0 lens and full 1080p video recording . MORE INFO

News Tip or Feedback?

Contact us

Thoughts Media Sites

Windows Phone Thoughts

Digital Home Thoughts

Zune Thoughts

Apple Thoughts

Laptop Thoughts

Android Thoughts

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...

Reviews & Articles

Loading feed...

News

Loading feed...