Communicate visually with Web cameras

Zatni Arbi, Columnist, The Jakarta Post

Tired of trying to type away at the speed of your thoughts when chatting over the Internet? Web cameras, or Webcams as they are more widely known today, may save your wrists from repetitive strain injury.

A Webcam is actually not very much different from an ordinary digital camera, or your everyday scanner, for that matter.

What it does is scan the world in front of it through its lens, capture the scanned images and send data into the computer.

The main difference between a digital camera and a Webcam is perhaps that the latter is designed especially for capturing moving images, which means that it will have to be able to capture a number of still images at regular intervals and send them to the host computer so that we can watch a video.

Each of these images is called a frame, and a good Webcam should be able to capture approximately 30 frames per second (fps) and send them to the computer, if possible, in real time.

Clearly a high-speed connection is then required between the camera and the computer.

In the past, a serial connection was the best that people could use. Today, however, most Webcams rely on the more user- friendly USB connection. Installation should be as easy as plugging in all the cables and installing all the software drivers and applications.

Serious Webcams should use the much faster FireWire connection, sometimes still known by its original name IEEE 1394.

If you have this port on your PC or Mac already, you can even use your video camera as the Webcam. Certainly it is also possible to connect the camera and the computer using a wireless connection with industry standards such as the Wi Fi (802.11b) or the Bluetooth.

Which Webcams are the best? One could mention the Xirlink IBM PC Camera Pro Max, Intel PC Camera Pro Pack, and the alien- looking iRez Kritter USB.

Their prices range from US$30 up to $150. More costly Webcams are also available, of course. Besides, as this category of products has started to gain momentum, the list could change overnight.

Webcam vendors have also come up with the practical idea of combining the functions of a portable digital camera with a Webcam.

Good examples are Creative Lab's Video Blaster Webcam Go, PC- CAM 300 and PC-CAM 600.

You can take any of them away with you as a pocket digital camera, snap a dozen shots, go back to your computer, plug in the cable and download the still pictures onto your computer.

While tethered to the computer, it can serve as a Webcam.

Are there more serious uses of the Webcams other than just capturing live videos? Certainly there are.

Surveillance can now be conducted over the Internet. For a demo, visit www.digitalsurveillancecenter.com. Do-it-yourself security software packages such as Gotcha (www.gotchanow.com) have also become available.

You can download Gotcha from the Web site for $70. A good source for wireless cameras would be X10 (www.x10.com).

What should you look out for?

First, like a pocket digital camera, a Webcam should be capable of capturing the best images with rich colors. Another feature to check for is the speed, measured in fps. It should be as close as possible to 30 fps. Third is of course the sturdiness of the device itself. Fourth, check the bundled collection of software. Many of them come with exciting games that might keep you from doing real work for quite a long time. Finally, some Webcams have extra features such as a built-in microphone, which may be a good thing to have as the camera and the microphone will remain aligned and the microphone will be directed toward you as long as your camera is capturing your face.

So, the next time you meet your old folks online via Yahoo Messenger or Microsoft NetMeeting, speak up and smile. Do not just type, since Smileys will not convey your true emotions.