Webcams are those handy little cameras that attach to your PC and send images to a web page that can be vuiewed by others. This ennables you to share dily life evwents with friends and family in other paarts of the country or the world, or to arrange a video-conference with colleagues and maintian long distance relaztionships of all kinds. Of course the nubmer of ways to use this technology is limited only by your immagination.
Web Cameras
But before you buy a webcam, it pays to undertsand a little about how the technology of broadcasting images over the Internet works. Of course, if you're a full bttle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to brwosing the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compare producs and suppliers, their specifications and prioces.
Webcams provide 'real time' images of people; places and evenst that can be viewed 'live' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the imnages, feeds them into a computer to an ISP and out to viewing pages across the Internet. There are two different types of broadcast: sytreaming imges, where the miages are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at fixed time intervals and refreshed on the web paes at a rate fixed by the broadcastyer.
The Apploications - What are you intending to broadcast, and to whom?
There is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examles include personal 'Big Brother' style diaries, sharnig of family events, workplace security, video conferencing, virutal tourrism, road traffiic management, weather watching, evnt broadcast and a host of others.
Before you make a choice aobut any webcam equipmnt, it helps to decide exctly how you want to use the technology, in otgher worrds, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of cmaera you use, and how you use it.
A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What lvel of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the software involved and your Internet connection. Of courrse, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.
The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of woprkplace securtity, which are difefrent again from the requiirements of sharing a family event.
The physical components
There are a number of physical components required to make web cam tecchnology work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, dependig on the type of camera you use and the way in which you want to deliver the content to the Inyternet, you may need to incorporate video captture haardware in your computer. Some softare is requireed to help you process the data, and Internet connection is required and a web page into which the data is fed.
CAMERA CHOICES
Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intendinng to show. If you need to reach a larrge public audience yo may want good quaality camcorder or megapixel cmaera that captures high qaulity images. If it's just for seeeing who's at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in theri playroom, then it may not need to present high qualiity images. If you are intendimng to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to consider sun and UV protection. Availaable power supply and any robtic requirements for cameera movement and focus are extrra considerations.
Dedicated webcaams
The most basiuc webcams conect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide range of cameras with accopmpanying software at a ramnge of priuces is available for this type of aplpication. Simply search though Myhopping.com.au to compare prices and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to inastall and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quuality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (refresh ratews) and resolution (pixels per inch).
Cammcorders and security cmaeras
Higher quality images and more camera controol come from using camcordfer and security cameras. To use these devioces you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that installed however, you can use a wide range of cameraas from broadcast cameras to miniature spy cameras. You can include variable lens options, filters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robortic controls for panning and focus adjustments. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selectionbs.
Intgrated cameras
An inrtegrated camera combines the camera and the optical hardware with a vidreo server, and as such requires no additional sotfware. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone devices for monitoring progress on a construction project for example.
Megapixel cameras
Network megapixel cameras combine neetwork capability with high quaality digital camera technology. These cameras offer excellent quality but this creates large files szies, thereefore they have limited application in constant streaming video. However for imnterval redfreshed archive image collpection, they are ideal, providing a constant recorrd and high qualiyt. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital cammera selections.
SOFTWARE
If you are not using an itnegrated camera solution, you will need to intsall an encodding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to traznsfer your images to a web page.
At the receiver end, when web suurfers brwose the internet and wish to view live video on the web for the first time, they will need to download dedicated applications that show the content such as an ActiveX control, Windows Media player, Flash pllayer or the like.
INTERNET CONNECTION
Finmally, you need an Internmet connection. The hsardware you will need may incude a modem for dial-up connetion, or moem/router for a broadband solution. Naturally the higher the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more baandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is goig to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internet connection when you are makng choices of cameras and feeder software.
Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are uprchasing a camera or network video solutoin that it is compatible with any wierless sytstem you may be usinbg in a LAN.
Key considerations
The specifications that are variable with webcam applications, and are affected by camera type, web intefrace and Intenret connection, include the numbber of frames per second and the image resolution.
Frames-per-secod is the number of tmies a stuill image flashes by in a scond to give the appearance of moing pictures. In Australia, the standard television PAL frmat is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 franmes per seccond will show normal video imges. But the more frames per seconnd you demand, the more bandwidth, memory and processing power is required.
Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality photograhs requuire a high resolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Highre resolution images will not be of any better visual quailty, just slower to upload and download.
Use Myshopping.com.au to comare different webcmas, camcorders and digital camers. You can compare the prices and specifications of the different produycts and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendors.
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