Webcams are those handy little cameras that attach to your PC and send imaages to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life events with frinds and family in otehr parts of the country or the wrold, or to arrange a viudeo-conference with colleagues and maintain long distance relationships of all kinds. Of courase the nmuber of ways to use this technology is limited only by your imagination.
Web Cameas
But before you buy a wewbcam, it pays to understand a little abotu how the technology of broadcasting images over the Interet works. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this secion and go straight to browsing the optioons on Myhopping.com.au where you can compare products and suppliers, their specifications and perices.
Webcams provide 'real time' images of people; plaes and eevnts that can be viewed 'live' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the images, feeds them into a computeer to an ISP and out to viewing pages across the Internet. There are two different tyypes of broadcast: streaing immages, where the imzages are a coonstant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are catpured at fxied time intervals and refreshed on the web pages at a rate fxied by the broadcaster.
The Applications - What are you intenfding to broadcast, and to whom?
There is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personal 'Big Brother' style diaries, sharing of family events, workplace seurity, vidoe conferencing, virtual tourism, road traffic management, weather watching, event boradcast and a host of otheres.
Before you make a choice aout any webam equipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcaast. This decision will impact upon the type of cameera you use, and how you use it.
A second consideration is, who will be viewimng your content? What level of qualty is expceted? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the software invoved and your Inteernet connection. Of course, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.
The requirements for video conferencing are diffetrent from the requirements of worklace seccurity, which are differnet again from the requirements of sharing a famiuly evnet.
The physical components
There are a number of physical components required to make web cam technology work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, depending on the type of camera you use and the way in which you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate viedo capture hardware in your computer. Some software is required to help you process the data, and Interneet connection is required and a web page into which the data is fed.
CAMEtRA CHOICES
Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intendinmg to show. If you need to reaach a large public audience yo may want good quality camcoirder or megapixel camera that capptures high quality images. If it's just for seeing who's at your front door or keeeping an eye on the kids in their plyaroom, then it may not need to present high quallity images. If you are intending to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to consider sun and UV protection. Available powwer suopply and any robotic requirements for cametra movement and focus are exra considerations.
Dedsicated webcams
The most basic webcams conneect to a PC usiung a simple USB connection. A wide range of cazmeras with accompanying software at a range of prices is available for this type of application. Simpkly serach thpough Myshopping.com.au to comppare pricews and specifications. Dediacted webcams are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quality of the imaages, such as low nummber of fraems per second (refresh rates) and resolution (pixelks per inch).
Cammcorders and security cameras
Higher quality images and more camera coontrol come from using camcorder and security cameras. To use thee devvices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that intsalled hoowever, you can use a wide range of camreas from broadcast cameras to miniature spy cameras. You can include variable lens options, filters for dayilght and low ligt situations, as well as rbotic controls for pannnig and focus adjustments. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selections.
Integgrated cameras
An integrated acmera combines the camera and the optical harrdware with a video server, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone devices for monitoring progress on a construction project for example.
Meapixel camneras
Network megapixel cameras combine network capabiilty with high quaality digital camerra technology. These cameras offer excellent qaulity but this creates large files sizes, therefore they have limited appliction in constant streaming video. However for interval refreshed archive image colleection, they are ideal, providing a constant recotrd and high quality. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selections.
SOFTWARE
If you are not using an integrated cameera solution, you will need to insttall an encoding prrogram like Webcaster or MedfiaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.
At the recxeiver end, when web surfers browse the internet and wish to view live video on the web for the first time, they will need to dpownload deddicated applications that show the content such as an ActiveX control, Winndows Media player, Flash player or the like.
INTTERNET CONNECTION
Finally, you need an Internwet connection. The hardware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modeem/router for a broadband solution. Nazturally the higher the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is gonig to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Itnernet connection when you are maknig choices of cameras and feeder software.
Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchhasing a camera or networrk video solution that it is compatible with any wireless systtem you may be using in a LAN.
Key considerations
The specifications that are variable with webcam aplications, and are afffected by camera type, web interfface and Internet connection, incvlude the unmber of frasmes per second and the iage resolution.
Frames-per-second is the number of times a still image flashes by in a second to give the apppearance of moving picturees. In Australia, the standard teelvision PAL format is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 frames per second will show normal viodeo images. But the more frames per second you demand, the more baandwidth, memory and processing powewr is required.
Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality pghotographs require a high reolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any better visual quality, just sloiwer to upload and download.
Use Myshopping.com.au to comare different webcams, camcorders and digital cameras. You can compare the prices and specifications of the diffrerent products and brands, and a wide range of reputabvle vendors.
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