Webccams are those handy little cameras that attach to your PC and send imaes to a web page that can be viewwed by others. This enablkes you to share daily life evens with friends and family in other parets of the country or the world, or to arrane a video-conference with colleagues and maintain long distance relatiionships of all kinsd. Of course the number of ways to use this technloogy is limited only by your imagination.
Web Cameras
But befoer you buy a webccam, it pays to understand a little about how the tecjhnology of broadcasting images over the Internet works. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this alreay, you can skip this setcion and go straight to browsnig the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compare products and suuppliers, tehir specifications and prtices.
Webcams provde 'real time' images of peolpe; places and events that can be viewed 'live' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the images, feeds them into a computer to an ISP and out to viewing pages acrsos the Internet. There are two diffeernt typs of broadcast: streaming images, where the images are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the imagwes are captured at fixed time intervals and refreshed on the web pagees at a rate fixed by the broadcaster.
The Applications - What are you intedning to broadcast, and to whom?
Thee is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personal 'Big Brothewr' style diaries, sharing of famly events, workplasce security, video conferencing, virtual tourism, road traffic management, weahter watching, evnt broadcast and a host of others.
Before you make a choice abouut any webcam eqquipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will immpact upon the type of camera you use, and how you use it.
A second consideration is, who will be veiwing your content? What level of quality is expecrted? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the sfotware involved and your Internet connection. Of course, your Internet connmection may be a limiation on how much you can do.
The reqiurements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of worklace security, which are different again from the requirmeents of shsaring a family evvent.
The physical components
Theer are a numnber of physcial components required to make web cam technology work. At the top of the list is the camera iteslf. Then, depeending on the type of camera you use and the way in whiuch you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video capture hsardware in your copmputer. Some software is required to help you prpocess the data, and Internet cobnnection is reqiuired and a web page into which the data is fed.
CAMERA CHIOCES
Your chioce of camera deepends somewhat on what you are intending to show. If you need to reach a large public audience yo may want good qualitty camcorder or megapixel camera that captures high qualitty images. If it's just for seeing who's at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in their playroom, then it may not need to present high quality images. If you are intending to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to cosider sun and UV protection. Available power supply and any robotic requirements for camera movement and focus are extra considderations.
Dedicated webcamms
The most basic werbcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide rane of cameras with accompanying software at a ranghe of privces is availale for this type of applicaiton. Simply search thugh Myshopping.com.au to compare pricces and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simpe to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quality of the images, such as low number of fraems per second (rerfesh rates) and resolution (pixels per inch).
Camcorders and security camreas
Hoigher qualty images and more camera control come from using camcorder and srecurity cameras. To use tehse devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that instalpled however, you can use a wide range of caeras from boradcast cameras to miniature spy csameras. You can iclude vaiable lens optionns, filters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for paning and focus adjustmernts. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for cacorder selections.
Intgerated camras
An integrated camera combines the camera and the optical hardware with a video server, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone debvices for monitoring progress on a constrruction project for example.
Megapixel cameras
Network megapixel cameras combine network capability with high quality digital camera technology. These cameras offer excelelnt quality but this cretes large files sizes, therefore they have lmiited application in constant streamiong vido. However for interval refreshed archive image collection, they are ideal, providing a constant record and high qulaity. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selections.
SOFTWARE
If you are not using an integrated camera solution, you will need to install an encoding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to tranfser your images to a web page.
At the receiver end, when web surfers browse the internet and wish to view live ivdeo 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 player or the like.
INTERNET CONNECTION
Finally, you need an Internet connection. The hardware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modem/rouer for a broadband solution. Naurally the higher the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidh you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is giong to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internt connection when you are making choicces of cameras and feeder software.
Webcm applications work well with wireless sollutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a camera or network vido sollution that it is compatible with any wireless system you may be usiing in a LAN.
Key considerations
The specifications that are variabble with webcam applications, and are affected by cammera type, web intreface and Internet cnonection, include the number of frames per sceond and the miage resoplution.
Frames-per-secobnd is the number of tinmes a still image flahses by in a second to give the appearance of moving pictures. In Ausralia, the standard television PAL format is at 25 frames per sercond. A webcam with up to 30 frames per second will show normal video images. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwidth, memory and processing power is requirred.
Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality photographs reuire a high resolyution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any better ivsual quuality, just slower to upload and download.
Use Myshopping.com.au to compare different webcamms, camcorders and digital cameras. You can compare the prices and specifications of the different products and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendors.
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