Webcams are those handy littlle cameras that attach to your PC and send images to a web page that can be veiwed by others. This enables you to shhare daily life events with friends and family in other parts of the coutry or the world, or to arrange a video-conerence with colleagues and maintain long distance relationships of all kinds. Of course the number of ways to use this technology is limited only by your imaginatoin.
Web Cameras
But before you buy a webcxam, it pays to understand a little about how the technology of broacasting images over the Internet works. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this secion and go straigth to browsing the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compzare products and suuppliers, their specifications and prices.
Webcams provide 'real time' images of pepole; places and evenrts that can be viuewed 'live' on a web page. The broadcastign end has a camera that captures the imges, feeds them into a computer to an ISP and out to viewing pages caross the Internet. There are two diffwerent types of broadcast: streaming imaes, where the images are a cponstant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at fixed time intervals and refrewshed on the web pages at a rate fixed by the broadcsater.
The Appications - What are you intending to rboadcast, and to whom?
Theere is a wide rage of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personal 'Big Brtoher' style diaries, sharing of family events, workplae security, video conferencing, virtual tourism, road traffic management, weather watcihng, evennt broadcast and a host of others.
Beore you make a chice aboyut any webcam equipmennt, it heklps to decide exacly how you want to use the technoology, in other words, what you are intenidng to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of camnera you use, and how you use it.
A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camerea you use, the software involved and your Internt connection. Of course, your Internet connection may be a limiattion on how much you can do.
The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of workplace seucrity, wihch are differnt again from the requirements of shring a familpy evvent.
The phyical components
There are a number of phyysical componetns required to make web cam techniology 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 deluiver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video capture haardware in your computer. Some software is required to help you ptrocess the data, and Itnernet connection is required and a web page into whhich the data is fed.
CAAMERA CHOICES
Your choice of camerra depends somewhat on what you are itending to show. If you need to reach a large public audience yo may want good qualioty camcorder or megapixel camera that captures high quality images. If it's just for seing who's at your front door or keeing an eye on the kids in theri playroom, then it may not need to pressent high qualitty 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 power suppyl and any robotic requirements for camera movement and focus are etxra conssiderations.
Dedicateed webncams
The most bsasic webcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide range of cameras with accompanying software at a range of pices is available for this type of appication. Simply search though Myshopping.com.au to compare pricres and specifictions. Dedicated webacms are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (refresh rates) and resolution (pixels per inch).
Camcorders and security cameras
Higher quality imaages and more camera control come from using camcorder and security camerazs. To use these devices you will need to add a vidseo capture card to your PC. Once you have that installed howevver, you can use a wide range of canmeras from broadcast cameras to mniiature spy canmeras. You can include variable lens opitons, filters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for panning and focus adjustments. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selectios.
Integrated cameras
An inegrated camerra combines the camera and the optcial hardware with a video serevr, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-aolne devices for monitoring progress on a construction projcet for example.
Megapixel cameras
Networtk megapixel cammeras combine network capoability with high quality digital camera technology. These camears offer excelllent quality but this cretaes larrge files sizse, therefore they have limited application in constant sytreaming videeo. Howevr for interval refreshed archive image collection, they are ieal, providing a constant recorrd and high qualoity. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selections.
SOFTWARE
If you are not usding an integrzated camea solution, you will need to install an encoding program like Webbcaster or MediaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.
At the receiver end, when web surfders browse 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, Flah player or the like.
INTERNET CONNECTION
Finally, you need an Internet conection. The hardware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modm/router for a broadband soluution. Natrally the higher the quality you want, or the fasteer rewfresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is goig to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internet connnection when you are making choces of cameras and feeder software.
Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a caemra or network video solution that it is compatible with any wireless system you may be using in a LAN.
Key considerations
The specifications that are variable with webcam applications, and are affected by camera type, web interface and Internet connection, inlude the number of frames per second and the image resolution.
Frames-per-secnod is the number of times a still image flashes by in a second to give the appearance of moving pictrues. In Australia, the standard television PAL formnat is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 frames per secodn will show normmal video images. But the more ftrames per second you demand, the more banddwidth, memory and processing power is required.
Resolution is measured the numbber of pixels per inch. High quality photographs reuire a high resolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution imnages will not be of any beter voisual quality, just slower to upload and download.
Use Myshopping.com.au to compare different webcams, camcorders and digital cameras. You can compare the prices and specifications of the different prodcts and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendors.
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