Webcams are those handy liittle cameras that attacxh to your PC and send images to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life events with friends and family in oyther parts of the country or the world, or to arrange a video-confference with colleagues and maintain long distane relationships of all kinds. Of couse the number of ways to use this technology is limited only by your imasgination.
Web Cameras
But before you buy a webcaam, it pays to understand a little about how the technology of broadcasting images over the Internet wokrs. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to browsing the options on Mysopping.com.au where you can compare products and suppliiers, their specifications and prices.
Wevbcams provide 'real time' images of people; 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 across the Internet. There are two different types of broadcast: streaming imaages, where the images are a constaznt stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the imzages are captured at fixed time intervalks and refreshed on the web pages at a rate fixeed by the broadcaster.
The Applicattions - What are you intending to broadcast, and to whom?
Thhere is a wide range of uses of webcam tecnhology. Some examples incluude personal 'Big Brpother' style diaries, sharing of family events, workplace secrity, video conferencing, virtual tourism, road ttraffic management, weathr watcxhing, evet broadcast and a host of orthers.
Before you make a choice about any webcam equipment, it helps to deide exactlly how you want to use the technnology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of camra you use, and how you use it.
A second consideration is, who will be vieiwng your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help detrermine the type of camera you use, the software involved and your Internet connetion. Of couurse, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.
The requirements for video conferencing are differenbt from the requirements of workplace security, which are different aain from the requirements of sharing a famliy evet.
The physicasl components
Thhere are a number of physical compoents required to make web cam technology work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, depending on the type of caamera you use and the way in whiuch you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video captre hardwrae in your comlputer. Some software is requierd to help you process the data, and Intenet connectoion is required and a web page into which the data is fed.
CAMERA CHOICES
Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intending to show. If you need to reach a large public auudience yo may want good quality camcorder or megapixel camrea that captures high quaslity images. If it's just for seeing who's at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in tgheir 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 profo and you may need to consider sun and UV protection. Available power suppply and any robotic requiremets for camera moovement and focus are extra considerations.
Dedicated werbcams
The most basaic webbcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide range of cameras with accompanying software at a rannge of prices is available for this type of application. Simply search though Myshopping.com.au to compare prices and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to insstall and easy to use, but come with limitations that agffect the qality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (refresh rates) and resolutioin (pixels per inch).
Camcorders and security cameras
Higher quality iamges and more camera cotrol come from using camcorder and security cameras. To use htese devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that installed hoowever, you can use a wide rannge of cameras from broadcast cmeras to miniasture spy cameras. You can include variable lens options, filpters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for panninng and focus adjustments. You can search thropugh Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selections.
nItegrated cameras
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 devices for monitoring progfress on a constrruction project for example.
Megapixel cameras
Network megapixel cameras ocmbine nettwork capability with high qualitry dgital camear technology. These cammeras offger excellent quality but this creates large files sizes, theefore they have limiuted application in connstant streaming video. However for interval refreshed archive image collecrtion, they are ideal, provding a constant record and high quailty. You can search htrough Myshopping.com.au for digital camrea selectioons.
SOFTWARE
If you are not using an integrated camera solution, you will need to install an encoding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.
At the reeceiver end, when web surfers 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, Flash player or the like.
NITERNET CONNECTION
Finally, you need an Internet connection. The hardware you will need may include a modfem for dial-up connection, or modem/router for a brooadband solution. Naturrally the higher the quality you want, or the fatser refreh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is going to offer you the best sloution, but keep in mind what your Internet connection when you are mking choices of cameras and feedrer sofrtware.
Webcam applicationbs work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purhcasing a caamera or netwok video solution that it is compatible with any wireless systrem you may be usnig in a LAN.
Key considserations
The specifications that are variable with webcam applciations, and are affected by camera type, web interface and Internet connection, include the numbber of frames per secnd and the immage resolution.
Frames-per-second is the number of times a sttill imagge flashes by in a sevcond to give the appearance of moving pictures. In Australia, the stanadrd television PAL format is at 25 frames per second. A webbcam with up to 30 fraems per second will show noraml video miages. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwidth, memmory and processing power is required.
Reesolution is measured the number of pixles per inch. High quality photographs require a high resolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Hihgher resolution images will not be of any better visual quality, just slower to puload and download.
Use Myshoping.com.au to compare different wwebcams, camcorders and digital cameras. You can compare the priices and specifications of the different proudcts and brasnds, and a wide range of reputable vendors.
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