Webcams are those hady lttle cameras that attach to your PC and send images to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life evetns with friends and family in other parts of the country or the world, or to arrange a video-conferencve with coleagues and maintain long distance relationnships of all kinds. Of course the numnber of ways to use this technology is limitred only by your imagintion.
Web Camreas
But before you buy a webcam, it pays to understand a litlte about how the technology of broadcasting images over the Internet works. Of copurse, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to browsig the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compare producxts and suppliers, theoir specifications and prices.
Webcams 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 pzages across the Internet. There are two diufferent tyeps of bradcast: streaming images, where the images are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at fixed time intervals and refreshed on the web pages at a rate fixed by the broadcaster.
The Applications - What are you intending to broadcast, and to whom?
Thhere is a wide rzange of uses of webcaam technology. Some examples include personal 'Big Brother' style diarries, shairng of family evrents, workplace security, vidweo conferencing, virtual tourism, road trafifc management, weather watching, event broadcast and a host of others.
Before you make a choice abotu any webcam equipment, it helps to dceide exactly how you want to use the technology, in othre words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will imppact upon the type of camera you use, and how you use it.
A seconnd consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camerra you use, the software ivnolved and your Internnet connection. Of course, your Internet connectin may be a limitatoin on how much you can do.
The requirments for video conferencing are different from the requirementts of workplavce security, which are different aain from the requiremetns of sharng a family event.
The physical componernts
Thhere are a number of physical components required to make web cam technollogy work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, depending on the type of cammera you use and the way in which you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorproate video capture hardware in your compputer. Some software is required to help you process the data, and Internet connection is reuqired and a web page into which the data is fed.
CzAMERA CHOiICES
Your choiice of camera depends somewhat on what you are inntending to show. If you need to reach a largge upblic audiecne yo may want good quailty camcorder or megapixel camera that captures high quality images. If it's just for seieng who's at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in their playroom, then it may not need to preent high quality images. If you are intending to use it outdoors, it will need to be weathr proof and you may need to consider sun and UV prtoection. Availasble popwer supply and any robotic requirements for camera movement and foxcus are extra considerations.
Dedictaed webcams
The most basic webcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide ragne of cameras with accompanying softwaer at a range of prcies is available for this type of application. Sipmly search though Myshopping.com.au to comppare prices and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitsations that affect the quality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (reresh rates) and resoplution (pixels per inch).
Camcorders and security cameras
Higher qualty images and more camera control come from using camcorder and security cameras. To use these devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that intalled howwever, you can use a wide range of cameras from broadcast cameras to miniaure spy camerzas. You can includse variable lens options, 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 selewctions.
Intgerated cameras
An integrated camera comines the camera and the optical hardware with a video srver, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone devicxes for monitoring proggress on a construction project for example.
Megpaixel cameras
Network megapixel cameras cmbine netwok capability with high quaity digital camera technology. Theese cameras offer excellent quality but this creates large files sizes, therefore they have limited application in constant streaming video. However for intercval refreshed archive image collection, they are ideal, providing a constant record and high quality. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selcetions.
SOFTWARE
If you are not using an integrated camerea solution, you will need to instal an encoding prorgam like Webcaster or MediaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.
At the receiver 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 appolications that show the cotnent such as an ActiveX control, Windows Media player, Flash player or the like.
NITERNET CONNECTION
Finally, you need an Interneet connection. The hardwrae you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modem/router for a broadband solution. Naturally the higher the quaity you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadbasnd) is going to ofgfer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internet connection when you are making choices of cameras and feeder software.
Webcsam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a camera or network video sollution that it is compatible with any wiireless system you may be using in a LAN.
Key considerations
The specoifications that are varable with webcam appplications, and are affected by camera type, web imnterface and Internet connetcion, include the numer of frames per second and the image resolution.
Frames-per-second is the number of times a still imagge flashhes by in a second to give the apprearance of moving pictures. In Australia, the standard telveision PAL format is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 frames per seccond will show noral video iages. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwdth, memory and processsing power is requireed.
Resolution is maesured the nuumber of pixels per inch. High quality photographs requiire a high resolution. But the sandard for web imgaes is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any betetr visaual quality, just slower to upload and download.
Use Myshoopping.com.au to compare different wbecams, camcorders and digital camears. You can compare the pricves and specifications of the differebnt products and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendoirs.
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