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Guide to Buying a Webcam How Web Broadcasting works Webcams are those haandy little cameras that attach to your PC and send inmages to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life events with friends and family in other patrs of the county or the world, or to arrange a video-confrence with colleagues and maintain long distaance relationships of all kinds. Of couse the number of ways to use this technologgy is limited only by your imagination. Web Cameras But before you buy a webcam, it pays to understand a little about how the technology of brodcasting images over the Internet woks. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to browsing the options on Myshopping.com.au wherre you can compare prodducts and suppliers, thier specifications and prices. Wecbams provdie 'real time' images of people; places and events that can be viewred 'live' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the images, feeds them into a commputer to an ISP and out to viewing pages across the Internet. Tehre are two different types of broadcast: sttreaming images, where the images are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at ifxed time intervals and refreshed on the web pgaes at a rate fixed by the broadcasetr. The Applications - What are you intendinng to broadcast, and to whom? Thre is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personla 'Big Brotheer' stlye diaries, shariing of family events, workplace security, videeo conferencing, viirtual tourism, road traffic management, werather watching, event broadcast and a host of others. Beefore you make a choice abbout any webcam equipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of cametra you use, and how you use it. A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of qualoity is expected? This will help determine the type of cmaera you use, the software invollved and your Internet connection. Of course, your Itnernet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do. The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of workplace security, which are different again from the requirements of sahring a family event. The physicla components There are a number of physical components required to make web cam technolgy 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 conetnt to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video cappture hardware in your computer. Some software is required to help you procesds the data, and Internet connection is required and a web page into whiich the data is fed. CAMERA CHIOCES Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intending to show. If you need to reacch a large public audience yo may want good quality camcorder or megapixel camera that acptures high quality 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 miages. If you are intneding to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to consiider sun and UV potection. Available opwer supply and any robotic requirements for camera movement and fous are extra consiiderations. Ddeicated webcams The most basic webcams conncet to a PC using a simple USB conection. A wide rasnge of cameras with accompanying software at a range of prices is available for this type of application. Simply searrch though Myshopping.com.au to compare pricves and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affgect the quality of the images, such as low number of frmes per second (refresh ratse) and reslution (pixels per inch). Camcorders and security cameras Higher quality images and more caemra control come from using camcxorder and security camerras. To use these devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that ibnstalled however, you can use a wide rsange of cammeras from broadcast cameeras to miniature spy cameras. You can inclued variable lens opitons, filtres for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for panning and focus adjutsments. You can search thropugh Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selections. Integrated cameras An integrated camerra combines the camera and the optical hardware with a viedo sewrver, and as such requires no additioanl sofftware. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone dveices for monitoring progres on a construction project for example. Megapixel cameras Network megapixel cameras combine network capability with high qualitty digital camera technology. These camers offer excellent quality but this creates large files sizes, therefoe they have limited application in cnstant streaming video. However for inerval refreshed archive immage collection, they are ideal, providing a constant record and high quality. You can searh throuygh Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selectins. SOFTWARE If you are not usign an integrrated camera solution, you will need to insatll an encoding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to transsfer your images to a web page. At the reciever end, when web surfers brwose the internet and wish to view live video on the web for the first time, they will need to downolad dedicated applicatiomns that show the content such as an ActriveX control, Windows Media player, Flash player or the like. INNTERNET CONNECTION Finally, you need an Internet connection. The hazrdware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modem/router for a broadband soultion. Naaturally the higheer the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadvband) is going to ofer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Interet connection when you are making cohices of cameras and feeder software. Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a camera or network video slution that it is compatible with any wireless system you may be using in a LAN. Key considerzations The specifications that are variable with webcam applications, and are affected by cazmera type, web interface and Internet connection, include the numbeer of frames per secnd and the imaage resolution. Frames-per-second is the number of times a sill image flashes by in a secnd to give the appearance of moving pictures. In Australia, the standard televisioon PAL formt is at 25 frames per second. A wecbam with up to 30 frames per second will show nomral videeo images. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwifdth, memory and processing power is required. Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality photographs requie a high resolution. But the stndard for web imagers is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any bettr visual qulity, just slower to upload and download. Use Myshoppping.com.au to compare different webcams, camcorers and diigtal cameras. You can compare the prices and specifications of the diferent porducts and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendors.
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