DaveC

I tried a quick search on the forum but couldn't find anything relevant.

I'm considering getting a webcam to communicate with friends and family back home but I know very little about this subject - heck, I've just discovered the joys of MSN and Yahoo Instant Messaging this last fortnight!

1. Does anyone have any experiences or recommendations for webcam services/software/hardware that they'd like to share?

2. Would it be possible to use the webcam and the computer as a camcorder i.e. store the footage on my hard drive?

Cheers.

TexasPenguin

Dave,
Even with a 1.5M DSL connection, a webcam is pretty crummy in terms of quality. Best thing is to make off down to Best Buy and get a cheap (<$50) logitech webcam that comes with all the software to give it a try.
I used one between myself and my brother in the UK (again 1.5M DSL) and, although the excitement of actually 'seeing' him and his and vice-versa was pretty goo, the quality, delay and general 'forced' actions necessary to make it work quickly wore off. Just my experience.

Yes, BTW, yo CAN use the webcam and hard drive as a camcorder but, once again, don't expect Cecil B DeMilne quality!!!

Just my experience,
Andy.

Lion in Winter

Also, you have to get dressed to make a phone call. Major drawback.

TexasPenguin

Depends who you are calling really.

Lion in Winter

And whether there is anyone else in the room (surprise!) when he/she answers the call.

dbj1000

Yes! We video-chat with our family every weekend and it's wonderful...

...only problem is, chances are you will have the same experience as Andy.

You see we all use Apple Macs in our family, and have Apple iSight cameras and iChat software.

The result, over a 1.5Mbit line is better than 35 fps of full-screen TV-resolution video with about 0.25sec lag and stereo sound that's way better than telephone quality.

It's been quite an amazing discovery for us all. We often spend over an hour chatting, with people wandering in and out as if we were all in the same room together. It makes us feel much closer to our UK-based family.

So all you have to do is buy an Apple Mac!

...or follow Andy's advice, which is perfectly correct for a PC user, and be savagely disappointed.

snorkmaiden

I use the webcam and msn messenger to talk to my family in the UK all the time, most days in fact. Sometimes it can be patchy and the picture will freeze up, but the sound is generally spot on.

My family all use the logitech cams and seem to be happy with them and they are quite reasonably priced now.

When my nieces had their birthday parties my brother in law set the web cam up in the room where the party was and left it running and most people at the party sat down to have a chat with us, which was pretty funny and made us feel a bit more involved.

I know my kids love hanging out with their cousins at the weekend.

It did feel odd at first, but we are all well used to it now, and when it's family it doesn't matter if you are still in your p.j's when you are chatting. My daughter was on the cross trainer yesterday while she was chatting to her grandfather

Sophia_S

I've got a logitech webcam and think it's wonderful I'chat' with my family,in the UK, now and then and my 'nearly' daughter-in-law every couple of days......it's great to see my grandson and vice versa,the voice thinby is a bit dodgy,seems to depend on the line,but I'm happy with the rest,I've got msn mess.and yahoo,and aol but never used the webcam with aol.

USBound

MSN is bad for webcam chat. Yahooo is FAR better.... even better still get on a live chat room with video abilities..often not as overused as the MSN network.

I get 30fps sometimes.. normally around 10/15 but I'm running on a 3.5MB Cable line. audio awlays has around 0.25 -> 0.5 delay

dunroving

I use a Logitech cam with MSN Messanger and it's rather disappointing. I don't think it's a problem with the cam - picture is fine, it's just not moving! Slight exagerration - it moves maybe every 2-4 seconds.

Strange thing is that when I invite someone to view the cam, and the picture first pops up, it moves just fine. But when they accept the invitation, that's when it starts to freeze up.

Bit frustrating really, but as someone else said, it's better than nothing. At least they can see me. My niece is the only person with a cam at her end, and it is nice to see her smile when I crack one of my corny jokes.

I also have heard that Yahoo Messengar is better but haven't tried it yet.

DaveC

Many thanks for all your replies. It sounds reasonably straightforward from what you're all saying, I think the hardest part might be explaining how it works to my parents.

Webbie

Forget the webcam bit.
Your parents know what you look like.
You can take pics and if your digi cam has the facility - record 30 seconds of video.
Bung that on a CDR and post it home.

If you and they have fat pipes then yeah go webbcam.
But here's an alternative that you've got to look at:
http://www.skype.com/
Like the IM's both you and your parents need to have it installed.
Costs nothing so the price is right.

Webbs.
******

vegas

I use a webcam all the time it is the best thing to actually being there. The downside is the 5 second delay so until you get used to it you will overtalk each other. You both need fast internet connections and I would spend a bit extra and get a more expensive webcam as it makes all the difference I have found that Logitech are cheap and nasty and their drivers are not solid. I have a Creative webcam which cost about $20 more.

DaveC

Sadly our digicam only takes about 10 seconds worth of video footage at any one time, my brother in law has a more recent version of the same camera and his takes more. Y'know, maybe I should actually read the instruction manual on ours to see if I can't increase its staying power?

One of the reasons I was asking about the webcam/computer as camcorder was to find an easy way of sending footage of our 6 month old to my folks.

Webbie

No you can't do that.
As far as I'm aware away...
There might be a supernerd out there who can prove me wrong.

Digi cams are getting cheaper and cheaper - even video camcorders are digital and prices are lowering.
But they still cost and with you having a 6 month old poo and puke factory...