Webcams???

[peppermint peppy]

Hiya folks,
I'm interested in who's using one or more webcams.
Background:
We've got friends in Seoul and it's a really pleasure to see them on and off.
Sure contact by phone is comfier but also more expensive.

Anybody else in here using a cam? What's your experience?

[Petermax]

I used a webcam to chat occasionally to a friend of mine who was living in Singapore. The first time that I tried this method of communication, it was very surreal indeed when my friend decided to give me a webcam guided tour of his apartment. This was easy to accomplish by means of his wireless connection and built in camera on the laptop. What followed next was hilarious as I was picked up and carried around the apartment before being perched on the balcony (10th floor!) and tilted downwards at a 90 degree angle! What an amazing 6000 mile out of body experience!

My friend has since moved to Japan, but we have plans for a few cyber drinking sessions once his connection is re-established.

[Moonraker]

Ming and I often (well, sometimes) chat via a webcam - indeed I have met her whole family this way! It is an amazing innovetion, and through Skype, totally without charge. I don't have a webcam as such, but use my digital camera instead.

[Julie2owlsdene]

We have a webcam, but unfortunately, all of my friends do not, so it has never been used. It must be an excellent way though of keeping in touch with friends and family who live over seas, to be able to see them, whilst chatting. The miles apart most seem no distance away at all.

[Bannerman65]

I also have a webcam. It's a Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000, and the images are really superb.

Unfortunately, I hardly ever use it, these days. And I didn't reinstall the webcam software, when I reinstalled my copy of Windows XP.

Also, within the next 2 and a half to 3 weeks, I'll be upgrading my computer, again. Nothing special. Just an extra 2GB of RAM, a Double Layer SATA DVD Burner, a 19" LCD monitor, and Windows Vista Home Premium.

[Keith Robinson]

I use a web cam every month to speak to my parents in England. I finally persuaded them to get hooked up after years of using the phone, and now they love it -- completely free and they get to see Lily (4) -- and it's just as important for Lily to see her grandparents in England too. It's been a big help, because when we went back to visit in May, she knew who they were before we got there -- otherwise they would been like strangers to her.

You need a fast connection though. It doesn't have to be super fast like the one I have in America, but it must be faster than basic dial-up. The problem I'm having at the moment is that my dad's computer has something wrong with it, and it's SLOW. I tried to fix it when I was visiting, but it's like something is chugging away in the background and every action you take is slow in responding. Naturally this affects the web cam badly. So a fast-ish connection is important, but equally (or more) important is a computer that runs smoothly. Even on my own machine, I tend to close everything that might be a drain on memory so as to get the best possible web cam experience. Otherwise the "choppiness" distracts you from the conversation.

One other thing. You have to fiddle with the microphone and speaker levels at both ends to avoid feedback. It's off-putting when I speak, and hear myself like an echo at the other end. I ask my parents to turn down their speakers a little, and it helps. The microphone should be as far away from the speakers as possible. It's all fairly logical stuff, but hard to explain to those who might not "get it," if you see what I mean!

[Bannerman65]

I only used my webcam, with friends. So far, I've never chatted to family members in different countries, over the Internet. Except for exchanging emails, I mean.

Before my present webcam, I used a Logitech Quickcam Express. I suspect that it's a budget model, since the images were really bad, even with a Pentium 4, 2GB of RAM, and a (reasonably) fast Broadband Internet access. The only time the image quality was better, was when I used it during the day, when the sun was coming in behind the webcam. But at night, when I was using the overhead light....

Before getting a Pentium 4 system, I was using a Pentium 3 system, and the motherboard limited RAM capacity, to 512MB. I also had dialup Internet, as well. Wasn't that bad, using the Quickcam Express. I wouldn't be able to use the Pro 9000 with my Pentium 3 system, even with Windows XP installed. Not with the minimum specifications needed for it.

As for microphones and speakers, the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000, has a built in microphone. Unfortunately, I haven't used it yet.

[Keith Robinson]

As for microphones and speakers, the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000, has a built in microphone...

My microphone is built in to the webcam too, but you can still the move the speakers away to avoid feedback/echo. In fact the best experience I had was when the person on the other end was using a headset. Obviously then his microphone didn't pick up the sound of my voice coming out of his speakers, so I didn't get the echo coming back at me.

[Bannerman65]

As for microphones and speakers, the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000, has a built in microphone...

My microphone is built in to the webcam too, but you can still the move the speakers away to avoid feedback/echo. In fact the best experience I had was when the person on the other end was using a headset. Obviously then his microphone didn't pick up the sound of my voice coming out of his speakers, so I didn't get the echo coming back at me.

My subwoofer is on the floor, Keith. And the 2 satellite speakers, are at the rear 2 corners of my desk. I'm using a 19" CRT monitor for now, and my webcam is on top of the monitor, so my webcam is at a reasonable distance away. It'll probably change, when I get the 19" LCD monitor, though. In which case, I most likely will have to reposition the 2 satellite speakers. Right now, I really want the Logitech Z-Cinema 2.1 speaker system. Unfortunately, the recommended retail price, is nearly $AUD500. Fortunately, one computer dealer I've been to, has cut their profit margins enough, to lower the price to $279. Still pretty much out of my reach, though.