The Real Deal

Have You Ever Wondered... Is that certain book really good? Does that product really work? So have I. From Indie authors and musicians to local products or nationally advertised, I can't tell you the countless products I've bought as seen on TV only to find out that they don't work at my house, the book was really a bunch of hype, the music was not what I had hoped for or a movie was a yawn. If you want an honest opinion, you will find it here. Although I do lots of book reviews, I also check out lots of other products and let you know if they really live up to their ads or their hype. Stay tuned, and check in often. You never know what I'm going to talk about next.

3.9.11

LIVE! From Your Computer to the World

Recently, a friend of mine asked me if I'd ever used Skype. At that point, I hadn't and didn't have much of an interest in being on camera. I think of myself as less than photogenic. My friend only lived across town, we could pick up the phone at any time. We didn't, and he isn't much on text messages either.

When I stumbled upon  LIVE! CAM, I thought, why not? The webcams on most computers and laptops are adequate for Skype, but I managed to get a laptop that didn't have one.  Truth is, I have relatives all over the country in different time zones and I rarely ever call any of them. LIVE! CAM came with a bit of software that allows users to easily share recorded videos on Facebook and YouTube all in HD quality.  Movie Creator, Touch Screen ready, and Visual/Voice affects, and you can create an avatar or add backgrounds to your video calls (I may surprise them with next time.)

If you have at least a dual-core processor, 2GB RAM, you will be able to video chat in HD 720p quality with most major instant messaging services. I decided to test it on Skype, but have plans to check into YouTube soon.

Installing the webcam was easy, I just followed the instructions as they came up on the monitor. Although the adjustable bracket seems to have been designed for a specific model of computer monitor, I secured it to mine with a little electrical tape. The wide-angle lens delivers amazingly clear image quality and, according to the box, captures 25% more in the frame. Even in low- light, my image is bright.

My friend commented on the microphone (extremely sensitive let him hear dogs barking in the neighborhood) and we couldn't get over the image quality. With one little lamp in the room, my image looked highly illuminated. He, on the other hand, had a lamp on right next to him and still looked like he was Skyping by firelight in a cave.

I move around a lot when I talk and gesture with my hands and every so often the camera would seem to blur. And then, the image would sharpen automatically. It took a few seconds for it to adjust, but the image became crystal clear. With a click of the button, you can also take stills.
While, I consider the many ways I can make use of this camera and software package, my friend is so impressed, he's going to get one too.

1 comment:

  1. Need to get one. Who knows? Could eventually move to a larger cave.

    j

    ReplyDelete