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.