Choosing a Webcam That Works Best For Your Needs

Whether it will be used for face-to-face meetings with high profile clients a world away, broadcasting of your own special talent on youtube or the like, or simply connecting with family and friends through the power of broadband, a webcam can be an invaluable tool, allowing connectivity unlimited by distances between individuals. While the webcam itself is quite a simple device, there are many different types offering different capabilities that should be considered when purchasing the one that suits your specific needs best.

A webcam is essentially a digital camera that can be connected to your computer through USB or even a firewire port. With USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 activity, images may be compressed and thus altered in order to deal with the speed limitations of USB interfacing, so firewire would be the best choice for those wanting highest quality images. Similarly to a digital camera, webcams are able to capture still images as well as video. The quality of still image capture is measured in megapixels, with higher quality webcams capturing at higher megapixel rates, but because of portability and their diminutive size, most hover around one to two megapixels. For higher megapixel still photo capturing, it is still best to simply grab your digital SLR. The rate at which a webcam captures frames is a more important specification to look for. Provided you are working with a high-speed connection (it would not make much sense to try webcam broadcasting without one), thirty frames per second will be provided by the higher cost cameras, while cheaper models may only provide capturing capability of ten to fifteen frames per second (fps). Of course, the higher number of frames, the more quality the video will look to the audience of your broadcast, however, this can also be affected by the service being used (Yahoo, Skype, etc) and current Internet traffic in your area. Another valuable option to look for in your camera is its ability to support audio transmission; whether it possesses an onboard microphone or not. Video resolution is also a concern, with higher priced cameras usually offering up to 640X480, where cheaper models usually only offer 320X240 (half the size, for those of you mathematically challenged). Low light situations will call for a camera with that capability as well, another preferred option.

As technology continues to advance, our world seemingly grows smaller and smaller. With webcam broadcast capability, your connectivity will be unlimited. Applications for business and other sectors are being expanded through research performed at innovative media companies like Whiteblox. Webcam broadcasting is only at its infancy, with its true potential yet to be exploited.

About the Author: Gregory Demetriades is Chief Executive Officer of Whiteblox, a leading provider of integrated broadband video solutions.

Broadband Streaming for More Effective Teaching

New innovations in technology are motivating new opportunities for learning and teaching within the global marketplace. No longer are teachers and students bound to classrooms or campuses, the Internet is opening doors and breaking down barriers for distance learning like never before. Specialized private instruction such as piano or other instrumental lessons, language, art, and a myriad of others are experiencing a boom of online success. Broadband solution providers, flexing the muscles of their research and development teams, are arriving at new and exciting ways for teachers to teach and students to learn, revolutionizing educative techniques and opportunities in the process.

One-on-one learning has been a mainstay in specialized education since its inception. Having an instructor available who can demonstrate and perform with accuracy the desired skill or talent is an invaluable tool for imitation, practice, and learning. Take a guitar teacher, for example; book learning can only achieve so much for the beginning player. Being able to see and hear a professional instructor, observing proper fingering and technique, can assist the student in achieving his or her goals much quicker than ever before. The instructional guitarist can upload video to his or her site, allowing student viewing, broadcast live sessions via live camera feeds, and interact with students via real-time connections over broadband. These advanced abilities can help a teacher tailor each lesson to each particular student, even if miles separate student from teacher. A student would then be able to view these live sessions again and again, by simply accessing them on their computer’s hard drive or streaming them from their teacher’s site in the future. With this ability to watch lessons repeatedly, the online teaching situation virtually surpasses face-to-face, private learning in many ways. Group lessons are also advantageous in many situations. Imagine an international, far-reaching improvisational acting seminar, with multiple students, playing off each other via personal webcams, though separated by oceans and thousands of miles. With technology provided by companies like Whiteblox, this is an achievable reality, with added features allowing for software providing translation or transcription ability, breaking down language barriers as well.

Broadband media video streaming and live camera technology are only in their infant stages of development. As innovative developers like Whiteblox continue to provide excellent tools, while continually developing and testing new ones, the education sector, both private and public, will be more willing to adapt and evolve methods and practicum to better suit their technology-savvy student bodies.

About the Author: Gregory Demetriades is Chief Executive Officer of Whiteblox, a leading provider of integrated broadband video solutions.