Web Cams
In this video from ITFreeTraining, I will look at webcams. As the name suggests, these cameras are used primarily for use as a video camera that can connect to the internet. This video will look at what to look for in a webcam and what to do if your video camera is not supported as a webcam.
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Webcams
A Webcam is essentially a video camera designed to stream video. Unlike other video cameras, it is designed with video chat in mind. So essentially, it is designed to be used when a person is directly in front of the camera and in close proximity to the camera.
There are a lot of different webcams on the market. The most basic is a webcam that provides video only. These are pretty hard to purchase now. Even the very basic webcams nowadays have built in microphones as well as recording video. Audio quality can vary quite a lot between different Webcams; however, you can always use an external microphone or headset if the audio quality is not good enough.
On the more expensive end, you can get webcams that have more control. For example, pan and zoom functions. Although most webcams are essentially designed with video conferencing in mind, it is possible to have a webcam that is designed to be used outside. For example, if you consider a camera that is being used to monitor traffic conditions, if it is connected to the internet, it would be considered a webcam. So, to put it simply, if it is a camera designed for video conferencing or can stream video over a network or the internet then it is a webcam.
I will now have a look at the basics of how webcams work to give you an idea of what to look for.
Webcam Basics
In order for a webcam to operate, it first needs a sensor to capture light that comes into the lens. In this example, you can see the PCB board inside the webcam. The sensor is under a plastic cover and, once removed, you can see the sensor underneath.
The sensor itself will be either a CMOS or CCD sensor. CCD is the older sensor type. Although first developed in the 70’s, it was not really a mature technology until the 90’s. The difference between CCD and CMOS is essentially the material used to make the sensor. CCD was easier to get to work, but the technology has now improved so that good CMOS sensors can be made. Nowadays you will find that most webcam sensors will be CMOS sensors. There are advantages to using either sensor, but at the end of the day a good quality sensor will perform better than a bad quality sensor.
To get an idea what kind of quality you can expect, the sensor will determine the resolution and quality the webcam supports. Looking at the resolution can be a little misleading. It is not uncommon, it actually happens more often than not, that the sensor will measure less resolution than the maximum supported resolution. To get the higher resolutions, the electronics in the device will use averaging and other upscaling techniques. When looking at webcams, the manufacturer may not release what kind of sensors the webcam uses. To get an idea, ask the salesperson to give you a demo or find some test footage on YouTube. There are plenty of people who give new webcams a test run and post videos showing their results.
For a lot of webcams, you will find that they generally use a plastic lens. Plastic lenses are cheap to make. You will find that they are used in a lot of mobile devices. Glass lenses make a difference, but with a good sensor, a plastic lens will also give you good results. Unless you start spending some big money, you most likely will have a plastic lens on the camera.
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References
“The Official CompTIA A+ Core Study Guide (Exam 220-1001)” Chapter X Section 5 Paragraph 230 - 239
“CompTIA A+ Certification exam guide. Tenth edition” Pages 416 – 417
“Webcam” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webcam
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“Picture: Sweex USB webcam PCB with without lens close up.jpg” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sw...
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Trainer: Austin Mason http://ITFreeTraining.com
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