LOGITECH WEB CAMERA EXPRESS SOFTWARE
In addition to normal video recording, the software also allows different kinds of Web cams. If you want video conferencing to work, you’ll need to set up some illumination near your computer that targets your face. Learn from my mistakes, ye shadowy IT folk. I pointed the camera at the sofa in my office and it was clear and vibrant. I went nuts trying to figure out why the picture quality was so bad until I realized that the indirect, ambient lighting pattern I’d set up to minimize screen glare kept me in a perpetual shadow. The video software is fairly intuitive, although I think it could use a bit more hand-holding when it comes to adjusting the video quality. I’ve had more trouble preparing frozen pizzas. Software installation was point, click, OK, OK, reboot. The CD includes the drivers, Logitech’s video recording package, which includes a Web-broadcast option, and Microsoft Net Meeting. A focusing ring providing improved image quality and the attached 6-foot USB cable keeps the muss to a minimum. A screwed-in metal post, suitable for mounting the camera on a standard tripod, keeps the camera oriented vertically. It consists of a spherical camera with a triangular base. The Express is a classic, if not archetypical, Logitech QuickCam.
Opening the snazzy packaging, I found the camera, the software CD, and a few thin pamphlets. My dreams were finally going to be realized I could sleep in and not put on ties to go to work! I eagerly took home my toy with such joyous thoughts racing through my head. So you can imagine how happy I was when a pair of these cameras was handed out for testing. Not to mention, the widespread existence of residential cable modems and DSL put 256-Kb connections in reach to some 30 to 40 percent of the Internet community. Also, a 200-MHz computer costs about the same as a doorstop, and the Logitech QuickCam Express retails for $49.95. Of course, today, any decent modem connection provides some 56 Kb of bandwidth.
However, even with the advanced technology, we still wouldn’t have known anyone to call. If we had bought just a single, high-powered, 200-MHz computer rather than our individual computers, we may have been able to scrape together enough cash for a camera. Back in those dark ages, me and four other guys in my apartment building pooled our resources to put in a dual-channel ISDN connection and then ran Ethernet between our apartments. You would also need a costly digital video camera and a computer with oodles of processing power (at least 200 MHz). You would need at least single-channel ISDN to provide 64 Kb of bandwidth for a moderately acceptable voice and data connection. In olden days (before 1995), the video conferencing route was nothing more than a dream. I will also let you in on some of the pitfalls I encountered when setting up my video conferencing solution.
So, for you curious tech folks who have not yet taken the plunge into video conferencing, or for those whose companies have been kicking the idea around, I’ll cover the features of Logitech's QuickCam Express. Such high-tech communication is the dream of many corporations and technology workers. It is the promise of video conferencing that lures us in: easy data sharing and face-to-face conversation all without the inconvenience of travel.
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