Need A Nerd - Ask us anything techie

Buying a Webcam

A webcam is a video device designed for connecting to a computer. You use it to capture video footage and sometimes audio on your computer.

They are extremely useful little gadgets as you can use a webcam to make video calls to your friends, family and business associates. They can also be used to capture video for uploading to a video website such as YouTube or Google videos for sharing on the internet.

I am going to discuss what to look for when buying a new webcam and what you can expect to pay.

Built in Webcam

Many modern notebooks and netbooks (mini notebooks) now come with a webcam built in which means you can use Skype and other video calling software out of the box.

What to buy?

A webcam has two main measures of its picture quality. These are the 'resolution' measure in pixels, and the 'frame rate' measured in frames per second.

An entry level webcam should have a resolution rating of 640x480 pixels and a frame rate of 30 frames per second. This allows for reasonable quality recording.

A professional webcam can record at 1600x1200 pixels or more, even up to high definition quality.

A good webcam will also include a built-in microphone to relay your conversation to the other person and a suitable stand for your computer's monitor, or a clip if you have a notebook.

A quality webcam will start at around $49 in price.

Webcams for Businesses

Business users will generally need a higher quality webcam to use for 'tele-conferencing'. Many manufacturers sell complete video conferencing systems that don't require a computer to operate so you should contact your local computer supplier if you are interested in this. A mid range webcam is fine for most small businesses though.

What else do I need?

To take advantage of a webcam you will need a computer, high speed internet access and some video calling software.

The Nerds recommend you have the fastest possible (or uncapped) speed on your broadband connection, as slower connections, dial up internet and mobile broadband can cause problems when using the video software.

We also recommend Skype from www.skype.com as an easy-to-use video calling program. Skype is also free to call other Skype users on their computer and can be use to call landline or mobile numbers at their quoted rates.

In order to have a 2-way video conversation the computer and both ends will need to have a webcam and microphone as well.