For a while there was a thing called the HQ Video Hack which consisted of opening up a config file and forcing it to 640x480. Skype has been very quiet about what they call HQ Video calls, basically 640x480. However, I'm convinced that HD video chat is coming. If any one of these things doesn't work out then everyone loses, so I suspect it's easier for now to punt and wait. People need great cameras for quality images, great bandwidth to pump the frames and fast computers to compress the outgoing video. There's no checkbox inside Skype or any formal "we support HQ or HD and here's how." The same is true, so far, for Windows Live Messenger. It's a webcam, so it works in any Webcam enabled applications, but as for the higher resolutions, it's a bit tricky. I suspect that this camera will just get better as software comes out to really utilize its abilities. That said, it's still fantastic at 480p and my laptop handles it fine. That doesn't make the camera useless for regular video calls, but it is something to think about if you're getting this primarily for its HD abilities. This is to be expected, but if you're doing to record 1280x720p you're going to need a multi-core machine (basically a machine that's newer than 3 years old). You really need a fast machine at the higher resolutions, like true 720p HD. Here's the older 640x480 LifeCam VX-7000 as a comparison. You can visit the Vimeo site directly and download the WMV if you want to get the REALLY high def file. Here's a HiDef Video of the LifeCam Cinema HD. Notice you can see my closet in the picture at right. It's a 16:9 camera, and it has a nice wide field of view. People have said they feel like it's HD, even though it's not in this example. Both calls are effectively 640x480 calls as there's no built-in 1280x720p HD in Office Communicator (yet, I assume.) However, it's clear that the contrast of the Cinema HD is far superior and oddly, it's just clearer. Default settings were used with both cameras. The older webcam is on the left and the newer Cinema HD is on the right. The cameras were mounted next to each other. I called my friend using Office Communicator and did a standard video call and had him take a screenshot. The VX-7000 has a 2.0 Megapixel Sensor with a maximum video size of 640x480. Here it is mounted next to my existing LifeCam VX-7000 for size reference: It also has a nice little feat of engineering on the USB cable - a cable tie that actually works! Miracle of miracles. I think it was the barrel-shape of the glass lens mounted on the base but I pictured this thing as huge. Any speculation here is mine and any mistakes are mine. While I work for Microsoft, I don't know anyone in this group and in this instance, I'm just a dude with a credit card and a camera. I just picked up a LifeCam Cinema HD on Interwebs for ~US$60.įirst, a quick disclaimer. I have been using a VX-7000 for the last year and it's a fine webcam. My first was the LifeCam NX-6000 and I've been upgrading ever since. I've owned just about every Microsoft LifeCam there Microsoft makes.
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