isight
I want to buy an isight soon. Before I buy it I would need some answears to this questions:
* Has anybody tried to connect his isight to a windows-box? I've read someone has tried it, but with a bad image-quality.
* Will I be able to record videos to disk in best resolution and at 30fps with my 12" powerbook (using Quicktime Broadcaster or some other Freeware)? On the apple-site they say I'd need at least a dual 800 (ichat) . that's the double from what I have.
* I have only 128kb/s upstream (theoreticaly; in reality it's less) (512kb/s downstream). does this mean I can't really use isight?
* What do I have to do to process an isight-movie with imovie? can I convert the file from the broadcaster into DV?
* Is it a good time to buy now or should I wait until the final ichatAV is released?
* Can I chat with windows users using Yahoo Messenger?
Can I chat with YahooMessenger-users on my local Network?
thanks
* Has anybody tried to connect his isight to a windows-box? I've read someone has tried it, but with a bad image-quality.
* Will I be able to record videos to disk in best resolution and at 30fps with my 12" powerbook (using Quicktime Broadcaster or some other Freeware)? On the apple-site they say I'd need at least a dual 800 (ichat) . that's the double from what I have.
* I have only 128kb/s upstream (theoreticaly; in reality it's less) (512kb/s downstream). does this mean I can't really use isight?
* What do I have to do to process an isight-movie with imovie? can I convert the file from the broadcaster into DV?
* Is it a good time to buy now or should I wait until the final ichatAV is released?
* Can I chat with windows users using Yahoo Messenger?
Can I chat with YahooMessenger-users on my local Network?
thanks
Comments
Originally posted by future-ex-pc-user
Has anybody tried to connect his isight to a windows-box? I've read someone has tried it, but with a bad image-quality.
I have my iSight connected to a Win XP machine, using MSN Messenger 6.0, with excellent results. The image is at least 2x clearer than the old Intel cam I had been using. I suspect that those who have reported poor quality on Windows and Windows/MSN Messenger either (1) don't know how to adjust video settings, or (2) are (intentionally or not) using MSN Messenger's lower-bandwidth "Webcam" mode, instead of video conferencing. When I first connected the iSight using MSN Messenger 6, the image appeared to be washed out, but this was quickly corrected by selecting Tools -> Web Camera Settings, and lowering the brightness.
The only limitation with using iSight on Windows is the lack of a driver for the built-in microphone. Other than that, I feel that it's the best videoconferencing camera for either platform.
Will I be able to record videos to disk in best resolution and at 30fps with my 12" powerbook (using Quicktime Broadcaster or some other Freeware)? On the apple-site they say I'd need at least a dual 800 (ichat) . that's the double from what I have.
Actually, the specs listed on the iChat AV page pertain to videoconferencing only. You need a dual 800 or greater to videoconference at the highest resolution & frame rate. Recording to disk is a completely different matter. If you can record 30fps video on your Mac from other sources (i.e. DV), you should have no trouble recording video from the iSight at 30fps.
I have only 128kb/s upstream (theoreticaly; in reality it's less) (512kb/s downstream). does this mean I can't really use isight?
Yes, you can certainly use iSight! The iChat AV performance chart shows that you can make full use it with anything from 100Kbps on up. There are several tools available on the net to measure your real bandwith. As long as you're in the 100Kbps range, you should be OK.
Is it a good time to buy now or should I wait until the final ichatAV is released?
I can't imagine the iSight itself getting much better, and assuming you plan on upgrading to Panther (10.3), you won't be paying extra for the final version of iChat AV. If nothing else, you can use it with your current PC for the time being.
Can I chat with windows users using Yahoo Messenger?
Yes you can, although I have yet to try this out (I plan to within the next few days, though). This is about the only thing that keeps me from completing my switch to Mac. If the quality close to that of MSN Messenger, I'll be able to shelve my PC for good!