Webcams? - Need Help!

[becka]

My Dad wants us to get a webcam that will allow him to see live video of our DS. My parents live 7+ hours away and it is hard on them not to be able to see him very much (the last time they saw him he was 7 weeks old ) I was hoping to get him one for his birthday.

Anyway, I know zilch about these cameras and I would like to get one for his birthday. Does anyone know how well these work and exactly how they work? Do you upload to your own website and then my parents would access that or do the companies that sell the cameras provide the space?

Also can you only see pictures or also get sound? Would it be worth it to get two cameras to talk back and forth?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[adamak]

I'm no expert in this, but I managed to figure it out myself. So hopefully this guide will help you...

You'll need 3 things -
1. Web camera
2. A software that will capture the movements & upload them.
3. A website to upload the video / pictures.

1. I have a really cheap Intel web camera that I got from my friend. But you can use any digital camera that captures video, or a web camera.

2. The software is for the PC to 'recognise' your camera, and to 'use' it to take pictures. Normally the software comes with the web camera. Some camera software only comes with the capability to take picutres, but not the uploading of pics onto website.

Since I got mine from friends, I don't have any software with it.
If you ever need a free software, try Vision GS (http://www.VisionGS.de). They are great, with very easy to follow steps. Essentially this software takes pictures then upload them for me.

3. A website is the storage place for the pictures. You can probably get 5MB site for free. I got mine from my DSL company (Roadrunner). If you just get started, I'll try to get a free site to test it out first. You'll need FTP capability on the site so that the upload is done automatically.

The website setup should tell you all the information, e.g FTP address, if it allows streaming, how often to refresh pictures...etc. You'll need these info when you setup #2.

So, in a nutshell...the camera takes the pictures using the software, then upload the series of pictures onto the website, in the interval you set (every 2 seconds or so). Your recipient will go to your website, and see the stream of video of you. They will not need any special software.

Sound is more complicated. I think if you get a good camera with voice capability, then it'll probably come with software that stream both. I haven't yet figured it out.

And to get 2 cameras talking back and forth...I'm not sure. I setup video conferencing for work, but not sure how to get that done at home cheaply.

I have it setup so that I can watch my doggies at home from work! It's great for something free.

Good luck.