I Spy (with the aid of my little webcam) (Creative Video Blaster Webcam V)

Member Name: LegendaryMrDude

Product:	Creative Video Blaster Webcam V
Date:	08/09/04 (878 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap!, Good software, Small

Disadvantages: Struggles with Contrasty scenes, Slightly unintuitive install

I remember, back in the days when the Internet was knee-high to a small office LAN... webcams (along with Internet telephony) promised to make regular telephones redundant.

Cast your mind back, if you will, to the heady days of 1995... "Free international calls, with VIDEO!" was the cry that issued forth from the lips of the enthusiasts. "The Internet will set you free from the shackles of the telecommunications companies!!!"

They were right. In their own special way. It's just that they were 10 years ahead of their time. To those brave souls that actually tried to use a webcam over a 28.8k dial-up connection, I salute you. Not only did you have to tolerate unbelievably low frame-rates, dropped connections and grainy, unintelligilble sound, you also had to fork out a relative fortune on the hardware. Back in the days, this kind of stuff was expensive! Back in the days, there was nothing like the Crative VideoBlaster Webcam V.

So if there was nothing like it then, what's it like now? Well, to start with, it's a USB device and folks didn't really have a clue about USB back in the days. It's also got a higher resolution and better frame-rate capability that it's fore-bears. Couple that with some nifty software that's bundled free (as opposed to costly video-conferencing software that they had back in the days) and you've actually got quite a tidy package. Add in a generous helping of broadband Internet connections and suddenly the webcam looks all set to deliver on those promises of yore.

But enough of the rambling... is this webcam as good/better/worse than the competition TODAY or is it at least usable?

In short, the answer is yes, it is as good as the competition. Yes, it is useable. But I'm guessing you want to know a little more...

The lengthily labelled "Creative Labs Videoblaster Webcam V" is a neat little piece of kit, aimed squarely at entry-
level video chat. Weighing in at a stonking £25 it's hardly going to break the bank, yet offers most of the features you could possibly want from a webcam. As do all these things, it comes in an over-sized box to increase the perceived value of the purchase. That is not to say that the purchase has no value, just that the box is way bigger than needs be. Mainly because the design is of the camera itself is so compact. Standing a dinky 9cms tall and only 6cms across, it's hardly going to be a struggle to find a home for the little fella.

The base is circular and befitted with a kind of ball-and-socket joint that allows the webcam to be freely rotated, tilted and turned through an almost limitless selection of angles, enabling you to achieve the most flattering profile possible. On the front of the camera is the lens, complete with the manual focus ring for achieving pin-sharp focus (provided you don't move too much) and a green LED that shows you when the camera is active (always handy, especially if you are in the habit of answering emails first thing in the morning!). To the top of the little mite is a button that can be used to capture still images, effectively freeze-framing whatever was in view at the moment the button was pressed (which is usually my arm reaching across to press the button...) Out of the back snakes the generous (1m) USB cable, which is permanently attached to the camera.

The installation, while not tricky, is a little counter-intuitive. Instead of plugging the camera in and letting Plug'n'Pray do it's thang, you must first install all the necessary software. Failure to do so will result in all manner of problems further down the line (trust me on this one!). The Installation disc has a nice front end, and is easy to follow, identifying the components that MUST be installed and those that are optional. Installation of the software takes about 5 minutes after which time, you are free to plug in the cam
era.

USB being USB, and the drivers having just been installed means that plugging the camera in starts off a sequence of events that gets your camera up and running. You now have a number of options relating to how you use it. It is listed as a standard video source and so is available for selection in any of the main video-conferencing applications (Netmeeting, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger). These work really well, achieving amazing results across huge distances, I have regularly chatted with colleagues in Australia using this method.

You can also use either of the two supplied applications. The first (WebCam Control) allows you to take mini videos of still pictures for emailing, posting onto a website etc. This works well enough although don't expect any fancy editing capabilities. The video is captured at a selectable frame-rate and audio capture is available provided you have a microphone plugged into your sondcard. File-sizes can get a bit large and I have to admit that I've never really used this to send a video clip to anyone, mainly because the people I would send it to are usually on dial-up and to send them a MASSIVE email to download would probably see my rapid removal from their christmas card list.

The second application, WebCam Monitor, actually allows you to use the webcam as a security device, using basic motion detection in the software to spot when someone has intruded on the monitored space, resulting in an email of the culprit being sent to a nominated email address. This works rather well, and has been used (by me) on a number of ocassions to monitor the inside of my house. I did try to monitor the outside once, but this highlighted one of the limitations of the camera. While most of the settings (with the exception of focus) can be set to automatic, asking the camera to look out of a window (say to monitor a back-garden or drive-way) will cause it to struggle. This struggle becomes particularly apparent on
sunny days, when the contrast in an outside scene, particularly if a view of the sky is included, makes it all but impossible for the poor little blighter to appropriately compensate. The motion detection can also be fooled by sudden changes in light levels, like when a cloud passes over the sun, or a truck drives by the front of the house, casting a shadow. This can be 'tweaked' in software though and simply becomes a matter of trial and error. Generally, the Monitoring software is a nifty idea, particularly with the increasing presence of always-on broadband connections. I now regularly leave my PC monitoring the security of my home. The next step will be to get it to send me a Multimedia Text Message to my phone when it detects some movement, that way I could get alerts wherever I am.

On the balance then, this is a fine piece of kit for the momey. OK so it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive cameras (pan/tilt, integrated audio, higher resolution) but if you are really honest with yourself, would you use those features if you had them? I'd guess probably not, I know I haven't missed them in the slightest. So what are you waiting for? If you are in the market for a webcam (and Creative haven't replaced it with the next best thing already) go and give it a try.

Summary: