by Larry Nocella

Created on: February 23, 2008

HOW LIVE IS LIVE?
Some concepts first. The moment your interest is juiced by the idea of a live webcam, you suddenly realize there are a few different definitions of "live." As usual, it's a trade-off. The closer to actually being there you want the video and images and sound to appear, the higher quality, the faster your internet connection and/or the more expensive your camera needs to be.

Think about what you want your camera to do. Will you be watching the images over the net, or watching them from the computer the webcam is hooked to? If over the net, you'll need a place for the webcam software to send the files, discussed below under "Letting The World See Through Your Camera."

Here are some webcam concepts:

Closed Circuit: this means you are watching the camera's images from the computer the camera is hooked up to. Since this requires no uploading to any site, it's the best quality, even for full video. If this sounds silly to you (Why not just get up and go to the other room?) consider closed circuit has its uses: such as a baby-cam. You can work on your computer in another room while allowing baby the privacy and quiet she needs for a nap. However, you're watching via your cam. If you want to set up a closed circuit camera, you plug it into your computer, use the manufacturer's software and you're done.

If you are going to use your webcam to view images and video while you are away, or so others can see through your camera, you'll need to consider the following:

Streaming Video: this is live video and what most people expect from a webcam. My experience proves this ideal is unreliable because each second of video needs to be uploaded by your camera, then downloaded by the viewer. The end result is stuttering motion. This I would recommend only for the highest end users. Be prepared to pay for a high-end camera and the highest-speed internet connection.

Remote Monitoring: this works best for the casual user. At regular intervals (such as every 15 seconds) the camera snaps a still picture, then uploads it to a website for viewing with a browser. Depending on your software, the image can also be sent to an email address.

Event-Activated: This feature refers to the camera's ability to sit idle and not start streaming video or remote monitoring unless the camera detects movement or sound.

HARDWARE
Obviously, to set up a live webcam, you need to purchase the camera itself. Questions to consider: do you want the camera to stay fixed or will you want to be able to turn

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