See Me, Hear Me
New version of Inetcam's streaming-video software brings you face-to-face, even when you're miles away.Mike Hogan, special to PCWorld.com
We live in such a mobile society that families are literally spread all over the map. You can expect at least one set of little Suzie and Johnny's grandparents to live out of town. And with about half the workforce in sales and marketing, there's a good chance that Mom or Dad will spend some time on the road.
But you can have a personal videoconference with distant loved ones over the holidays using the latest version of Inetcam's IVista streaming video producer software, which has just been added to EMachines' popular PCs. It isn't quite like a warm hug and a kiss goodnight, but it's a lot better than a faceless phone call.
IVista and similar free streaming-video packages are cheap, easy, and spreading quickly among lonesome consumers.
Web Video Streams Easy
InfoTrends Research Group counts 7 million digital Web cameras tethered to PCs in U.S. homes. The market researcher expects camera sales to grow to 38 million units annually by 2003, at which point half of U.S. PCs will have Webcams attached to them. According to market research analyst Michelle Lampmann, these cameras are so cheap--they start under $50--that she expects many households to have more than one.
It used to be that if someone sent you a video, you had to download a jumbo multimedia file from a Web site or open it from an e-mail attachment. But video file compression and decompression technology lets images and sound stream from a camera to a Web site and then down to PCs over a regular phone line. (See "Stream and Scream on Your PC This Halloween") and "As the Web Turns: Streaming Video Saga Premieres.")
Images also can be created, saved, and downloaded as a video clip for later viewing with, say, Windows Media Player (available at our Downloads library). But if loved ones want to see your smiling face live, they need only a Java-enabled browser and authorized access to the personal Web site that Inetcam provides you.
Lights, Camera, Action
To broadcast video, you need a Web camera, available at online retailers such as Buy.com for prices starting under $50. Then, you need a copy of IVista 3.0, a free download from the Inetcam Web site.
The installation of both the camera and the IVista software is straightforward. You just plug the camera into your Universal Serial Bus port, install its software, and then run the IVista software and register it to get your personal Web site.
For a variety of prices, Inetcam offers different upgrades to the free basic package. For $100 you can add audio, screen capture, multiple-camera broadcasting, single or multiple-camera motion detection, and a personalized URL. Inetcam also sells a complete video system with two color cameras for around $400.
Trying It Out
The quality of the video from the camera to my PC display was surprisingly good, including contrast, sharpness, and brightness among shadows. Of course, once you begin streaming that image up to and down from a Web site, modem users will see a pretty blocky image whose motions are slightly delayed. With broadband cable or digital subscriber line, you get about six times the broadcast bandwidth and similarly improved image quality.
But guess what? When it comes to the opportunity to see little Suzie or Johnny, grandmas and grandpas are about the least demanding video critics you can find.