WEB CAMS

Who hasn’t heard or said “someday we will be able to see each other on the phone as we talk?” Well ‘someday’ is here, and it’s not only affordable, it can be free.

It’s called Webcams.

The most obvious use of a webcam is when it’s linked with your telephone and you’re talking with your kids of grandkids, but you can use it to monitor remotely or promote something. How about
· keeping an eye on your house while you’re out of town
· checking on the baby sitter to make sure everything is OK
· finding out what your dog does in the back yard all day.
· observing your new grandchild during nap time.
· advertise product
· demonstrate how to do something
· participate in a meeting without being present
· or just to have some fun

Webcams, like most things, range from simple to complex. If you understand the essence of a simple Webcam setup, increasing the complexity is only a matter of adding functionality through software, custom code and/or equipment connections.

A simple Webcam setup consists of a digital camera attached to your computer, typically through the USB port. The camera part of the Webcam setup is just a digital camera -- there's really nothing special going on there.

The "Webcam" nature of the camera comes with the software. Webcam software "grabs a frame" from the digital camera at a preset interval (for example, the software might grab a still image from the camera once every 30 seconds) and transfers it to another location for viewing.
If you're interested in using your Webcam for continuous viewing like a movie (called ‘streaming’), you need a Webcam system with a high frame rate (the number of pictures the software can grab and transfer in one second.) For streaming video, you need a minimum rate of at least 15 frames per second (fps), and 30 fps is ideal. To achieve high frame rates, you need a high-speed Internet connection.

Once the cam captures a frame, the software broadcasts the image over your Internet connection.

So if your children and grandchildren live far away and you don't see them often, then you will be interested in our presentation on WEB Cam’s; Thursday January 10 at 10 AM here in the Church. The presentation will include a LIVE demenstration.

These handy devices attached to your computer and using a free software program, such as Skype or AOL Messenger you can view and talk to your family. The best part is it doesn’t cost for the phone call, it's free.

Welcome our new members at the meeting.