Originally I was just looking for a decent Webcam for a Linux project, but since almost all computers in my house run OS X, I thought it would be nice to find one that could be use on a MacMini as well. Fortunately, there is a growing list of UVC compatible devices available, some of which have been tested to work on a Mac out-of-the-box, i.e. without the need to install additional drivers.
Considering Linux and Mac compatibility, pixel/resolution, as well as price, we picked the Creative LIVE! CAM Video IM Ultra, which when compared to a built-in iSight cameras seems to create higher quality videos.
Video Recording
While we used the standard 640×480 video format for the recording below, the VF415 Live! Cam Vid. IM Ultra’s native format is Y’CbCr 4:2:2 -yuvy, 1280×960 with Millions of Colors.
Creative LIVE! CAM Video IM Ultra
- Format: H.264 640×480 Millions of Colors, AAC, Mono, 44.100 KHz
- FPS: 30 frames per second
- Data Rate: 1500.24 kbits/s
MacBook built-in iSight Camera
- Format: H.264 640×480 Millions of Colors, AAC, Mono, 44.100 KHz
- FPS: 30 frames per second
- Data Rate: 711.34 kbits/s
Audio Recording
It was a positive surprise, finding out that there is a microphone hidden in the camera’s focus ring. However, the microphone is pretty much useless, at least when used under Mac OS X. We used WireTap Studio to create a fair comparison recording, using the MacBook’s built-in microphone, the Live Cam Ultra’s built-in mic., as well as an external Logitech USB Microphone.
Creative LIVE! CAM Video IM Ultra built-in Microphone:
Creative LIVE! CAM Video IM Ultra built-in Microphone:
Logitech AK5370 external USB Microphone:
Overall, we really like the IM Ultra, the image quality is crisp and it attaches easily to a laptop’s lids as well as a much thicker LCD monitors. However, the audio quality really sucks (at least when used on a Mac and you better have another mic on hand). Moreover, expectedly, the camera doesn’t work on a low power USB port.
0 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks