How to Use a Webcam

Guide Note Webcams are tiny digital cameras that are attached or built into your computer. They are used for sharing images and video on the World Wide Web. If you would like to learn how to use a webcam, read on, but please--be careful where you point it!

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• History of Webcams
• Webcam Background
• Setting Up Your Webcam
• Using Your Webcam
• References for How to Use a Webcam

Tips for Using Webcams

1. Choose whether you want streaming or snapshot.
2. Install the software for your particular webcam.
3. Configure your FTP to save and broadcast images.
4. Connect face-to-face with family and friends.
5. Teach your children how to use it safely and responsibly.

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Introduction

• 

  (Creative Commons photo by Uwe Hermann)
  Webcams are a fun, addictive web tool that let you connect with other people and places in real time.¹ Used primarily in chatting applications, these tiny cameras connect to a computer and allow users to capture still images or video and stream those images to the Internet.²

Privacy/Safety Considerations

• Webcams have some people concerned about privacy issues.³ These are legitimate concerns since webcams show images, sometimes without people's knowledge. Not only that, but webcams are used to show a lot of inappropriate content.⁴ This content is not filtered by webcams, although it can be filtered by browser settings and software.⁵ Parents need to make sure that their children understand how to use a webcam safely.⁶

History of Webcams

• The first webcam was turned on in 1991 and captured the image of a coffee pot.⁷ The Trojan Room Coffee Pot, or CoffeeCam as it was nicknamed, was located in the computer science department of Cambridge University. ⁸ Webcams gained in popularity when the adult entertainment community picked up on their rather unique potential. Most people, however, use webcams for less titillating purposes.⁴

• The longest running webcam is the Fog Cam, which has been running since 1994 at San Francisco State University.⁹¹⁰

About Webcams

• All webcams work in the same basic way, although they can be upgraded with software or coding to perform more complex functions.¹¹ A webcam is simply a tiny digital camera, either connected to your computer by a USB port or built into your computer, in the case of many laptops.¹¹

Streaming vs. Snapshot

• There are two types of Webcams: Streaming and Snapshot.¹²

1. Streaming webcams upload moving images, like a video.¹²
   • -They require a fast internet connection to broadcast smooth video.¹²
   • -Their image quality tends to be relatively poor and the motion is usually not very smooth.¹³
   • -Setting up a streaming webcams is somewhat somewhat involved process on your computer.¹⁴

1. Snapshot webcams take a snapshot of the scene every few seconds (can be set by the user) and refresh that image continuously.¹²
   • -Snapshot webcams do not capture motion, only still pictures.¹⁵
   • -The picture quality is very good.¹²
   • -Snapshot webcams do not use a lot of energy and are much easier to set up than streaming webcams.¹⁶

How Webcams Work

• The software is what determines how a webcam works:¹¹

1. 

   (Creative Commons photo by Manu Contreras)
   The software might tell the webcam to take a picture during preset intervals, for example, every 30 seconds. ¹⁷
2. The software then transfers the image to another location for viewing.¹¹
3. High-speed webcams can grab and transfer streaming video.¹¹
   • -For streaming video, choose a webcam with a high frame rate of at least 30 frames per second.¹³
   • -You must have high-speed internet access to properly capture high frame streaming video.¹⁸
4. After the camera has grabbed a picture of video stream (lots of frames), the software will tell the camera to broadcast the image(s) over your Internet connection.¹¹
   • -The software saves the image as a JPEG file and uploads it to the web using File Transfer Protocol.¹¹

Setting Up Your Webcam

1. The first thing you need to do is install the software so your computer will recognize your webcam.¹⁹
   1. Most webcams come with their own software and instructions which are usually fairly easy to follow.¹⁵
   2. Some webcams will come bundled with special hardware, which will require extra setup.¹⁷
2. Position your camera so it can properly capture the images or environment you want it to. In so doing, there are a few important points to keep in mind:²⁰
   1. Webcams don't typically use very sophisticated lenses. Don't expect huge levels of detail from the images/video.
   2. While they capture moving images, webcams will not capture as high quality of video as a camcorder.
   3. Figure out a static (non-moving) camera angle that will best capture everything you want it to
   4. Try to keep the viewing range as small; keep recorded objects as close to the camera as possible.²⁰
3. Depending on how you plan on using your webcam, there are different steps to take for completing your setup.

Broadcasting Images and Video With Your Webcam

• Now that you've installed your webcam, your computer knows how to use it to record images and video. Getting it setup to broadcast those recordings to the internet will involve a few slightly more complicated steps. There are a few general steps involved, no matter if you're broadcasting snapshot images or streaming video:^{15 14}

1. Set up a web-server that will host your your broadcast material.
2. Configure your webcam and associated software to send broadcast material to a single data stream.
3. Prepare a webpage that will display your broadcast material.
4. Load your data stream and webpage onto your web-server.
5. Start broadcasting!

• Depending on whether you want to broadcast in snapshot (still images) or streaming (video) modes, the specific steps to follow the general outline above will be slightly different. The following pages are the best free resources available online that will guide you through the process:

Setting Up Streaming Video

• 1. InformIT: Settting up a Live Webcam Feed (April 28, 2006)
  2. MaximumPC: How To - Stream Video from Your Webcam to the Internet (December 7, 2006)
  3. Commercial Network Services: How to setup a streaming web cam with Windows Media Encoder

Setting Up Snapshot Images

• 1. LittleBeasts: Tutorial on setting up a webpage to update snapshot images
  2. WebCamWorld.com: Webpage templates for displaying your snapshots
  3. GeneriCam: More snapshot webpage templates

Other Ways to Use Your Webcam

• Sure, it's fun to point your webcam out the window to see what your strange neighbor is up to when you are not home, but there are other, less creepy things you can do with a webcam as well.¹

Keep in Touch

1. Many childcare centers have webcams set up so that parents can peek in at anytime and see how their children are doing.¹
2. Visit family and friends from afar.¹ Turn on your webcam to let Grandma see baby's first steps, or point a webcam at your daughter's wedding so that family and friends who couldn't make it can still see the ceremony on their computer.¹

Talk Face-to-Face

• 

  (Creative Commons photo by Carolyn Coles)
  Many chat services such as Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger and AOL Messenger all have integrated the use of webcams.

1. If using Yahoo Chat: Set your status to "View My Webcam" after your dialog box has opened.²¹
2. If using MSN Messenger, click on the "Set Up Video Chat" option in your messenger dialog box.²²
3. If using AOL Instant Messenger, simply click on the "video" tab at the bottom of your chat box.²³

Be Productive

1. Incorporate webcam video into other multimedia instructional tools in the classroom.²⁴
2. Give lectures. Many professors and teachers use webcams to give lectures to their online students.¹
3. Meet with your boss. More and more people are working from home now, and often use webcams to participate in "web conferences" with their bosses or other team members.²⁵

Gather Information

• Often, webcams are used to gather information, or keep an eye on a certain situation.¹

1. A webcam can be used to see what the babysitter is doing with your children.¹
2. Enable motion-activated image or video recording for added home security.²⁶
3. Use your webcam as a secure login method for your computer.²⁷
4. Traffic and weather webcams can help keep people informed of traffic and weather situations on major highways.¹

Relax, and Have Some Fun!

1. Play some games that incorporate the webcam into the interface.²⁸
2. Run personal media archiving software that recognizes the barcodes for your favorite books and movies using your webcam.²⁹
3. Set up your webcam to capture fun or silly images.³⁰
4. See the world (or yes, some dirty laundry) through someone's webcam, there are webcam directories that allow you to search by subject and location.
   1. EarthCam is the most popular and oldest webcam network.³¹
   2. Webcam World features over 2,000 live webcams around the world.³²
   3. WebCam Central offers awards for webcams and chooses a random webcam to feature daily.³³

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References for How to Use a Webcam

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Microsoft Home Magazine: Five Things You Can Do With A Webcam
2. ↑ How Stuff Works: How Webcams Work
3. ↑ New York Times: Webcam's Scenic View Raises a Privacy Issue (May 3, 2001)
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} The Daily Press: Sexy boom in Montreal (October 3, 2008)
5. ↑ How to Set Up Webcam: Webcam Possible Negative Uses 
6. ↑ Internet Family Fun: Webcams and Kids 
7. ↑ Technology Review: Coffee Cam (June, 2001)
8. ↑ Cambridge University: The Trojan Room Coffee Pot
9. ↑ How To Set Up Webcam: Webcam History 
10. ↑ San Francisco State University: The San Francisco FogCam!
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6} How Stuff Works: How Webcams Work
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4} WebCam World: Streaming or Snapshot Webcam?
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} MoneySupermaket.com: Guide to Webcams - Part 2 of 2  
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} MaximumPC: How To: Stream Video from Your Webcam to the Internet
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1 15.2} LittleBeasts: Web Cam Tutorial
16. ↑ Google Book Search: Online!:The Book (pg. 573)
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Videomaker: WebCam Buyer's Guide (November, 1999)
18. ↑ Cowboy Frank: Webcams and Speed
19. ↑ Cowboy Frank: How To Set Up A WebCam
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1} Texas A&M University Instructional Technology Services: What are WebCams? (April 27, 2001)  
21. ↑ Yahoo Messenger: Webcam Video
22. ↑ Microsoft Home Magazine: Webcam Basics--How Do They Work?
23. ↑ AOL Help: Video Chat Sessions in AIM Software
24. ↑ Mac Lab Report: Ten Uses for a Webcam (December 28, 2000)
25. ↑ Kolabora: Web Coferencing Tools And Technology: A Mini-Guide (June 22, 2007)
26. ↑ Simple Help: How to Use Your PC and Webcam as a Motion-Detecting and Recording Security Camera (September 27, 2006)
27. ↑ Lifehacker: Do More with Your Webcam with Free Tools (May 27, 2008)
28. ↑ MakeUseOf.com: Great Webam Gaming With Webcam Mania (October 10, 2008)
29. ↑ Skype: Cool Things to Do with a Webcam (or two!) (October 23, 2007)
30. ↑ WorldStart: Webcams
31. ↑ EarthCam: Top Ten Cams
32. ↑ WebCam World: Top Ten Webcams
33. ↑ CamCentral: WebCams by Category