Webcam Recommendations

[Rose Chap]

Several members of my family have or are in the process of emigrating - something I'm trying not to take personally.

To help keep in touch, I'm looking to get a webcam so we can Skype one another.

I've got my 40" Sony Bravia TV hooked up to a spare PC in my living room, so ideally would use this as that would mean I could sit on the sofa in comfort talking rather than in the study, therefore the webcam should have a built in mic, which I'm hoping would be sensitive enough to pick up normal conversation even though I'd be sat between 6 to 10 feet away?

Any suggestions or experience of webcams suitable for this? I don't mind spending a bit of money to get something good, but would obviously prefer not to if I can get away with it.

All tips gratefully received.

RC

 

[wemorgan]

I've used office video conferencing kit and the ones with the microphone beside the camera tend to sound muffled, but with a separate microphone on the table it was very clear. So my advice would be to get a wi-fi microphone too.

HTH

 

[WLeg]

Either a MS or Logitech of at least 1.3MB resolution will be OK, although some do HD (720), but you will pay for this.....

I use this one - but only because I got it free.

Go with the seperate mic, on a table or something though....

 

[fuzzer]

The best webcams are video cameras. proper camcorders with the webcam ability through usb or similar.

the optics on them are significantly better than a webcam. might be worth tracking down one and giving it a bash.

 

[BTB 500]

We use Skype for the kids to talk to their grandparents in Germany, using a Logitech 1.3 MP camera & separate mic. The quality is nowhere near good enough to view on a big screen ... it's pretty rough when maximised on a 17" monitor.

The high-def video links require a fast processor (multi-core) and fast internet connection. If you have both of those then that's probably the route you should be going IMO.

 

[Rose Chap]

The PC hooked up to the TV is nothing special, just a small form factor Dell GX520 with 2GB of RAM. It normally runs well (better since I blew the dust out of it) but I suppose full screen live video could tax it.

I don't mind having a mic on the coffee table to improve speech clarity, but trailing wires would be a pain. Are wireless (I guess RF) mics available?

 

[BTB 500]

Minimum PC processor spec. for Skype HQ video is Core 2 Duo or a equivalent. Our PC is Pentium 4 (3 GHz, 1 GB) - not good enough.