Creative Labs WebCam Pro eX

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Title : Creative Labs WebCam Pro eX
Author : Creative Labs
Release Date : 20021119
Binding : Electronics
Regular Price : $89.99
Amazon.com Price : $73.99 (18 %)
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Buyer Reviews :
My company has purchased five Creative Webcam Pro webcams, which we sent to out-of-state candidates for engineering positions. We then do a videoconference for the first interview. We also purchased a Creative Pro eX webcam to use at our office for the interviewers.

We were delighted by the value of the Webcam Pro; but the Pro eX with a CCD sensor, the charge-coupled-device that senses the image, is far superior. The Pro model has a much less sensitive CMOS sensor. The Pro eX has much better color rendition; colors are more saturated. Skin tones are much improved. Low light performance on the Pro eX is also far better with an excellent image under normal office lighting whereas the CMOS-powered Pro had images that were quite dark unless special lighting or daylight was available.

Although the number of pixels is the same for the two cameras, the detail seemed better with the Pro eX. A printed page from a book held up to the Pro eX was easy to read, while with the Pro the characters on the printed page were blotchy while still readable.

Both packages included a microphone. The Pro eX microphone was on a headset with earpiece. The Pro microphone had a clip for mounting to a monitor and no earpiece, so your system must have a working speaker. Software was complete with both and had the same features although the Pro eX was a later version.

Inexpensive video conferencing for work or family pleasure has been possible for three or four years. We were surprised that the installation took only ten minutes and that everything worked the first time. With the camera working, we took another twenty minutes to set up Microsoft Net Meeting for the first time. Net Meeting is the videoconferencing software that is included with XP and Windows 2000 and works with Window 98 as well. (Downloading is free.) In the latest XP version, Net Meeting seems to be rolled into Microsoft Messenger.

The only problem for many will be finding someone else on the Internet ready to test an installation. No problem of course if you bought two and give one to a neighbor (perhaps one of the webcams for the gift). Various Internet chat directories show online parties with a video capability; but you may end up looking at unexpected anatomical details if an unknown person accepts an invitation to launch a videoconference.

If you have a DSL or cable modem Internet connection, you will wonder why you did not try this earlier. It is easy to leave a connection open to chat (sound not typing) with full video while you go about your work. Just don't forget that the camera is on.

(by David Gurgel)

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