Benefits of Your Digital Camcorder as a Webcam

Benefits Of Using A Camcorder As A Webcam

Some people would consider it overkill to use a several hundred dollar camcorder as a Webcam, but there are two benefits. The optics in digital camcorders are much better than those that Webcams offer. Modern MiniDV camcorders are designed to take video in 720x480 resolution at 30 frames per second. In addition, camcorder lenses are designed to accurately reproduce color. Webcams, on the other hand, generally top out at 640x480 and 15 frames per second.

Using a camcorder as a Webcam can actually save you money, provided that you have an unused camcorder lying around. Rather than spending $50 to $200 for a decent Webcam, you can use the free USB Webcam drivers for your camcorder or spend $20 for OrangeWare's WebcamDV software and convert the camcorder into a high quality Webcam.

Limitations

However, there are some limitations when using your camcorder as a Webcam. First, a camcorder will use a bit more electricity than a Webcam. You will also need to plug the camcorder into a power outlet if you plan on using it all the time, which means more wires and more mess.

Almost all camcorders have a demonstration mode that displays fade effects, wipes and other special effects. The demonstration mode is used to show off the camcorder at retail outlets such as Best Buy or Fry's Electronics. However, make sure you turn off the demo mode before using your camcorder as a Webcam. You don't want all those crazy effects showing up during your Yahoo Messenger video chat sessions.

Most camcorders have an automatic shutoff feature. This will turn off the camcorder if you leave a tape in the tray without recording anything. The feature is designed to prevent battery drain and unnecessary wear on the components. However, the shutoff feature can prove inconvenient for those using the camcorder as a Webcam, so the easy fix is to leave the tape out of the camcorder.

Webcams are also much lighter than camcorders, as they don't need to have the complicated tape mechanisms and flip-out LCD screens of camcorders. While the home user doesn't have to worry about weight issues, computer nomads who like to do most of their Webcam chatting at Starbucks may not like lugging around a camcorder and power adapter.

USB Webcam Feature - Free

The first method of turning a camcorder into a Webcam is also the cheapest, and you can't get any cheaper than free. Some camcorders, like the trusty Panasonic GS70, have a USB connection for a "Webcam" mode. Connecting the camcorder to the USB port will temporarily convert the camcorder into a Webcam of sorts.

The process is two-fold. First, you must install a USB camera driver that came with the camcorder. If you have lost the CD, then you can go to the manufacturer's site and find it. After installing the driver, you have to set the camcorder into Webcam mode. The technique will vary from camcorder to camcorder, as explained in the owner's manual.

The Panasonic Webcam was displayed as "Panasonic DVC Web Camera" on all the major Webcam programs such as Active Webcam and Yahoo Messenger.

The picture quality was pretty poor and looked about the same as the Creative Webcam Live! in the Webcam shootout.

OrangeWare WebcamDV

OrangeWare makes the WebcamDV software that will turn your camcorder into a Webcam. The software actually tricks Windows into thinking the camcorder is really a Webcam. You can download the trial version from their website and then upgrade to the full version for $20.

What makes this software different from the free Webcam drivers that some camcorders use? WebcamDV streams the video through FireWire, which offers high-quality picture and video. You can see the picture quality for yourself in the comparison shots at the end of the article.

The install is very easy and quick. Afterwards, simply plug the camcorder into the FireWire port and start up your favorite Webcam program. You can see below that Yahoo Messenger easily recognized the Panasonic camcorder. In fact, your camcorder will show up as "WebcamDV Capture" in any Webcam software.

Quality Comparisons

For the quality tests, we used the same conditions as in the Webcam Shootout Article. Ambient light for the bright light conditions came from two banks of overhead fluorescent lights that simulated an office environment. The low-light conditions were simulated by turning off the lights and only having the ambient glow come from a laptop screen and a 17-inch LCD screen.

A raw snapshot was first taken with DV Rack, a product made by Serious Magic. This gave us the best possible capture from the camcorder. Captures taken while using the free USB driver and the WebcamDV product were then compared to see if there were any quality differences.

You can easily see that the USB driver produces horrible pictures compared to the WebcamDV software. In addition, the USB driver had a max resolution of 352x244, while WebcamDV could go up to 640x480.

The only visible difference between the raw capture and the capture with WebcamDV was the difference in resolution. The raw picture was 720x480, which is the native MiniDV resolution, while the WebcamDV shot was done at its maximum resolution of 640x480.

We are not showing the low light shots because they were black. In low light, the Panasonic GS70 did not produce any picture. Do not use it for low light surveillance. Other camcorders may do better.

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Conclusion

With the right software, you can turn your surplus digital camcorder into a Webcam on steroids. OrangeWare's WebcamDV software appears to be the best way to trick the operating system into using a camcorder as a Webcam. As you can see from the picture quality comparisons, a camcorder paired up with WebcamDV produces excellent-quality images and video.

However, the free USB drivers are horrible and you might as well plunk down the money to buy a regular Webcam. The best solution is WebcamDV. At $20 WebcamDV is an affordable way to make your surplus digital camcorder into a great Webcam.