Better than a built-in camera

INBOX:THE HUMBLE webcam has been with us for some time now. In the mid-1990s, a student called Jenny set up a "JenniCam" in her bedroom. Needless to say she eventually became famous and, alongside her, the webcam started to become a ubiquitous feature of modern computing.

I’m sure there was a time when we would never have thought webcams would come pre-installed in the lid of a laptop, but there they are, glaring at us today.

So is there any real need for a separate webcam these days? Surely we can make do with whatever comes with the PC or Mac? Well, it would appear Philips disagrees. It has brought out a new external webcam which claims, at least, to take the device to whole new level.

The new SPC1330NC Webcam Pro makes a few big claims, including HD quality, 90 frames a second, 2MP video and 8MP resolution still images. It also comes with an 8x digital zoom autofocus f-2.0 wide-angle lens with a 70 degree viewing angle, twin stereo microphones and software for improving the picture.

Coming in a compact shape, the stand will also hinge down by up to 90 degrees, allowing you to mount it on a laptop screen or at a desk, and it will also rotate through 360 degrees.

The camera’s sensor, however, is not the full 8MP, but 2MP, so it’s trying to do a software fix to reach the higher figure. A genuine eight million pixels appears still to be some way off.

Also 90 frames a second, or a more manageable 30f/s, is only possible at a lower VGA resolution. In other words better shots like 1.3MP are only available at 20f/s. Since TV and video appears at 25-30 f/s, then 20f/s is ever so noticeably slower. So it’s not quite the camera it claims to be. However, the quality of video is still better than most built-in laptop webcams, with crisp pictures, even in lower light. And it’s the improvement in audio quality which makes you realise an external camera can be so much better. The stereo microphones perform well and cut out background noise and echo.

As well as the basic webcam functions, the camera will also detect and record motion, launch most IM applications and edit images in a basic manner. The software is Windows only, but the camera works fine with Skype on Macs. Although it doesn’t do everything it claims on the the tin, the Philips SPC1330NC is definitely worth a look if you are looking for something that much better from your webcam. Just don’t go trying to ape JenniCam. Its been done.