It doesn't take a genius to imagine the possibilities. You could have a conversation with your sister in Dubai, and see what she's cooking while she gives you the recipe. I have an uncle in America who always picks his nose when I chat with him. Makes me insist on a text chat all the time.

Video conferencing with the help of Web cams is, in its most basic form, the transmission of image (video) and speech (audio) back and forth between two or more physically separate locations. Owning a Web cam is common nowadays. What with a fall in prices, a D-Link, Intel or Creative Web cam could be yours for anything between Rs. 4000 and 5000. These are just basic cams though. Professional ones are a lot more expensive, but offer better quality in terms of picture transmission and resolution. Then there are those unbranded cameras that are available for within Rs. 2500. It's your choice, really.

So, how does the whole thing work? In a nutshell, what a Web cam does is capture images of the object it is pointed at, and then sends them as video files via a Web server. That's as good as having a conversation with someone ten feet away from you. Software like Net-Meeting makes such conferences possible. An important thing to remember, however, is that a good Internet connection is essential, in order to avoid images running in frames or breaks.

Suppose you like to keep an eye on your precious plants while you're off on a holiday, all you have to do is point your Web cam at those rosebuds, log on from anywhere and keep yourself updated on their progress via Net-Meeting. It would, however, be better to have a cable connection before you decide to do something like this. Using your telephone for such a prolonged period of time could have a disastrous effect on your bank account.

Also, to view pictures constantly, you need to be able to transfer frames from your computer to a Web server, normally by FTP. Some cams, like Webcam 32, provide users with access to their server, where pictures taken by the camera can be uploaded. The software has a variety of features like streaming video, chat, AVI files, different resolution and compression ratios, etc., along with an AutoCam feature allowing you to create a page for your cam online, free of cost.

There are a few technological issues you need to get the hang of, before you plunge into video conferencing. If what you're looking for is a lot of information related to desktop videoconferencing, this page should help.

One thing that's certain, however, is the fact that video conferencing is fast becoming a tool not just for businesses, but for higher education too. Simply check E-Knowledge for a peek into the future.

Now for the basics of installing a Web cam: a simple process, as most are plug-n-play devices. Some, however, require video cards in your PC. All you will then need to do is plug the cam in, and play via the software provided. A tip: it helps to turn off your virus scanning software and do a fresh re-boot before installing. There is always the problem of limited cable length too, for which you may need a camera with an external video jack.

All in all, getting to the world of video conferencing involves just three elements: a camera hooked to your PC, software that can grab images, and a Web server.

And, what do people use their Web cams for? Don't let movies like American Pie make you think of just one possible use. Take a look at the Video Conferencing Cookbook, or How Stuff Works for some possibilities.

Florine Sequeira from Mumbai uses it to have conversations with her son in the US, while a teenager called Savio uses it to "keep reminding everyone of my useless existence". Most have yet to cut their teeth on the technology though.

Maybe someday none of us will ever need to go to school, college or work. All we may need is a Web cam. Won't this make us all terribly lazy? Not really. Let's just call it 'enthusiastically challenged,' shall we?

ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Information: Webcams
Video Conferencing Tutorial
Video Conferencing FAQ
C U See Me



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