Web Cam PC Camera Technology Fogcams Netcams Metrocams

Have you seen Internet users or PC users attaching a device to their PC with which they take photographs? More specifically, have you seen your friend seeing a live video of his friend, while chatting with him on the Internet? The device which helps in enabling such functionality to the Personal computer or any related device and such technology is called a Web Cam.

A web camera is stylishly called a web cam. It is not as big as a full-fledged camera and the picture quality cannot be compared to that taken with dedicated cameras and video recorders, though improvements have been made in the latest models. The resolution of these cameras happens to be lower than the normal standard digital cameras. However, they serve the purpose of picture communication.

The web camera becomes functional when just like all other PC accessories, it is connected to the PC at a port and the compatible software is activated. The web cam is widely used for communication across the Internet. The communication may be for a virtual online meeting, for online chatting or any other purpose requiring video communication.

To see your picture it is not necessary for the receiver to have a corresponding web cam. He can see it if he has the software to display your picture. The pictures taken through the web can be uploaded into the website of your choice with the help of servers specially designed for such purposes called the web servers which are essentially File Transfer Protocol servers. People can access the pictures that you upload by sending a request to these sites.

The web cam software that enables you to take pictures also gives you various options to fine-tune your pictures to the desired effects. You have options to size your picture to your requirements and you can also choose from a range of resolutions to determine the picture quality. Superior quality pictures require you to choose higher resolutions. The software also gives you a range of standard text or pictures that you can use on your pictures. You can also have customized text or pictures for this purpose.

The software also gives you the option of recording the time at which the picture was taken. A huge collection of web cam software is found on the Internet. Some of them require you to pay for downloading them while others dont. The advanced facilitative modifications are adjusting the picture brightness; retouch facility, removing shriveled appearances and longitudinal expansion.

The first web cam picture taken was of the coffee container at the Trojan room of the Cambridge University Science Department. This camera has been stopped from usage on the 22nd of August 2001. There are different web cams used for different purposes and named after the purpose of usage. There are fogcams, netcams, streetcams, metrocams and volcanocams, trafficams and weathercams. Webcam