Creative Live Cam Socialize HD 720P Webcam: Digital-Cameras-Photo.com

Creative Live Cam Socialize HD 720P Webcam

Creative Live Cam Socialize HD 720P Webcam
by Creative Labs

List Price: ~~$39.99~~
Our Price: $34.99
You Save: $5.00 (13%)
Availability: Usually ships in 3-4 business days
Category: CE
See more product details

Customers in the UK, buy this product at amazon.co.uk for British Pounds

Digital Photo Product Details

Manufacturer: Creative Labs
Format: CD-ROM
Platform: Windows 2000, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional
Model: 73VF061000000
Product features:

True HD sensor with high sensitivity captures HD quality images even under dim lighting
High frame rate video capture of up to 30 frames per second produces smooth video at widescreen HD resolution
Built-in microphone with noise-cancellation eliminates background noise for clearer audio
Media & Desktop sharing features to bring you closer to friends &
Instantly access your online contact list at the touch of a button with Live! Call.
Instantly access your online contact list at the touch of a button with Live Call
Media & Desktop sharing features to bring you closer to friends

Accessories:

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Creative Live Cam Socialize HD 720P Webcam

Customer Review: A Big Thumbs Up from the Hubby
Summary: 5 Stars

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)

I saw this webcam and thought, "what a great little thing for my daughter". I should have figured that it would take stealth technology to get it past the husband. The box was delivered, I opened it up, the hubby glanced over, yelled "mine!", grabbed up the camera and disappeared into the recesses of his office. All we saw of him in the coming days were disguised and distorted Skype transmissions using the webcam. I told him that if he was not going to let the rest of us use the webcam, he was going to have to review it. He chuckled madly (behind his Billy Mays style webcam beard) and agreed. Here is a bit of his review:

Packaging was well done and all contents were in the box.

There was shipping damage to the exterior box and the Live!Cam box, but the product inside was protected.

When Live!Cam was removed from the box, the serial number/ CE label was completely off the unit. I re-applied it but probably in the wrong spot.
Actual installation went smoothly and without a hitch. It was installed on a Dell laptop and Cyber Power desktop. However there was a conflict in instructions which was confusing. The manual indicates to install software & drivers first before connecting the web cam USB to the computer. There was a loose Important Notice sheet insert which indicated to do the opposite of what the manual said which was to connect the web cam USB to PC before the software & drivers. I installed the way the loose Important Notice sheet insert indicated.

Physical installation:

For a laptop or a monitor for a pc is quite simple and easy. It can accommodate a range of thicknesses (notebook lid or LCD monitors) by an adjustable stand/clamp mechanism. It also can rotate vertically up to 30 degrees once mounted. The one thing you need to be wary of is the clamping mechanism, it seems like it could get knocked off fairly easy it doesn't clamp all that tightly.

The product registration and software update went smoothly on both systems.

Product Use:

There is no paper manual on the features provided by this webcam and its software application (Live!Central 2), nor is there a help section in Live!Central 2 to cover questions, features or usage.
So, one has to learn by exploring Live!Central 2 which is intuitive enough and fairly simple.
The video picture is very good as well as the audio. At times the two are not in sync though The HD quality is very good for a web cam, I had it set at 960 x 544 which was the default. The highest is at 1280 x 720 which has a fantastic video and picture quality.
It is very easy and convenient to snap photo's or record video's and then mail these, save them, or upload them to You Tube or Photobucket. The software also picks up other software applications you may have loaded such as Skype and seamlessly integrates them.
Skype immediately recognized that I had connected a web cam. I could then use it to make video calls which I did. It worked great, very good audio and video, the only issue again was the audio was out of sync with the video which is probably typical for web cams. The special effects were quite fun when making my Skype video calls to family and friends.
Special Effects: Three primary ones: Visual Effects, Avatar Effects, and Voice Effects.

Visual Effects:

The Live!Central 2 comes with some very cool special effects. You can only use these effects at a lower resolution than 1280 x 720, hence the 960 x 544 default which is the next lower resolution down from the 1280 x 720. You can add scenes, filters, face effects, accessories (headgear, eye wear, hair, and mustaches), face paint, and doodling. All these work pretty well, allowing you to change your picture or video. For example you can automatically distort your face w/ face effects, or add sunglasses which automatically pop up over your eyes on the camera image. What is amazing is that, for example, if add sunglasses to your picture or web feed and you move your head, the glasses will move with your head movement. You can't move too fast or too much as it may not stay in position. Overall though it works really well and is an enormous amount of fun. Picture doing a video call on Skype with your friend and while talking add a scene, or a mustache, or make yourself with long blond hair.

Avatar Effects: There are some hilarious avatar effects you can add. Basically your image changes to the avatars image, like a baby, or dog, or alien. As you move your head it moves slightly, as you speak the avatars mouth moves. You can also pick emotions and the avatar acts out those motions. Quite fun.

Voice Effects: Voice effects are a blast because you can change your voice as you speak to, say a child, or a very old person, or from female to male, or someone with a deep voice, add a strange accent, and many more. You can combine the visual effects with the voice effects. It's fun to hear or watch peoples reaction when, for example you are doing a video conference call, all of a sudden your voice changes. They see you talking but instead of a normal voice it's coming across as a child's voice.

Settings Tab: Here you can control such things as the "flicker" or refresh rate, video settings ( brightness, contrast, color, etc.), camera controls, image tuning, noise cancellation, and button controls. The camera controls are really nice because they allow you to zoom in and out, or move the lens sideways or up and down with out having to manually move the camera. This to me is an important feature I would want on a web cam.

In summary, the Creative Live!Cam HD web cam is easy to install, packed with features, great picture quality, easy to use, integrated well with the applications I used, and was a lot of fun.

Write your own review about Creative Live Cam Socialize HD 720P Webcam

More Creative Live Cam Socialize HD 720P Webcam reviews:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Description of Creative Live Cam Socialize HD 720P Webcam

Whether you're video blogging, teleconferencing, or just chatting with your friends, you'll always look your best with the Live! Cam Socialize HD. Live! Cam Socialize HD features a slim and compact design that brings the lens closer to the level of your eye for intimate face-to-face interaction, and takes true HD widescreen (1280x720) videos at up to 30 frames per second. The built-in noise-cancelling microphone eliminates background noise for clearer audio. You can even share your pictures, presentation slides and videos through popular instant messaging services with the included Live! Central 2 software. Technical Specifications: Sensor: HD CMOS Image Sensor, Video Resolution: Up to 1280 x 720 pixels, Picture Resolution: Up to 2560 x 1440 pixels with interpolation, Frame rate: Up to 30fps @ 1280 x 720 pixels, Integrated mono microphone with noise-cancellation, Works with native Windows drivers for instant Plug & Chat, Snapshot button, Fixed focus, Multi-attach base, Cable length: 1.7 meters / 5.5 feet, Port compatibility: USB 2.0. Package Contents: Creative Live! Cam Optia HD, Multi-language Quick Start Guide, Software Installation CD.

Digital Cameras and Photo Categories

Similar digital cameras and accessories

Logitech HD Pro Webcam C910
Logitech, Inc; Windows; CE
Price in other shops: ~~$99.99~~

Belkin USB 2.0 4-Port Ultra-Mini Hub
Belkin Components; Windows; CE
Best price: $6.72
Price in other shops: ~~$14.99~~

Apple Mac Mini MC815LL/ A Desktop (NEWEST VERSION)
Apple Computer; Apple; Apple Computer; Personal Computers; Personal Computer
Best price: $568.00
Price in other shops: ~~$599.00~~

Macally ICECAM2 USB 2.0 Video Web Camera with Built-in Microphone (White)
Macally; Windows; CE
Best price: $19.99
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

Creative Live! Cam Socialize VGA,1.3MP Webcam
Creative; CE
Best price: $19.79
Price in other shops: ~~$29.99~~

HP G60-630US 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
Hewlett Packard; HP; Hewlett Packard; Personal Computers; Personal Computer
Best price: $723.00
Price in other shops: ~~$836.00~~