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Message |
    
lah
Citizen
Username: Lah
Post Number: 421
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 7:30 pm: | 
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OK, it doesn't have to be totally pimped, but I would like it to have a videa connection, so that when my kid takes it with him this summer, we can do video iChat. The guy at the apple store says that iSight will work, but at $150, it costs more than the G3 did (I bought it used). Any way to do this cheaper, or should I just settle for an audio iChat?
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Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 1114
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 7:31 pm: |
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Just buy a 19.99 webcam from comp usa or best buy. Works with iChat. |
lah
Citizen
Username: Lah
Post Number: 422
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 7:59 pm: |
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I'm running OS X and I'm fairly certain that I don't have a firewire (just a USB). Will a $20 webcam work? (I've read some reviews on amazon and I'm a bit skeptical that it will). Can I do any better than this --
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001JSSLI/ref=ord_cart_shr/002-3108098-8793643 ?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance&n=172282 ?
(and how much does the driver cost???) |
Glock 17
Citizen
Username: Glock17
Post Number: 1116
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 8:18 pm: |
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I just plugged in the USB webcam in and it ran on my OSX (newest version)
At $20 dollars id go and get one and try it out..before spending 300 dollars on two isights
I'd reccomend one from logitech
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00077IGZ2/sr=1-14/qid=1150071572/ref=sr_1_14/102-2907208-6488912?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=electronics
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006OLCT/sr=1-18/qid=1150071572/ref=sr_1_18/102-2907208-6488912?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=electronics
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002FHEU2/sr=1-23/qid=1150071572/ref=sr_1_23/102-2907208-6488912?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=electronics |
lah
Citizen
Username: Lah
Post Number: 423
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 8:27 pm: |
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Cool. If I can get away with $20, I'll be a happy camper... |
Monster©
Supporter
Username: Monster
Post Number: 3556
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, June 11, 2006 - 10:46 pm: |
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the speed of the processor will play a factor on whether or not video chat should be an option, also what kind of connection to the internet.
If the person at the Apple store you spoke with thinks that the iChat would work with your G3 (I'm guessing you told them what kind of G3 you have) then they have to be thinking that you have Firewire, since iChat requires a Firewire port for audio, video, and power.
So what G3 do you have?
If your child is taking a digital video camera along, then you may be able to use that as a webcam with ichat.
A Firewire port looks like the port on the right side in the image below
If you do go with a one of the webcams that Glock mentioned or something else, keep this website in mind if you have troubles getting it to work, it's an open source project for OS X webcam drivers. |
Eponymous
Citizen
Username: Eponymous
Post Number: 199
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 12:22 am: |
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You can work with USB on iChat, but you'll need some extra software to do it. And I doubt your used machine is running Tiger (10.4), so that's another factor. There's a freeware plug-in to allow QuickTime to see USB video, called macam.component. Then there's a $20(?) hack to let iChat see that video. On my 1 GHz iBook, the USB video is very very choppy and delayed by about a second or so, but it is there.
You can use a video cam with FireWire (I do occasionally).
Oh, and I assume your son will have a high-speed connection where he is? |
Tom Reingold
Supporter
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 14650
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 12:23 am: |
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I wonder if the G3 has enough oomph to provide satisfactory live video. Perhaps not.
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Monster©
Supporter
Username: Monster
Post Number: 3560
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 12:41 am: |
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tom, that depends which G3 he has, all it takes is a 600 meg cpu for the low end |
lah
Citizen
Username: Lah
Post Number: 424
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 5:43 am: |
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I have an older G3, I believe it's a G3-350. I told the guy at the apple store that it was an older G3 and that I was pretty sure it didn't have a firewire (I was concerned b/c the iSight requires firewire -- that was before I found out it was $150). He told me that he thought all G3s had firewires (I've confirmed that this one does not). The guy was a young kid. My G3 may be older than he is, so he probably cannot imagine such a machine or that someone could still be using such a dinosaur.
The G3 is running Tiger, but it's a slow, old machine (not great for online games and the like). We've added memory, but it's still is a lightweight compared to today's iMacs. I like the idea of trying his digital camera as a webcam. He already has one of the lower end Canons. How would I experiment with the camera? Do I have to buy one of those USB drivers that I found on the web (like this)? BTW, I'm not expecting beatiful fluid video, but it would be nice even to see a grainy live kid at the other end.
http://www.ecamm.com/mac/ichatusbcam/configs.html
And if I do need one of these drivers, how will the mac know I want to use it as a webcam?
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Eponymous
Citizen
Username: Eponymous
Post Number: 200
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 8:53 am: |
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You want a USB camera if you don't have firewire, unless you get a firewire card for it (I'm assuming it's a blue & white or beige G3), which could be fairly cheap actually. |
Monster©
Supporter
Username: Monster
Post Number: 3562
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 2:09 pm: |
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I think you will run into problems using iChat Video on that G3, audio should work though, for 1 to 1 video conference iChat requires a 600MHz G3 or better, and a minimum of 100 Kbps Internet connection upstream and downstream, for both the host and participating clients.
If using just the audio, you need only a 56Kbps connection both ways, and any G3 or above.
If you still want to try the Canon, and if the Canon connects to the USB port of the computer now, then check out the macam drivers that Eponymous and i suggested, http://webcam-osx.sourceforge.net/
it's free, and go ahead and see how it works.
I've heard good things about ecamm too.
Now if it works with the driver (and not iChat, which it most likely won't), then check out ImageCaster for an iChat alternative, here, http://www.econtechnologies.com/site/Pages/ImageCaster/imgcast_overview.html
it's supposed to be pretty good.
more links of interest
http://www.evological.com/evocam.html
http://www.sightspeed.com/features/1-to-1
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Monster©
Supporter
Username: Monster
Post Number: 3563
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 2:16 pm: |
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this too
http://macs.about.com/od/softwareandutilities/a/webcam_apps.htm |
wnb
Citizen
Username: Wnb
Post Number: 413
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 2:22 pm: |
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Is video essential? Because staying in touch could be accomplished a lot more easily by simply getting a family share cell phone plan with unlimited mobile-to-mobile minutes, or a low per-minute calling card.
You're not exactly clear on where the kid is going, but unless there's access to a high speed internet connection there, it won't matter what kind of machine you have or how you trick it out.
I know when I'm on the phone I tend to walk around all over the place and do other things. It would drive me crazy if someone were expecting me to sit in front of a camera and be video'd while we talk. Which leads me to my final question: does the kid actually want this?
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lah
Citizen
Username: Lah
Post Number: 425
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 9:35 pm: |
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The kid will have a high speed internet connection and wants to have the video connection (although I admit that it may be because he iChats with friends and also wants to keep in touch with his brother). He iChats (audio only) on the G3 now and uses our G5 for video (but I am not so indulgent as to let him take the G5). He likes to tinker and will view this as a fun project. If this doesn't work, he can post still pics on flickr (a great website). Trying to get the Canon to work with these drivers sounds like a good weekend project....Thanks all for your suggestions. If we get this working, I'll let you know. |
Eponymous
Citizen
Username: Eponymous
Post Number: 202
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 12:02 am: |
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Just saw this app that lets you use video iChat with a <600MHz G3:
http://www.ecamm.com/mac/iglasses/
Never used it. |
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