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Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

vsevolod.net

191–200 of 794 posts

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#191
www.kurokesu.com is quite interesting.

Sells sensors or kits to convert existing Logitech cameras, and filters/lenses you can add to them.

It's niche - but sits between an off the shelf webcam, and lashing a 'proper' camera to a USB socket.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#192
>Even if I think that 4k is not needed, I’m pretty sure it’s really a requirement to have in an upmarket webcam, as it will be really hard to sell a pricey webcam that can only do 1080p.

4K is absolutely not needed. You won't be streaming 4K from your home or average office space anyway. Our pipes are just not that fat yet in upstream direction.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> not-quite-4K 3,840 x 2,160 But...that is 4K. It's what 4K is defined as, exactly 2x 1080p resolution in each dimension. > Windows scaling looks like crap I don't understand. 2x each dimension (so 1 pixel in the old resolution is 4 in the new) is, like, the easiest possible scenario when it comes to scaling in software.

> But...that is 4K. It's what 4K is defined as, exactly 2x 1080p resolution in each dimension. That's irrelevant though, except if we're talking about consuming movies fullscreen. For a monitor I don't want 4K, I want insivible pixels at viewing distances, so hi-dpi. I would also prefer no scaling for assets that are bitmap in nature. This ideally means pixel doubling (less cpu/gpu demanding and less fuzzy than fract…

I just completely don't understand your point. There's no misleading advertising here - the resolution is exactly as promised ,at the size promised....what's the problem? If the resolution isn't high enough for you....then buy one where it is? There are 5K monitors out there, maybe even 8K? Or just get a 4K one but in a smaller size?

I'm so confused by your comment.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The geo-locking of model numbers is one of the vilest practices I've seen. I don't see it going away for any reason, it'll only be possible to combat by intl. legislation... but how do you even legislate that?

I don't see it going away as there are valid reasons for doing so for small but important market differences. If you're making some device (for example, washing machine) which has a power cord and a knob for some mode selection with writing on it, then for the exact same internals you need different models where the power cords are different (USA, UK, Germany and Japan each require different plugs) and the writing on…

Just append the region identifier to the model number. Internally they clearly need to track the products separately, and you don’t want people getting the wrong product accidentally.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#195
post #140
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Then they give the product a hilariously user-hostile product name, like “PQS GRT46782-WT” as an extra f-you to the user. That is also a strategy to prevent product comparisons and unbiased reviews. They quickly cycle through product names and sell a certain product no. only in a limited geographical area. Doesn't matter if a consumer org/magazine/someone on reddit/your friend/etc. does a review. The product will b…

That's exactly what I have been telling folks about Apple vs. other laptops. Apple only has a handful of laptop models for sale and they don't even change that much across generations. Furthermore they seem to exhibit hardly any manufacturing variations within each generation. That means that if there is a problem (and yes, there were a few big ones), everyone is affected the same, everyone is screaming about it, the…

Apple had a lot of problems with overheating. The i9 version of MacBook especially, it throttles under slight load.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those are great tips. I'll add a free one: just put your desk in front of a window and use that natural light

Sod's law means that the window is often behind the desk, making video pics a silhouette, and the light that does come from the monitor can give some ghastly hues to your skin tone!

[deleted]

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#197
post #78

The reason you can’t buy a good webcam is the same reason you can’t buy a high quality monitor outside of LG’s unreliable apple collab. The lazy conglomerates who sell these peripherals often don’t actually produce the parts in them. They simply rebrand commodity cameras and IPS panels in a crap plastic housing and slap their logo on it. Then they give the product a hilariously user-hostile product name, like “PQS GR…

> Then they give the product a hilariously user-hostile product name, like “PQS GRT46782-WT” as an extra f-you to the user. That is also a strategy to prevent product comparisons and unbiased reviews. They quickly cycle through product names and sell a certain product no. only in a limited geographical area. Doesn't matter if a consumer org/magazine/someone on reddit/your friend/etc. does a review. The product will b…

It also makes it possible for big electronic stores to give price guarantees as the webshop undercutting them has monitors with a different product number.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#198
post #170
post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't there a chance that the assembled Chinese monitors actually use second grade panels that the big makers wouldn't accept? I remember getting a 27-inch 1440p display from a Chinese manufacturer for really cheap back in high school. It should've been the exact same panel as was in Apple's iMacs. However, the were some quality issues with it long term and it's definitely suffering from burn-in that I don't think th…

That was the case with noname Korean/Chinese monitors a decade ago that used high quality IPS panels found in Apple and other professional displays - they used rejected panels, which had various issues (mostly dead pixels afaik). https://techreport.com/review/23291/those-27-inch-ips-displa... But overall, they were a great purchase quality/performance/cost wise.

Yeah, a cheap 1440p as a student was certainly a great thing when they were still rather expensive, even though the base was wobbly as all hell and it later developed some issues.

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#199

The reason you can’t buy a good webcam is the same reason you can’t buy a high quality monitor outside of LG’s unreliable apple collab. The lazy conglomerates who sell these peripherals often don’t actually produce the parts in them. They simply rebrand commodity cameras and IPS panels in a crap plastic housing and slap their logo on it. Then they give the product a hilariously user-hostile product name, like “PQS GR…

Ahh the LG monitor from the Apple collaboration. It’s so great. So different than other monitors. Stable, reliable, solid. A great product. You can literally see how Apple forced their product tenets on LG.

Sadly, it’s not available anymore. I have one in my office but needed another one for home. Ended up buying an LG with the funny name of something 27UKi6716263 that looked similar on amazon. It’s so different... what a shame

EDIT: it’a not available in Germany

Re: Why can’t you buy a good webcam?

#200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Windows scaling looks like crap Huh? I'm using LG's 27 inch 4k and scaling looks good. It can bug and force you to relaunch app but that's not something you encounter often.

I'm using a Dell P2715Q (also 27 inch 4k); it looks fine. But... scaling? The point of having a gigantic 27 inch monitor is that you don't need to scale it. The only problem I do have with the monitor is that it makes me disable scaling on my 15" laptop screen, since there are annoying interactions when you have one screen with scaling active and one without.

> The point of having a gigantic 27 inch monitor is that you don't need to scale it

The point of using a High-DPI display is that you can use scaling without losing the screen real-estate. With 5K @ 27" you can get what looks like 1440p in physical UI element size, but with an increase in clarity, readability, and quality.

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