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Why webcams aren’t good enough

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Re: Why webcams aren’t good enough

#221

Post by masklinn »

CodesInChaos wrote: post #171
masklinn wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I doubt they'd mind a camera bulge sticking out the back of their laptop. A bulge at the back of the laptop would be way more problematic e.g. way more likely to catch on bags, or otherwise be damaged. What I doubt most people would mind is the screen side being slightly thicker.

Or have a bulge on the front side of the screen and a corresponding mound on the keyboard side. While it conflicts with the touchpad, it could still be a worthwhile tradeoff.

Yes I agree with that. They'd have to scale back the trackpad a bit but frankly… the latest generations are just way too big.

Re: Why webcams aren’t good enough

#222

Post by httpsterio »

setr wrote: post #209
anthony_romeo wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, according to this random article I didn't fully read and just now searched for to justify the rest of my sentence's unfounded speculation ( https://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-case-survey-2014-7?op... ), the vast majority of phone users put cases around their phones, so perhaps the opinion is that the bulge is negligible at this point, and the pursuit of thinness is in part to accommodate users with cases.

The problem is that if you assume case-usage in the design, then the whole thing about it being physically premium materials, smoothly rounded corners and such stops making sense -- you're going to shove it in rubber anyways. The only thing that matters then is the screen itself, and maybe the hardware buttons (eg volume controls)

When something costs lore in dollars than it weights in grams, you can bet on me doing my best lot to break it. Phones are already pretty prone to breakage and they're easily fumbled as well.

I enjoy the materials in my phone and I'd love to use it without a case, but when my phone bumped against a saltshaker and the glass back panel cracked, I felt miffed to pay 160 euros to have that replaced when a 10 euro case would've prevented any damage.

Re: Why webcams aren’t good enough

#223

Post by llampx »

ravenstine wrote: post #199
diamondo25 wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think because it has no room for the module. Cameras these days tend to bulge out of the case of the phone...

Or they could at least make a webcam add-on with a superior camera, but as far as I know they don't sell anything like that. Hell, make it possible to use an iPhone as a webcam!

I remember the article linked recently where someone took apart an old Apple iSight and put in a Raspberry Pi + Camera into the housing. And it had fantastic image quality.

Re: Why webcams aren’t good enough

#226

Post by glitcher »

This is a completely minor and silly gripe, but one of the things I don't like about the video conferencing experience on computer screens is the lack of direct eye contact. I just can't escape the feeling of everyone looking at each other looking at each other, instead of looking each other in the eyes and knowing when someone is looking at you as opposed to someone else. It's really an odd shift from our natural face to face encounters.

Re: Why webcams aren’t good enough

#227

Post by julienfr112 »

wazoox wrote: post #219

I have a C920. My main problem is that the camera runs at 60 fps, but here in Europe, lights are 50Hz. therefore, flickering is unbearably as soon as you're not using natural light. I can't find any solution to this...

I've got no problem with this camera from europe. I remember tinkering with the same camera model while setting up a camera booth for rescruting interview. There was an option in the python video library to set the camera to a frequency that prevent flickering.

Re: Why webcams aren’t good enough

#228

Post by julienfr112 »

julienfr112 wrote: post #227
wazoox wrote: post #219

I have a C920. My main problem is that the camera runs at 60 fps, but here in Europe, lights are 50Hz. therefore, flickering is unbearably as soon as you're not using natural light. I can't find any solution to this...

I've got no problem with this camera from europe. I remember tinkering with the same camera model while setting up a camera booth for rescruting interview. There was an option in the python video library to set the camera to a frequency that prevent flickering.

are you using linux ? guvcview expose a lot of option from your camera.

Re: Why webcams aren’t good enough

#229

Post by spijdar »

totalZero wrote: post #215
acdha wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Johnny Ives was obsessed with thinness - it’s the same problem which lead to the bad keyboards. Now they’ve been putting people who haven’t forgotten about usability in charge I would not be surprised if the next case design included a non-terrible webcam since it’s unlikely that anyone is going to stop video conferencing even if we do go back to the office.

Jony Ive* Fair point, but Apple isn't the only company selling laptops with ho-hum webcams.

Just an anecdote, but I've always felt the webcams on macs I've used the past few years are worse than much cheaper Wintel PC webcams.

Could just be cognitive bias though, since everyone complains about mac webcams all the time.

Re: Why webcams aren’t good enough

#230

Post by stretchcat »

Sunspark wrote: post #182
stretchcat wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Narcissistic managers demanding everybody on their team use webcams during meetings hardly refutes clairity post.

Wanting to see one's colleagues is not narcissism. There's a valid accessibility reason as being able to see the other person helps people with hearing challenges and also, it's pretty rude to refuse to let yourself be seen. I never understood people who "didn't want to be seen" on camera during meetings (especially meetings with hearing accessibility issues) because those same people were willing to work in the phys…

Being seen is consequence of working in a physical space, not the objective. Not unless you're a stripper. Phone meetings worked just fine for decades, video chat is pure narcissism.

If there were somebody deaf on my team then I suppose I would reconsider it, but there isn't, so spare me the moralizing.

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