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Webcams aren't good enough

reincubate.com

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Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#281

Post by system2 »

navanchauhan wrote: post #12

You can use you phone's camera as a webcam with Reincubate's Camo App. This required a wired connection iirc. You can also use OBS Studio along with a virtual camera plugin to use any device which can output directly to your computer. But most of these solutions do not work on Safari or FaceTime unless you manually modify the app. Now, Apple is going to soon introduce their "It Just Works" solution with the next rele…

Sound is easy. Slap a nice Yeti microphone and 2 sound blocking foams on the walls, you are good to go.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#283

Post by system2 »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #29

This made me laugh. > Using an iPhone as a webcam is easily the best option without dropping an excess of $1,000 for professional camera gear. Using the iPhone you already own, or a recent hand-me-down, a moderate investment in lighting, and Reincubate Camo, you can get excellent results and none of the frustration and hassle that accompanies standalone webcams. I don't have an iPhone. So if I want to buy one that is…

> $50/year for Camo

LOL what? Is this true?

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#284

Post by maxique »

rlei wrote: post #171

I'm the cofounder at Lumina - we're building a modern webcam designed to solve some of these problems. There's really been a lack of innovation in the entire home office space, with the webcam being particularly bad. It sucks that a decade-old product (Logitech C920) is still the bestselling product today -- that would be like if Apple stopped releasing new phones after the iPhone 4S (launched 2012), and it remained…

> I would've loved to see Lumina in his comparison. We launched a few months ago

The article is from Feb 2021.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#285

Post by kristjansson »

A substantial advantage to Reincubate's product is the ability to control the camera settings that would otherwise be relegated to some auto-focus auto-lighting software. In a dark room, for example, one can choose to slow the shutter speed way down, trading some motion blur for a better static image. I hope they can continue to provide those features on top of Continuity Camera after it launches with Ventura.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#286

Post by 01100011 »

rlei wrote: post #171

I'm the cofounder at Lumina - we're building a modern webcam designed to solve some of these problems. There's really been a lack of innovation in the entire home office space, with the webcam being particularly bad. It sucks that a decade-old product (Logitech C920) is still the bestselling product today -- that would be like if Apple stopped releasing new phones after the iPhone 4S (launched 2012), and it remained…

Appreciate the effort. I think one thing that hinders innovation is that, as soon as anyone makes a decent camera that sells well, a company like Logitech will just try a little harder and bring a better camera to market at a lower price point. It's not like this is rocket science, Logitech just doesn't have much incentive to try very hard right now.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#287

Post by slotrans »

I bought an iPod Touch (~$100) to use with Camo Studio. It works great. Lets me keep my laptop lid closed all the time which I prefer, and the video quality is much much better than the built-in camera. The software costs a little but it's well-made and I don't mind paying for stuff that does what it's supposed to do.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#288

Post by citruscomputing »

oittaa wrote: post #225
ec109685 wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know what you’re getting at, but for people who can’t rearrange their house, good lighting is definitely cheaper than a north facing window :)

Exactly. I put couple of Ikea Torsbo(? or something similar, can't remember the exact model) next to my monitor and they provide nice soft light to the face, which amazes some people. Literally spending 20€ on some cheap tabletop lamps would improve the quality dramatically for most of the people. I don't even have any fancy cameras, just a Logitech Streamcam I bought from some discount sale.

Tokabo? https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/tokabo-table-lamp-with-led-bulb...

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#289

Post by Pxtl »

ncmncm wrote: post #186
rlei wrote: post #171

I'm the cofounder at Lumina - we're building a modern webcam designed to solve some of these problems. There's really been a lack of innovation in the entire home office space, with the webcam being particularly bad. It sucks that a decade-old product (Logitech C920) is still the bestselling product today -- that would be like if Apple stopped releasing new phones after the iPhone 4S (launched 2012), and it remained…

What sucks most is that Logitech, which used to be a proud name (back when "Feels good / Feels better") has gone totally to shit. Even their mice are designed to fail in a year. (Spill on the desk, the mouse that only got damp on the bottom is dead, dead, dead. That can't be accidental.) A full article on what went wrong at Logitech corporate could be enlightening, if not helpful.

The software is an abomination too - they switched from a native program to an electron app that I'd describe as "occasionally functional". And you do need to use the app to do simple things like checking battery of wireless headphones.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#290

Post by Dave_Rosenthal »

My theory is just that video conference applications should inject whatever horrible things you are doing to your image to the other image :)

If your camera shakes while you type, your view of the other person will shake too. If you have a horrible echo, so will the other person. If you are backlit with dim light, get ready for a dim, grainy view of the other person. Low res? Blown highlights? Yep, we can show you that. The goal is to setup the incentives correctly. Most people seem to appreciate a good view of their peer but many can’t seem to be bothered to do the work themselves.

Friendlier alternative: Build classifiers for the 10 most common ‘you look bad’ situations and have the video conference app turn on the ‘dummy lights’ (to borrow from cars) that warn you what’s up and how to fix it.

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