Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Webcams aren't good enough

reincubate.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

401–410 of 610 posts

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#401

Post by giancarlostoro »

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…

> A big reason there hasn't been innovation is that the space doesn't attract entrepreneurs (because hardware is viewed as hard) or investors (because hardware is viewed as hard).

It is so easy to throw yourself into software, I wouldn't know where to start as an amateur with hardware, it involves electricity and circuitry and probably months of learning. An amateur can scratch together a proof of concept in a few weeks.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#402

Post by 23seaborn »

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.

I'm still using my Logitech G9x that I bought 11 years ago. Apparently they stopped making them. I dread the day it dies.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#403

Post by stock_toaster »

kylecordes wrote: post #351
adrusi wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Smartphone cameras are small and far better sensors than what you get in webcams. They rely on software to produce images of the quality we're used to seeing, especially with less-than-ideal lighting, but the lenses and sensor are still far better than the Logitech C920. A webcam doesn't need the latest and greatest video hardware. Give it a camera module from a midrange 2017 smartphone and use the latest image proce…

This is the answer. Camera and processor from a several-year-old smart phone, which is now quite cheap. Sell it for $500. So far no one has, there must be a reason no one can.

elgato facecam is fairly decent.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#404

Post by GekkePrutser »

kcb wrote: post #2

Webcams are good enough for their purpose which is video conferencing and calls. In the end your video is likely going to be encoded in like 360p low bitrate. I personally prefer not being in razor sharp detail on calls anyway. Anyway this is the one I've been using. https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Webcam-Built-Stereo-Micropho... I like the integrated shutter better than the cover thing for the c920.

But compression looks so much better when it has decent source material to work with. It's the crappy noisy stuff it screws up on because it views the noise as detail and tries to preserve it, at the expense of details you do actually care about.

This is why movies still look really good even at surprisingly low bitrates (well one of the reasons, the other is of course unlimited time and lots of budget for tuning the compression which realtime applications don't have)

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#405

Post by mitchdoogle »

giancarlostoro wrote: post #401
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…

> A big reason there hasn't been innovation is that the space doesn't attract entrepreneurs (because hardware is viewed as hard) or investors (because hardware is viewed as hard). It is so easy to throw yourself into software, I wouldn't know where to start as an amateur with hardware, it involves electricity and circuitry and probably months of learning. An amateur can scratch together a proof of concept in a few we…

Aren't people who start businesses in a particular space professionals in that space already? It's hard to imagine someone who is new to software jump in and try to start a software company

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#407

Post by GekkePrutser »

ectopod wrote: post #220
QuantumSeed wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To your point, I've seen some modern webcams accentuate extremely minor facial blemishes to the point where observers actually notice it and call it out, concerned that the person is sick or has had some sort shaving incident. I would think compression would make that even worse.

Mine does this. It makes me look drunk. People who met me in real life after lockdown were surprised I looked normal. I keep meaning to find some software that will turn the red down.

Try different lighting. Less warm white.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#409

Post by giancarlostoro »

mitchdoogle wrote: post #405
giancarlostoro wrote: post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A big reason there hasn't been innovation is that the space doesn't attract entrepreneurs (because hardware is viewed as hard) or investors (because hardware is viewed as hard). It is so easy to throw yourself into software, I wouldn't know where to start as an amateur with hardware, it involves electricity and circuitry and probably months of learning. An amateur can scratch together a proof of concept in a few we…

Aren't people who start businesses in a particular space professionals in that space already? It's hard to imagine someone who is new to software jump in and try to start a software company

Not always, sometimes its just an interest, or it doesn't necessarily mean they have the technical means? For example a restaurant owner is not necessarily a technical expert, but could have an idea for a generic product that benefits every restaurant out there, and prototypes something, and gets funded and hires real devs to rework his prototype into a functioning viable product.

I have met and interviewed with YC founders who are not developers by any means for software heavy projects.

Re: Webcams aren't good enough

#410

Post by WatchDog »

stevage wrote: post #394

Question for people using Came: isn't it annoying having your phone locked up for the whole video call? No way to even check your notifications or do anything else on it? And constantly having to plug and unplug it, adding more wear to the delicate USB C sensor? Or do you use an old phone for Camo instead?

I would find it really annoying yes. I used camo with a spare iphone that has a broken screen. Despite being quite happy with the image quality results, I found that the experience was frustrating enough that I don't bother using it anymore, even without tying up my main phone. Every time you want to use it, you need to turn on the phone, open the app, plug it into your laptop, and make sure it's sitting in the stand properly. It's just a bit too much friction for me to bother with it for day to day zoom calls.
Post reply on HN