Creative PC-CAM 600 User Manual

Getting Started

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Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Creative Technology Ltd. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any purpose without the written permission of Creative Technology Ltd. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any other medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. The licensee may make one copy of the software for backup purposes.

November 2001 Video Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks, the Sound Blaster PCI logo are trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries.

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................ ix

Creative Oozic Player................................................................................................ xi

Creative W ebCam PhotoEditor................................................................................. xi

Creative PC-CAM Center......................................................................................... xi

Creative W ebCam Monitor....................................................................................... xi

Ulead Photo Express MCE....................................................................................... xii

Ulead VideoStudio Version 4.0 SE Basic................................................................ xii

PixAround PixMaker (Creative Edition)................................................................. xii

PixAround PixScreen (Creative Edition) ................................................................ xii

Microsoft NetMeeting.............................................................................................. xii

Microsoft Internet Explorer...................................................................................... xii

README File......................................................................................................... xiii

Minimum System Requirements ............................................................................ xiii

Document Conventions........................................................................................... xiv

1 Installing PC-CAM 600 ........................................................... 1

Package Contents......................................................................................................................2

About PC-CAM 600.................................................................................................................3

Buttons and LCD on PC-CAM 600.........................................................................................5

Buttons.......................................................................................................................... 5

Installing PC-CAM 600............................................................................................................9

In Windows 98/98 SE/Me........................................................................................... 9

Verifying the installation in Windows 98/98 SE/Me....................................11

In Windows 2000....................................................................................................... 12

Verifying the installation in Windows 2000..................................................13

2 Using PC-CAM 600 as a Web Camera ............................... 14

Starting PC-CAM Center........................................................................................................15

Capturing Images and Videos.................................................................................................16

Recording a Video in Preview Mode........................................................................ 17

Viewing a Photo......................................................................................................................18

Viewing a Video......................................................................................................................18

Reactivating the Camera.........................................................................................................18

Starting PC-CAM Center Help ..............................................................................................19

3 Using PC-CAM 600 as a Digital Camera ............................ 20

Turning on the Camera...........................................................................................................21

Battery Low.............................................................................................................................21

T aking Pictures........................................................................................................................22

Tips on Taking Good Pictures................................................................................................25

Recording Videos....................................................................................................................26

Downloading Images and Audio from the Camera ..............................................................27

Docked Mode............................................................................................................. 28

Undocked Mode......................................................................................................... 28

A Technical Specifications....................................................... 29

Features and Specifications....................................................................................................30

Driver and Operating System Compatibility.........................................................................31

Power.......................................................................................................................................31

Sensor.......................................................................................................................................31

Image Resolution ....................................................................................................................31

Docked mode............................................................................................................. 31

Undocked mode......................................................................................................... 32

Light Sensitivity......................................................................................................................32

Video Formats.........................................................................................................................32

iii

Exposure Control ....................................................................................................................32

Color Balance..........................................................................................................................32

Color Matrix............................................................................................................................32

Depth-of-Field.........................................................................................................................33

Port Compatibility...................................................................................................................33

Flash.........................................................................................................................................33

B Troubleshooting ..................................................................... 34

Problem Installing Software...................................................................................................35

Problems Using PC-CAM 600...............................................................................................35

C USB Compatibility ................................................................ 38

Technical Support...................................................................... 39

Introduction

Creative PC-CAM 600 is an Internet video camera that allows you to capture images in 24-bit (16.7 million) colors. It also records videos in full-color. The following are just some of the things you can do with your PC-CAM 600:

❑ Video Conferencing. Want to chat face-to-face with someone over the Internet?

Used together with Microsoft NetMeeting, PC-CAM 600 allows you to have realtime videoconferencing with virtually anybody over the Internet!

❑ Security Camera. Worried that someone will use your computer without your

kn o wle dge ? Wh e n us ed t o ge t her wit h We b Ca m Mon ito r, PC -CA M 60 0 can fun cti o n as a security camera, recording short videos of any movement in its field of view. It can also be programmed to take pictures automatically at regular intervals.

❑ Portable Digital Camera. As PC-CAM 600 is detachable, you can disconnect it

from the computer and use it as a digital camera to take pictures anywhere you like! With PC-CAM 600’s focus-free lens, you don’t need to manually focus your camera. Downloading images from PC-CAM 600 is a breeze with PC-CAM Center.

Introduction x

About the Applications

Creative Oozic Player

Creative PC-CAM Center

Creative WebCam Monitor

Ulead Photo Express MCE

An advanced software developed at the prestigious Creative-EMU Technology Center, Oozic accompany your music files. It combines textures, images and colors to create mesmerizing forms that dance and groove – all in a matter of seconds. Oozic videos are relatively compact and may be sent easily through the Internet.

Oozic Player requires a 3D graphics card.

This powerful application lets you take pictures or record videos and store them in albums. Use this application to download pictures to your computer, when using PCCAM 600 as a portable digital camera. You can also export these pictures or videos to other programs, or send them as attachments in your e-mail message. There are various settings for you to adjust, allowing you to optimize the quality of your pictures and videos.

If you are thinking of putting a live snapshot of your office, garden, or even your hamster cage on your web page, use WebCam Monitor. Just point your camera, specify some settings, and WebCam Monitor does the rest, including automatically uploading the snapshots to your web site. WebCam Monitor can even act as a motion-detecting security system that automatically sends an e-mail message to notify you whenever anybody moves within the camera’s field of view.

Ulead® Photo Express® MCE lets you download and organize photos and other multimedia files. You can also perform quick and easy photo enhancements.

™

Player lets you create and play stunning animated 3D videos to

Introduction xi

Ulead VideoStudio Version 4.0 SE Basic

The fastest way to create great videos, Ulead® VideoStudio™ 4.0 SE Basic takes full advantage of the most advanced digital video technology to put digital video excitement within the reach of anyone with a digital video camcorder and a computer.

PixAround PixMaker (Creative Edition)

PixAround PixScreen (Creative Edition)

Microsoft NetMeeting

Microsoft Internet Explorer

PixAround™ PixMaker™ lets you create your own 360° interactive PixAround scenes, web pages and postcards in 3 easy steps – just snap, stitch and publish! Now, you can create interactive 360° web pages easily, without the need for expensive professional equipment or additional plug-ins.

PixScreen™ lets you view PixAround scenes without the need for additional plug-ins. Navigate around a 360° PixAround scene with the help of buttons built into PixScreen's friendly user interface, or print out your PixAround scenes in normal or panoramic view!

Microsoft® NetMeeting® is a voice communications client that includes support for international conferencing standards and provides true multi-user application sharing and data conferencing capabilities.

It supports one-way or two-way videoconferencing, so your friends can see you even if they do not have a camera. Audio-only conversations and text chats are also supported. Two or more users can collaborate on a document, doodle on a whiteboard, or even share any Windows application in real-time over the Internet or a corporate intranet.

Microsoft Internet Explorer is an Internet browser that features ActiveX technology, so web pages can combine interactive ActiveX Controls, Java applets, and more to create interactive content. ActiveMovie technology allows you to view multimedia content on the Web, including MPEG audio and video.

Introduction xii

Before You Begin

README File

Minimum System Requirements

❑ The README file on the PC-CAM 600 installation CD contains information not

available at the time of printing. Read the file before connecting your PC-CAM to the computer.

❑ Genuine Intel ❑ 64 MB RAM ❑ 70 MB free hard disk space for installation of all software titles ❑ Available USB port or self-powered USB hub ❑ Microsoft

Edition (Me) or Windows 2000

❑ Display adapter that supports 16-bit color at a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels ❑ CD-ROM drive installed ❑ Sound Blaster

videoconferencing)

❑ Modem or LAN access to the Internet at 28.8 Kbps or faster (required for

videoconferencing)

For optimal performance:

❑ Display adapter that supports 24-bit color at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels ❑ Sound Blaster 16 or higher, or other Windows-compatible sound card with full-

duplex support for simultaneous two-way conversations

Pentium® 266 MHz, AMD® K6-2 300 MHz or faster processor

Windows® 98, Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), Windows Millennium

or other compatible audio card and microphone (required for

Introduction xiii

Updating Drivers To download the latest drivers and file updates for PC-CAM 600, visit the following

Creative web sites:

❑ http://creative.com/support/files/

(for driver and software updates)

❑ http://creative.com/support/faq/

(for questions about using PC-CAM products)

❑ http://creative.com/support/tech/

(to contact regional technical support offices)

Document Conventions

The following typographical conventions are used throughout this document:

Table 0-1: Document conventions

This Represents

This notepad icon indicates information that is of particular importance and should be considered before continuing.

This alarm clock icon indicates that failure to adhere to directions may result in loss of data or damage to your computer.

The warning sign indicates that failure to adhere to directions may result in bodily harm or life-threatening situations.

Introduction xiv

Installing PC-CAM 600

Package Contents

Your package contains the following items:

❑ One PC-CAM 600 camera ❑ One PC-CAM 600 camera stand ❑ One wrist-strap ❑ One USB cable ❑ Four alkaline AAA batteries (twin pack) ❑ One PC-CAM 600 installation CD ❑ Quick Start

Installing PC-CAM 600 2

About PC-CAM 600

Figure 1-1 shows you the front and back views of the camera.

Snapshot button

Focus-free lens

Front view

Viewfinder

Strobe-Flash

Front LED

Lights up when the camera is connected to the computer.

Camera-ready LED

Back view

Figure 1-1: Front and back views of PC-CAM 600.

Viewfinder

Installing PC-CAM 600 3

• To view pictures that you

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have taken while using the camera on-the-go, you must connect the camera to the computer and download the pictures using PC-CAM Center.

• As JPEG compresses an image according to its details, colors and compression ratio, the file size varies according to the picture taken.

Figure 1-2 shows the buttons and LCD on the camera.

Single snapshot (high resolution), Single snapshot (normal resolution) and Single snapshot (low resolution) modes icons

Self-timer single snapshot (high resolution and Self-timer single snapshot (normal resolution) modes icons

Audio cues enabled icon

Image counter

Multiple-snapshot (high resolution) mode icon

Video Recording ic on

Audio Recording icon

Battery level indicator

Power button

Red eye flash mode icon

Operation Mode button

Figure 1-2: Buttons and LCD on PC-CAM 600.

Flash mode button.

Flash mode Icons

Installing PC-CAM 600 4

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