Creative Video Blaster WebCam 3 User Manual

User’s Guide

Creative Video Blaster WebCam 3

Information in this document is sub ject to change w ithout notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Creati ve Technology Ltd. No part of this manual may be reproduced or tran s mitted in any form or by any mean s , el ectronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, for any pur pose without the writte n permis sio n of Crea tive Technology Ltd. The software de sc ribed in this docu me nt is furnishe d und er a licens e agreement and may be used or copied only in accordance w it h the terms of the license agreement. It is agains t the law to copy the software on any other medium except as specifically allowed i n the license agreement. The licens ee may make one co py of the softw are for backup purposes.

May 20 0 0 Sound Blaster is a registe red trademark of Creative Technology, Ltd. Blas ter is a trademark of Creative Technology Ltd.

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Microsof t, MS-DOS, Windows , and the Windows Logo ar e registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

All other pro ducts are trademarks or reg ist ered trademarks of their respective owners.

Creative End -User Soft ware Licens e Agreement

PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE. BY INSTALLING AND USING THE SOFTWARE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT A GREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT INST ALL OR USE THE SOFTWARE. PROMPTLY RETURN, WITHIN 15 DA YS, THE SOFTW ARE, ALL RELA TED DOCUMENTATION AND ACCOMPANYING ITEMS TO THE PLACE OF ACQUISITION FOR A FULL REFUND.

This is a lega l agree ment bet ween you and

Te c h nolo gy Ltd.

This Agreement states the terms and conditions upon which Creative offers to license the software sealed in the disk package together with all relat ed documentation and accompanying it ems including, but not limited to, the executable programs, drivers, libraries and data files associated with such programs (col lectively , t he “Software”).

LICENSE

Grant of License

The Softwa re is licensed, not sold, to you for use only under the te rms of this Agreemen t . You own the disk or other media on which the Software is originall y or subsequently recorded or fixed; but, as between you an d Creative (and, to the extent applicable, its licensors), Creative retains all title to and ownership of the Software and reserves all rights not expressly granted to you.

For Use on a Single Computer

The Softwa re may be used only on a single computer by a single user at any time. You may transfer the machi ne-readable portion of the Software f rom one co mputer to a nothe r computer , provided that (a) the Software (includ ing any portion or copy thereof) is erased fro m th e first computer and (b) there is no possibility that the Software will be used on more than one computer at a time.

Stand-Alone Basis

You may use the Software on ly on a stand-alone basis, such that the Software and the funct ions it

and its subsidiaries (“Creative”).

Creative

Version 2. 3, January 2 000

provides are accessible only to persons w ho ar e physically present at the locati on of the comp uter on which the Sof tware is loaded. You may not allow the Softw are or its funct ion s to be access ed remotely, or transmit all or any portion of the Software through any network or communication line.

The Software is owned by Creative and/or its licensees and is protected by United States copyr ight l aws an d inter nat ional treaty pro visio ns. You may not remove the cop yright notice from any copy of the Software or any copy of the written materials, if any, accompanying the Software.

One Archival C opy

You may make one (1) archival copy of the machine-readable portion of the Software for backup purpo ses o nly in s upport of your use of the Software on a single comp uter, provided that you reproduce on the copy all cop yr ight and other proprietar y r ights notices included on the originals of the Software.

No Merger or Integration

You may not merge any porti on of the Softw a r e into, or integrate any portion of the Software with, any other program, except to the extent expressly permitte d by the laws of the jurisdic tio n where you are located. Any portion of the Software merged into or inte grated with a nother pr ogram, if any, will continue to be subject to the terms and conditio ns of th is Agre em ent, and you must reproduce on the merged or integrated portion al l

copyrig ht and other proprietary r ights notices included in the originals of the Software.

Network Version

If you have purchased a “network” version of the Software, this Agreement applies to the installation of the Software on a single “file server”. It may not be cop ied onto multiple systems. Ea ch “node” connected to the “f il e server” mus t also have its own license of a “node copy” of the Software, which becomes a license only for that specific “node”.

Transfer of License

You may transfer your licens e of the Softw ar e, provid ed that (a) you transfer all port ions of the Software or copies thereof, (b) you do not retain any port i on of the So f tw are or any co py t he r e o f , and (c) th e transfer ee read s and ag rees to be b ound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement.

Limitat ions on Using, C opy ing , an d Mo dif ying the Software

Except to the extent expressly permitted by this Agreement or by the laws of the jurisdiction where you acquired the Software, you may not use, copy or modi fy the Sof t war e . Nor may yo u sub-license any of your rights under this Agreement. You may use the software for your personal use only, and not for public performance or for the creation of publicly disp lay ed video t apes.

10.

Decompiling, Disassembling, or Reverse

Engineering

Y ou ackn owle dge that the Softw are contain s trade

secrets and oth er proprietary information of Creativ e and its licensors. Except to the extent expressly permitted by this Agreement or by the laws of t he jur isdiction where you are located , you may not de c o m pile, dis a s s e m ble or othe rw i s e rever s e engineer the Software, or eng age in any other activities to obtain unde rlying inf or m ation that is not visi ble to the user in connection wi th nor m al use of the Soft w a r e .

In particular, you agree not for any purpose to transmit the Software or display the Software's object code on any compute r scr een or to make any hardcopy memory dumps of the Software's object code. If you believe you require information related to the interoperability of the Softwar e w it h other programs, you shal l not decompile or disassemble the Software t o obtain such information, and you agree to request such information from Cr eative at the address listed below. Upon receiving s uch a request, Creati ve shall determine whether you require such information for a legitimate purpose and, if so, Creative will provide such information to you within a reasonable time and on reasonable conditions. In any event, you will notify Creative of any info rmatio n de r ive d f r o m r eve rs e engineering or such other acti vities, and the results thereof will constitute the confidential information of Creative that may be used onl y in connection with the Software.

TERMINATION

The license granted to you is effective until terminated. You may terminate it at any time by returning the Software (including any portions or copies thereof ) to Creative. The license will also terminate automatically without any notice from Creative if you fail to comply with any term or

condition of this A greement. Y ou agree upon such termination to retur n the Software (including any portions or copies thereof) to Creati ve. Upon termination, Creative may also enforce any rig hts provided by law. The provisions of this Agreement that protect the proprietary rights of Creativ e w ill continue in force after termination.

LIMITED WARRANTY

Creativ e w arrants, as the sole warranty, that the disks on whic h the So ftware is furni shed wil l be free of defects, as set forth in the Warran ty Card or printed manual included with the Software. No dist r ibutor, deale r or any other en ti t y or pe r s o n is authorized to expand or alter t his warranty or any other provisions of this Agreement . Any representation, other than the warranties set forth in this Agreemen t, w ill not bi nd Creative.

Creative does not warrant that the functions contained in th e Sof tware will meet your requirements or that the operation of the Software will be uninterrupted, error-free or free from malicious code. For purposes of this par a graph, “malicious code” mea ns any program c ode desi gned to contami n ate othe r computer program s o r computer data, consume computer resources, modify , de stro y, record, or trans mit da ta, or i n som e other fashion usurp the normal operation of the computer , computer sy s tem, or computer network, including viruses, Trojan horses, droppers, worms, logic bombs, an d the like. EXCEPT AS ST ATED

ABOVE IN THIS AGREEMENT, THE SOFTW ARE IS PROVIDED AS-IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CREATIVE IS NOT OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE ANY UPDATES, UPGRADES

OR TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR THE SOFTWARE.

Further, Creative shall not be liable for the accuracy of any inf or m a t i o n pr ov ided by Cre a t ive or t h ir d party t echnical support personnel, or any damages caused, either directly or indirectly, by acts taken or omissions made b y you as a result of such techni cal suppor t.

You assu me full respo n sibi lity for the selection of the Softw are to achieve your in tended results, and for the ins tallation , use an d results o btained from the Software. You also assume the entire risk as it applies to the qualit y and perform a nc e of the Software. Should the Software prove defective, you (and not Creative, or its distributors or dealers) assume the enti re cost of all necessary servic in g, repair or correction.

This warr anty gives you spec ific legal rights, and you may also have other ri g hts w hich vary fro m country/state to country/state. Some countries/states do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so the above exclusion may not apply to you. Creative disclaims all warranties of any kind if the Software was customi zed, repackaged or altered i n any way by any thir d party othe r t h an C r ea ti ve .

LIMITATION OF REMEDIES AND DAMAGES THE ONLY REMEDY FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY WILL BE THAT SET FORTH IN THE WARRANTY CARD OR PRINTED MANUAL INCLUDED WITH THE SOFTWARE. IN NO EVENT WILL CREATIVE OR ITS LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, LOST SAVINGS, LOST REVENUES OR LOST DATA ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THE

SOFTWARE OR THIS AGREEMENT, EVEN IF CREATIVE OR ITS LICENSORS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT WILL CREATIVE’S LIABILITY OR DAMAGES TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON EVER EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE CLAIM.

Some countries/states do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liab i lity for inci dent al or cons equent ial damages, so the above limitation or ex clusion may not apply to you.

PRODUCT RETURNS

If you must ship the software to Creative or an authorized Creative distributor or dealer, you must prepay sh ipping and either insure the software or assume all risk of loss or damage in transit.

U.S. GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED RIGHTS

All Softw are and related documentat ion are provided with restricted rights. Use, duplication or disclosure by the U.S. Government is subject to restrictions as set forth in subdivision (b)(3)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software Clause at 252.227-7013. If you are sublicensing or using the Soft ware out side o f the Unit ed States, you wil l comply with the applicable local laws of you r country, U.S. export control law, and the English version of this Agreement.

CONTRACTOR/MANUFACTURER

The Contractor/Manufacturer for the Software is:

Creative Technology Ltd

31, International Business Park Creative Resource Singapore 609921

GENERAL

This Agreement is bindi ng on you as well as your employees, empl oyers, contractors and agents, and on any successors and assignees. Neither the Software nor any information derived therefrom may be expo rte d exce pt in ac corda nce wi th t he l aws of the U.S. or other applicable provisions. This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of California (except to the extent federal law governs copyrights and federall y r egistered trademarks). This Agreemen t i s the entire agreement between us and supersedes any other understandings or agreemen ts, inc ludin g , but not limit ed to, advertising, with respect to the Software. If any provision of this Agr eeme n t is deem ed invalid or unenforcea ble by any cou ntry or go vernmen t age ncy having jur isdi cti on, tha t part icul ar pro vi sion w ill be deemed modified to the extent necessar y to make the provision valid and enforceable, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

For questions concerning this Agreement , please contact Creative at the address stated above. For questions on product or technical matters, contact the Creative technical support center nearest you.

ADDENDUM TO THE MICROSOFT SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT (WINDOWS 95)

IMPORTANT: By using the Mi cr os oft software

files (the “Microsoft Software”) provided with this Addendum, you are agreeing to be bound by the following terms. If you do not agree to be bound by these terms, you may not use the Microsoft Software.

The Microsoft Software is provided for the sole purpose of replacing the corresponding files provided with a previously licensed copy of the Microsoft software product iden ti fied above (“ORIGINAL PRODUCT”). Upon installation, the

Microsoft Software files become part of the ORIGINAL PRODUCT and are subject to the same warrant y and license terms and condi ti ons as the ORIGINAL PRODUCT. If yo u do not have a val id license to use the ORIGINAL PRODUCT , you may not use the Mi crosoft Softw are. An y other us e of the Microsof t Software is prohib ited.

SPECIAL PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

IF YOU ACQUIRED THE SOFTWARE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU), THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS ALSO APPLY TO YOU. IF THERE IS ANY INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN THE TERMS OF THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT SET OUT EARLIER AND IN THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS, THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS SHALL TAKE PRECEDENCE.

DECOMPILATION

You agree not for any purpose to transmit the Software or display the Software’s object code on any computer screen or to make any hard copy memory dumps of the Software’s object code. If you believe you require informatio n relate d to the interoperability of the Software with other programs, you shall not decompile or disassemble the Softw are to obtain such informat ion, and you agree to request such information from Creative at the address listed earlier. Upon receiving such a request, Creative shall determine whether you require such information f or a legitimate purpose and, if so, Creative will provide such information to you within a reasonable time and on reasonable conditi ons .

LIMITED WARRANTY EXCEPT AS STATED EARLIER IN THIS AGREEMENT, AND AS PROVIDED UNDER THE HEADING “STATUTORY RIGHTS”, THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS-IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, QUALITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

LIMITATION OF REMEDY AND DAMAGES THE LIMITATIONS OF REMEDIES AND DAMAGES IN THE SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT SHALL NOT APPLY TO PERSONAL INJURY (INCLUDING DEA TH) TO ANY PERSON CAUSED BY CREATIVE’S NEGLIGENCE AND ARE SUBJECT TO THE PROVISION SET OUT UNDER THE HEADING “STATUTORY RIGHTS”.

STATUTORY RIGHTS

Irish law provides that certain conditions and warra nties ma y be i m pl i e d in c ontrac ts fo r t he s al e of goods and in contracts for the supply of services. Such condi tions a nd war ranties are hereby exc luded, to the extent such exclus ion, in the context of this transaction, is lawful under Irish law. Con versely , such conditions and warranties, insofar as they may not be lawfu lly excluded, shall appl y.

Accordingl y nothing in this Agreement s hall prejudice an y rig hts that you may enj oy b y vir tue of Sections 12, 13, 14 or 15 of the Ir ish Sale of Goods Act 1893 (as amended).

GENERAL

This Agreement is governed by the laws of the Republic of Ireland. The local language version of this agreement shall apply to Software acquired in the EU. This Agreement is the entire agreement

between us, and you agree that Creative wi ll not have any liability for any untrue statement or representation made by it, its agents or anyone else (whether inno cently or negli gently ) upon whic h you relied upon entering this Agreement, unless such untrue statement or representation was made fraudule ntly.

Safe ty In fo r mation

The following sections contain notices for

CAUTION: This device is intended to be installed by the user in a CSA/TUV/UL cert ified/li s ted IBM AT or comp a tib le pe rsona l com pute rs in the manufacturer’s defi ned operator acces s area. Check the equipment ope ra tin g/ in sta llatio n manua l and/ or with the equipment manufacturer to verify/confirm if your equi pment is suitable for user -installed applicat ion cards.

Any chang e s or modifications not expr es s ly approv ed by the gra ntee of th is de vice c ould vo id the user’s authority to operate the devi ce.

various countries:

Modifications

Compliance

This product conf orms to th e following Counc il Directive:

Directive 89/336/EEC, 92/31/EEC (EMC)

❑

Introduction

Before You Begin......... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. ... .. ..... .. .. ... .... ... .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... ... .. .........x

System Requi rements.................................................... .............. ............................. ....x

Document Conventions..................................... .............. ............... ............................ .xi

1 Installing Video Blaster WebCam 3

About WebCam 3........................................................................................ ......................... .1-2

Installin g Video Blaster WebCam 3..................... .............. .............. .............. ......................1-3

Installin g Software..................................................................... .............. .............. ............... 1-4

In Wind ows 98........ ............... ............................ .............. ............... .............. ............1-4

In Windows 2000................... .. .................................................................................1-6

2 Using Video Blaster WebCam Control

Starting WebCam Cont rol ....... .............. ............... .............. ............................ ............... .......2-1

Using WebCam Control............................ .............. ............................ ............... .............. ..... 2-2

T o set the view into focus................................................... ............................ ..........2-2

T o select the video capture device........................................ .............. ......................2-2

T o capture still i mages using the Snapshot button..................................................2-3

T o start the Help file in WebCam Control.................................. .............. ...............2-3

Optimizing WebCam 3................................................ .............. .............. .............................2-3

Setting fr ame rate....... .............. .............. ............................. .............. .............. ..........2-3

Choosing output size............................................................................. ...................2-4

Choosing color depth......................... ..................... ..................................................2-4

Improving vi deo quality ...........................................................................................2-5

Adjusting other system components................. ... ....................................................2-5

3 Video Blaster WebCam 3 Applications

Video Blaster WebCam Control............................................... .............. .............. ................3-1

Creative WebC am Monitor....... ............................. .............. .............. .............. .....................3-1

Creative WebC am PhotoEditor................................................................. ............... .............3-2

Microsoft NetMeeting................................................................. .............. ............................3-2

Microsoft I n ternet Explorer........................................... ............................ ............... .............3-2

A Technical Specifications

B Troubleshooting

Problem In stalling Software.............................. .............. ............................. .............. ..........B-1

Problems Using Video Blaster WebC am 3 ......................... .............. ............................. .....B-1

C Note on USB Compatibility

D Technical Support

If You Have a Problem................................................................... .............. .............. ..........D-2

Returning a product for repair ................................... .......... ......... ....... ............ ....... .D-4

Limited Warranty....... .............. .............. ............................. .............. .............. ......................D-5

Creative European Help Line

Introduction

Vi deo Blaster WebCam 3 is a 24-bit, 16.7-million-color digital video camera kit that gives you everything you need to capture still images and full -color video. Not only that, it also allo ws you to communicate face-to-face with others on the Internet!

Vide o Blaster WebCam 3 is bundled with the following software: ❑ Video Blaste r WebCam Control — a co mprehensive application that allows you to adjust

camera settings, an d to capture full-motion video and still ima ges .

❑ Creative WebCam Monitor — a user-friendly control panel that lets you take snapshots

automaticall y . Create an “inte lligent sp y cam” for hom e or off ice security, and use it i n timed or motion detection mode.

❑ Creative WebCam PhotoEditor

images captured on your WebCam. From WebCam PhotoEditor’s generous store of templates, you can also create cards, calendars, videos or slid e s hows with your images. Then send your creations to friends and fam ily through e-mail.

❑ Microsoft

multi-user application sharing, Internet telephony and video conferencing.

❑ Microsoft Internet Explorer — a popular, full-servic e Internet browser.

NetMeeting

™

— a one-stop application for editing and enhancing

— a feature-rich voice communic ations system that offers you

Before You Begin

The README file on the CD-ROM contains information not available at the time of printing. Read the file before you continue. In addition, read the following:

❑ System Requirements ❑ Document Conventions

System Requirements

Minimum system requirements for the USB port version of Video Blaster WebCam 3:

❑ 200 MHz Pentium ❑ 16 MB RAM on motherboard ❑ 70 MB free hard disk space (for installation of all software titles) ❑ A vailable USB port or self-powered USB hub ❑ Microsoft Windows ❑ Display adapter that supports16-bit color at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels ❑ CD-ROM drive installed ❑ Sound Blaster

(required for videoconferencing)

❑ Modem or LAN access to the Internet (required for videoconferencing)

For optimum performance:

❑ Display adapter that supports 16-bit color at a resolution of 800 x 600 pix els ❑ Sound Blaster 16 or higher, or other Windows-compatible sound card with full-duplex

support for sim ultaneous two-way conversations

or higher IBM® compatible PC

98 (Windows 95 is not supported)

or other Windows-compatible sound card and microphone

Document Conventions

The following typographi cal conve n t ions ar e u s ed throughout this document:

T able i: Document conventions

This Represents bold Text that must be entered exactly as it appears.

italic

Title of a book or a placeholder, which represents the information you

must provide. UPPERCASE Directory nam e, file name, or ac ro nym. < > Symbols, letters , and key names on the key board.

This notepad icon indicates information tha t is of particular impor tance

and should be cons idered before continuing.

This alarm clock icon indicates that failure to adhere to directions may

result in loss of data or d amage to your system.

The warning sign indicates that failure to adhere to directions may result

in bodily harm or life-threatening situations .

Installing Video Blaster WebCam 3

In order to proceed with the installation you need:

❑

The Video Blaster W ebCam3 USB Camera and USB cable

❑

The Video Blaster WebCam3 installati on CD

❑

Your Windows 98 CD

This chapter tells you how to quickly install WebCam 3 and the software that comes with it.

Installing Video Blast er WebCam 3 1-1

About WebCam 3

Figure 1-1 highlig hts the features of WebCam 3.

Snapshot button

After you have started WebCam Control, you can press this button to capture a still image.

LED light

This button lights up in green when WebCam is switched on.

Focus ring

To adjust the view focus, point the lens toward your subject and then rotate this ring in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion until the image is in focus.

USB cable

USB connector

Figure 1-1: The WebCam 3 (USB model).

1-2 Installing Video Blaster WebCam 3

+ 25 hidden pages

Creative Video Blaster WebCam 3 User Manual