Creative: Live! Cam Connect HD Review
Most gamers are on the leading edge of technology and communication. We keep in contact with our friends and gaming buddies via instant message, voice communication and video chat. The Live CAM connect HD from Creative allows uses to take full advantage of those forms of communication and more with a sleek design and reasonable price.
Design
The glossy black design and sharp styling’s of the Connect HD complements any computer setup. The unit itself measures 0.8 by 2.6 inches and is made of hard durable plastic. The unit comes with a clip-on mount that allows you to connect the cam to the top of a monitor or to a laptop lid. The mount itself allows the cam to be adjusted and pivoted in multiple positions so you can find the perfect camera angle for whatever you are doing and even place it on flat surfaces like your desk.
Software
The great thing about the Connect HD is right out of the box you can use it. Just plug it into your PC or Mac via USB and on Windows 7 operating systems, it will automatically install itself, so right away you can begin using the device for video chat or Google hangouts. Plus, the Connect HD is Skype HD certified at 720p and works with other video communications such as Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. For PC users you can take advantage of the Live! Central 3 software bundle and tools such as video editing and a movie maker.
The bundled software is easy to use even if you are a novice. You have tabs to the right that allow you to play around with effects such as avatars and various visual effects. The settings tab allows you to adjust the picture including brightness, face tracking, zoom and other features to improve or tweak overall video quality. You can also adjust the built in microphone. Additional you can take snap photos from Live Central and record video. Best of all you can directly upload your videos to YouTube with a touch of a button.
Video
The Connect HD records in HD and has a built in H.264 hardware video processor. H.264 is used for video compression of high definition video meaning you get the quality without taking up to much space and using too much CPU resources, which is important when steaming video or using video chat as it keeps you from experiencing lag or the stutter/choppy motion you sometimes see with lesser web cams.
The Connect HD Liquid-Crystal lens auto focuses and records video at up to 30 frames per second and looks incredibly crisp and clear in 720p HD. Now for other video chat programs HD may not be supported but the video quality was still very clear and the colors vibrant.
Audio
The Connect HD comes with a built in microphone that does a great job at picking up the sounds you want and leaving out the ones you do not want. With its noise-canceling microphone, your voice comes in clear in Skype or even voice only programs like Ventrilo. In addition, background noises and sounds are not picked up as long as you have noise-canceling active, which is great for conversations or web meetings.
Conclusion
Overall, the Live Cam Connect HD from Creative offers clear HD recordings and video for Skype and other video chat programs for a reasonable price. The audio is clear, and background noise is eliminated. The software is user friendly and the device can be easily setup almost anywhere. Definitely a good choice for the price-point and features. You can find the Connect HD for about $60 on Amazon.
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