IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine - May 2018 - 117

quality and availability of laptop camera features, which by definition are
limited, and therefore built-in audio
and video devices are compromised to
some degree. As such, callers may
experience poor image quality, improper color saturation, and more, all of
which can be very detrimental to that
all-important call you are on. Even the
best-rated laptops still suffer from
"poor webcam position" [5]. I don't
know about you, but I like to be seen at
the best possible angle and in the very
best light, and nose cam does not provide that angle.
It's important to also address the
topic of security. Webcams received a
bad rap when hackers tapped into webcams around the globe by simply entering default passwords [6]. Another great
benefit of using an external webcam is
that it is not directly susceptible to attacks of this type. Webcams that are
computer peripherals extend the video
and audio capabilities of your laptop/
tablet/PC. So as long as your computer
and associated applications are secure,
so is your webcam. And the benefit of an
external webcam is that many come with
privacy shutters that protect you from

Webcams that are
computer peripherals
extend the video and
audio capabilities of your
laptop/tablet/PC.
being seen (except when you want). The
webcams that were hacked were actually
web-connected cameras that are directly
connected to the Internet and have their
own Internet Protocol addresses.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A
WEBCAM
So what should you look for in a webcam or camera to provide quality video?
While different applications have varying requirements (e.g., gaming versus
telehealth), the following are a few
high-level features that are important.
▼ Color tuning: Blues must be blue,
reds must be red-except for skin
tones. The room, colors, and faces
should all be accurate tones, or
it's distracting.
▼ Speed: 30 or 60 frames/s should be
as close as possible to that speed in

any condition-high or low light,
resolution, and so forth.
▼ No distortion or noise: The video
must be like looking through a window, with no fisheye or bending, and
objects are the right size and perspective. And no pesky pixels dancing around your face, again in low or
high lighting.
▼ Applications: The camera should be
certified and/or tuned to the video
conferencing, collaboration, streaming, or other applications you use.
▼ High-quality mics: Although you
might opt to use a headset or external
speaker/mic, it's nice to have the
option of using webcam audio pickup
with noise cancellation and beamforming technology.
Other features to consider include:
▼ adjustable field of view (so you can
be more than a talking head)
▼ quick and smooth autofocus
▼ good-quality digital zoom
▼ the ability to adjust to low-lit and
very bright light settings
▼ privacy shutter
▼ facial recognition.
When investing in a webcam, look
for the features that are most important

A video caller in a café.

may 2018

IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine

117

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine - May 2018