Editor's Blog: Roman's Gone Blind Without iSight

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Editor's Blog: Roman's Gone Blind Without iSight

Posted 03/30/2007 at 5:22:42pm | by Roman Loyola

The QuickCam Pro 3000 and macam worked.

A shot from the QuickCam Pro 3000

Then I tried iChatUSBCam ($9.95), software that lets you use USB webcams with iChat AV. I got nowhere with the Intel Webcam - to be fair, the Intel CS331 isn't on iChatUSBCam's compatibility list.

To use the QuickCam Pro 3000 with iChatUSBCam, I had to uninstall macam and install IOXperts' Webcam Driver for OS X ($9.95). Once the IOXperts driver and iChatUSBCam were installed, the QuickCam Pro 3000 with its built-in mic worked in iChat AV. I also recorded a little movie using QuickTime.

So, in the end, I successfully got a Windows webcam to work on my Mac. If you're tired of waiting for Apple to release iSight: The Sequel, you can go for a PC USB webcam.

1. Start with iChatUSBCam's compatibility list. Check to see if the webcam you're eyeing is on that list. If it is, check to see which driver you'll need; the list will tell you.
2. Download the macam or IOXperts driver (you can't have both installed on your Mac - your webcam won't work).
3. Buy the webcam and save the receipt in case you have to return it.
4. Follow the installation instructions. Good luck.

If you have expereince with using USB webcams and have some helpful advice, post it in the comments section. Also, let me know if there's a mic-equipped Mac webcam out there that's I've missed that'll save us from this somewhat convoluted setup.

COMMENTS: 8

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COMMENTS

Beware QuickCam
Submitted by Madd the Sane (not verified) on Sun, 2007-04-01 23:20

Beware the Logitech QuickCam name. A lot of cameras were made with that name. In the macam compatibility list, there are multiple types of QuickCams. I got one from a Pesario 7478 that works just fine, but your mileage may vary.

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USB Cam
Submitted by Scott (not verified) on Mon, 2007-04-02 14:27

I bought the iChatUSB cam software for my sisters computer and it works great....

I dont know for sure but with the release of 10.4.9 didnt apple build in support of USB Cameras?

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RE: USB Cam
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2007-04-03 09:02

Good point, Scott. The 10.4.9 update adds support for USB webcams that are USB video class compliant. Any webcam that has Windows Vista support is a USB video class camera.

The QuickCam Pro 3000 I used wouldn't work without the IOXperts driver. I think the QuickCam Pro 3000 was made before the USB video class specification was created.

I will update my article to reflect this. Thanks for pointing that out.

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Mac Compatable Firewire Webcam
Submitted by jf73 (not verified) on Thu, 2007-04-05 01:15

I purchased an iSweet Firewire Webcam for use with either an iBook or iMac. It is "plug and play" without driver or compatability problems. It works flawlessly. Unlike the iSight, there is no microphone; so you have to use either a headset (you can use a USB or bluetooth headset for a cellphone) or the built-in mic. Be sure to choose the input and output options in iChat preferences if you use a headset.

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Has anyone tried the
Submitted by sdf (not verified) on Wed, 2007-04-11 17:18

Has anyone tried the Macally? They seem to be relatively easy to come by. My folks are looking to get a webcam so that they can talk to our son and their other grandchildren, and since they aren't particularly computer savvy, it would seem that something where they only had to install one third party software item would be wiser. Oh yeah, they're also on 10.3.9 which rules out the iMage, which requires 10.4.3.

Any words of wisdom on the Macally would be much appreciated. We don't have high expectations; we know it's cheap and the picture might be a bit choppy.

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web cam live
Submitted by GF (not verified) on Sat, 2007-04-28 16:47

It took a LOT of searching to get any camera of mine to work on ustream.tv. My students and I are going to record our caterpillars turning into butterflies, and I wanted to stream the video. What I found useful to have was a cheap software called USBVision in order for Flash to get the video to the ustream.tv site. I tried an XBOX camera because it was really cheap - but I really wanted an iSight for this project.

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