Microsoft LifeCam Lets You Star in Your Productions

Budding TV stars – or just plain folks who want to Skype the family with high quality video – may find a friend in Microsoft's LifeCam Cinema, a hardware/software product that brings widescreen HDTV production to your PC.

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The LifeCam Cinema, Microsoft's first HD webcam, lets you shoot video and inflict it upon an unsuspecting public with just a few clicks of the mouse. You can also edit your HD footage somewhat if you don't get things right on the first take. I know that from experience! The $80 U.S. LifeCam Cinema includes a 720p HD camera with good video quality, lifelike enough that I've decided not to frighten people by putting a face (such as it is) to my scribblings. There should be some kind of humanitarian award for acts like this. The cam has Auto Focus, a high-precision glass element lens, and what Microsoft calls ClearFrame Technology, which "Helps ensure clear video quality in virtually any lighting condition and at any resolution." "ClearFrame" worked well in my home office, which is lit by a single fixture on the ceiling above and to the front right. I do look a little orange with the default video settings (I think it's from not eating enough garlic), but these can be adjusted to correct such issues. We also set the thing up on my notebook PC to Skype some distant family members and the 16x9 widescreen aspect ratio came in handy because it let more of us appear on screen than with my notebook's older 4x3 aspect ratio camera. And, of course, the 16x9 aspect ratio fits better with today's widescreen monitors and televisions. Microsoft says it programmed the LifeCam Cinema so the frame rate will never go below 7.5 frames per second and it's capable of performing up to 30 fps. The auto focus feature keeps your video looking sharp even if you're only four inches away from the camera. The depth of field of good; I sit about 18 inches away and it keeps me and stuff in the office behind me sharp. Microsoft says it handles from four inches to infinity. You can also use the cam to shoot five megapixel still pictures. There's also a digital, noise-canceling microphone built in that "Isolates background noise and lessens interference from other electronic devices to improve audio quality." It works well, though I'd rather use a clip-on. Not that the LifeCam's audio was bad; I used it when recording some phone interviews via Skype and the folk on the other end of the call thought it sounded fine.

It was my voice they couldn't handle…

The cam comes with a flexible base that bends to fit on a lot of surfaces. I perch it atop my 24 inch LCD monitor; it doesn't really attach to it, but it wraps around and sits quite securely, earthquakes, meteorites or acts of God notwithstanding. You could also park it on your desk or a table. The software is easy to use and works with Windows Live Movie Maker to turn your videos and snapshots into productions you can upload to places like YouTube. These apps pale in comparison with heavy duty video and audio editing software, of course, but you can save your videos as Windows Media Files and open them elsewhere. The LifeCam software lets you zoom and pan, adjust the mic volume and video resolution (from 160x120 right up to 1280 x 720). There's a library of effects you can inflict on your picture, including a background blur that pixelizes everything but your face. Guys'll find this a great way to record their faces and voices without viewers being able to see the disgusting messes they live in. Some of the effects are cute, some are just silly. There's one that makes the bottom of your face look bigger, as if you've just swung out of a tree using your prehensile tail. It can't be very good, though, because my wife didn't notice it on my face.

All Keyed Up

I've also been trying Microsoft's $80 Wireless Comfort Desktop 5000, a keyboard/mouse combination that only requires one USB slot for both, which is nice. The keyboard uses a "Comfort Curve" layout the company says encourages natural wrist posture thanks to its six degree curve. It is comfortable without being bizarre like the old Microsoft Ergonomic Keyboard was. It also has a comfortable, faux carbon fiber wrist rest, full numeric keypad and separate cursor control and Insert/Home/Page Up (and related function) key pads (as it should). The function keys are actually multi-function keys, with such stuff as email, print, open files and the like (you press the "F Lock" key to keep them strictly as function keys). There's another row of keys above that which perform various functions including music playback, volume control and more. A "Taskbar Favorites for Windows 7" feature lets you exploit the new Windows Taskbar to rearrange your open programs on it by clicking on them and dragging them. Taskbar Favorites instantly adapts to the icons’ new locations. The mouse that comes with the Desktop 5000 uses "BlueTrack" technology, which they say means it'll work well on more challenging surfaces such as granite and carpet. It doesn't work on clear glass or mirrored surfaces, however, which to their credit Microsoft admits right up front. That's all well and good. Alas, the mouse would sometimes appear to go on strike, either leaving the cursor frozen on the screen or following my hand movements jerkily, making it very difficult to use. The condition will last for a minute or two before – undoubtedly in reaction to the user's cussing – it returns to normal. The periodic hang-ups are really quite annoying, and as you'd expect they always seem to happen at the worst time possible. Most of the time, however the mouse is as enjoyable as a mouse can be. It's quite substantial in its feel, but comfortable in the hand – with rubber side grips that work like driving gloves and even a couple of extra buttons between the usual left and right click and wheel. The wheel not only scrolls and clicks normally, it also tilts left and right. I don't really care about all this extra stuff; I just want a comfortable keyboard on which I can type quickly and easily, and a mouse that works all the time. In this regard, the keyboard is just fine – with extra stuff I don't use but which you might – but the mouse's erratic personality makes it harder to love. Copyright 2010 Jim Bray