The AstroGuy broadcast network is NOT on the air...

August 6, 2007 1:50 PM

My new HP laptop has a web cam but no useful software for it. So how can I actually use this thing?

It's a Pavillion dv6449t that has an integrated 1.3MP web cam. It works (I've tested it with the "QuickStart" software that's worthless) and it shows up as a device in Flash options screens, but there is no real software to actually DO anything with it.

So what the heck can I do with this thing and what kind of software do I need?

(I saw an AskMe from about a year ago with almost the exact same question, but no real answers there.)

posted by AstroGuy to computers & internet (7 comments total)

Video conferencing is about all I do with mine. Both Skype and Yahoo pick them up just fine.
posted by MarcieAlana at 1:54 PM on August 6, 2007

You can use Windows Movie Maker with it as well.
posted by dcjd at 1:57 PM on August 6, 2007

I was looking at Movie Maker (version bundled with Vista Home Premium) and there does not appear to be an interface to the camera. It will import movies stored in a variety of formats, but I don't see how it can grab and record live video from the cam.
posted by AstroGuy at 2:05 PM on August 6, 2007

You can use Windows Movie Maker with it as well.
posted by dcjd at 10:57 PM on August 6

Apparently, this is no longer true for Vista.
posted by Ms. Next at 2:40 PM on August 6, 2007

Along the same lines as what MarcieAlana said, Windows Live Messenger will also work.
posted by fiTs at 3:17 PM on August 6, 2007

use dorgem to seekritly take pictures of everyone who walks past and then email or FTP it to a server somewhere. Then you can know what the person who steals it looks like. Alternatively, set it on a low table, and then get shots down the hot ladies shirts as they lean over to examine your fancy new machine.

But in reality, use it for videoconferencing---because everyone does that, right? Skype, trillian, aim, yahoo, etc...all the clients have built in VC.
posted by TomMelee at 3:28 PM on August 6, 2007

take a look at this

http://www.imediaman.com/products/mediaman/product-overview.html

use the webcam to scan barcodes and maintain dvd collection
posted by radsqd at 9:33 AM on August 7, 2007