Logitech QuickCam VC is the affordable videoconferencing solution that brings the excitement, immediacy, and expressiveness of video communications to your desktop.QuickCam VC is optimized for videoconferencing, and also captures color still or motion video images quickly and easily to add impact to a broad range of home and business applications. Using QuickCam's one-click video e-mail integration, you can enliven text e-mail messages with graphics, sound, still images, and full-motion video clips. You can send video clips as easily as text from your desktop. Best of all, video clips that you send are self-playing, so your friends, colleagues, and family members don't need QuickCam to view or listen to your messages. QuickCam includes Microsoft NetMeeting software. This popular videoconferencing solution allows you to communicate with virtually anyone in the world via the Internet. QuickCam also works with popular software packages, supporting the TWAIN standard to acquire still images and capture video in Video for Windows AVI format. If you've been waiting for a more affordable path to videoconferencing, QuickCam lets you leverage your Windows PC investment without having to purchase expensive software or hardware. Installation is a snap. Simply load the software, plug in the camera, and you're ready to go. QuickCam lets you send still or motion video images with just a few mouse clicks.
1 Does not work with XP - no driver
The following are the only supported operating systems:
2.1 Windows 95
2.2 Windows 98
2.3 Windows NT 4
2 USB is nice, parallel has major cons
I have used both and the parallel port one has incredibly jerky movements that make videoconferencing near impossible... great for stills though!
3 Camera great, but fights with printer.
It truly *did* take minutes to get it up and running. If you're like me and you don't read instructions, remember not to hook up the hardware until the software is installed. I have since purchased an A/B switch for my printer and the camera. It seems like the driver is disabled for whichever is not selected at bootup each time, making the switch inconvenient (I'm currently waiting for info on this from Logitech). I'd recommend putting a second, dedicated parallel port in if you can. Also, in your computer's bios settings, set the printer port to ECP mode. The camera will perform very poorly if the port is in standard mode. This is not mentioned in the installation instructions...which I *did* eventually read.
4 Inexpensive & Reliable
I had one of these cameras, so I feel qualified to review it. I still have one, but it's the USB version -- I switched from parallel to USB for convenience.
I found the quality quite good. It was very easy to hook up to the parallel port and driver installation was a breeze. I used it for a few video conferencing calls and as a webpage "webcam".
Logitech is quite good at updating the drivers on their web site.
Pros: Inexpensive, easy setup, reliable, good software included.
Cons: Too much cable clutter with parallel version and you must disconnect it to use the printer. It was NOT pass-through.
