HD Webcams! For showing PC Screen?

By +Byt
in Hardware Hangout

 Share

Recommended Posts

Experienced

+Byt Subscriber¹

Posted
  • Subscriber¹
Posted

Hey All,

I have a client that needs a Webcam to work on Skype, so his employees can call him if they get stuck working a special peice of machinery, they can take the webcam over to the machine, and he can see what settings they have put into the control panel of the machine, and talk them through changing it etc, i know this isnt the best system in the world, but its the only thing we can think of that will be doable from his phone when out and about.

I have been looking at this webcam - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-960-000767-C920-HD-Webcam/dp/B006A2Q81M/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1361194648&sr=1-1

But it has been so long since a even owned a webcam, i wondered if you video the screen of a CRT monitor with it, will you get them black lines running down the screen? all these old engineering machines use CRT monitors and Windows 95!

Also if the webcams will be ok, can you plug them upto a PC with extra long usb cables? or are wireless webcams good?

Cheers

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1137120-hd-webcams-for-showing-pc-screen/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

Detection

Posted
Posted

I know you're looking for webcams but my 2 cents :)

Remote access might be better than a webcam and probably easier to see on a phone

We used to have HTC Touch Diamond phones at my last IT job and used them for remote access, nightmare on such a small screen but it worked

The black lines could be fixed by setting the webcam to the refresh rate of the CRT I would have thought

Grand Master

LUTZIFER

Posted
Posted

That's the one I have. Absolutely love it. Works awesome. Was the top of the line but Logitech just released a new one, which pretty much looks the same.

New one is Logitech c930e

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/webcam-c930e-business?crid=1252

Grand Master

firey

Posted
Posted

It sounds like he wants them to be able to show him what is going on on a piece of machinery not an actual PC, so when he says "Control Panel" he doesn't mean Windows Control Panel. OP can you clarify?

This is what I got from it, was he wanted the ability to take the webcam over to the machine and show parts/physical control that help is needed with, not whats on the computer monitor.

Grand Master

Detection

Posted
Posted

It sounds like he wants them to be able to show him what is going on on a piece of machinery not an actual PC, so when he says "Control Panel" he doesn't mean Windows Control Panel. OP can you clarify?

This is what I got from it, was he wanted the ability to take the webcam over to the machine and show parts/physical control that help is needed with, not whats on the computer monitor.

Quote:

"i wondered if you video the screen of a CRT monitor with it, will you get them black lines running down the screen?"

Grand Master

HawkMan

Posted
Posted

you will always get the scanline on a webcam/video camera from a CRT, even if it's a 100hz screen. du to the collision between the webcams 25/30 fps and the scanlines 100, giving you the slower "wave" down the screen as opposed to a flicker.

Grand Master

Detection

Posted
Posted

you will always get the scanline on a webcam/video camera from a CRT, even if it's a 100hz screen. du to the collision between the webcams 25/30 fps and the scanlines 100, giving you the slower "wave" down the screen as opposed to a flicker.

A lot of webcams have a 50/60Hz flicker fix in the settings, not 100% sure but I always thought that was what it was for, TVs, monitors, etc

Grand Master

xendrome

Posted
Posted

Quote:

"i wondered if you video the screen of a CRT monitor with it, will you get them black lines running down the screen?"

Right I think he wants to see the whole unit, being the controls for the system, the physical control panel, and any CRT screen that is hooked up to the unit that shows it's status/job. Not the actual OS or what is running on the CRT

Grand Master

xendrome

Posted
Posted

Give them all iPhones and use that face thingy :p.

or you know, just Skype on anything :)

I think the problem is, it's probably precision engineering equipment, so details need to be able to be seen. Especially if it's some type of fabrication machine or electronic soldering automated system.

Neowinian

outspoken

Posted
Posted

I don't understand why you _need_ to have a Video camera? I am sure you can send Good quality photos (using a digicam) of the machine's panel and display. Use the Webcam only to show engineers face when talking (so you know he is not lying when he says he did not press the big red button).

Experienced

+Byt Subscriber¹

Posted
  • Author
  • Subscriber¹
Posted

Sorry for the late reply guys, just to clarify...

This old machinery has CRT monitors to control it, but alot of the machinery has DOS commands to control it, or they are using old Win 95 Boxes... They even have spares incase one of the boxes suddenly dies they can just swap it out with a new one! Apparently a new updated version of the software to run on a new PC (Like Windows 7) its over ?20k, and we cant justify that.

So what we need to do, is one of the engineers can skype call the main engineer if he is out of the building, and be able to show him what is going on with the machine, what lights are on the machine at the top, what is showing on the screen, and what the status is of the various water levels etc. The only way we can think of doing this is having a webcam connected to a laptop, which is connected to the network wirelessly, so it can be taken around the building showing the people on the skype call whatever they need to see,

I hope that helps clear it up!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2, urges IT admins to prepare for release

      By Usama Jawad96 · Posted

      Microsoft confirms Windows 11 26H2, urges IT admins to prepare for release by Usama Jawad Windows 11 typically follows an annual update cycle, but Microsoft recently broke that tradition a bit by releasing a "26H1" version in the first half of this year as a "scoped" build for select new silicon PCs only. This version was not available for customers using 24H2 and 25H2 builds, as Microsoft is busy preparing version 26H2 for them, confirmed officially for the first time. In a Windows IT Pro blog, Microsoft has urged IT admins to prepare for the upcoming release of Windows 11 version 26H2. The company has confirmed that this will be a small enablement package (eKB) that will simply light up certain disabled features that are already present in the operating system's code base. This means that the "refined" Windows update and deployment experience will be simpler and quicker, with minimal disruptions, as the feature update will simply toggle a few flags rather than performing a complete replacement. Microsoft has explained that this is all possible because the standard Windows 11 releases share the same servicing branch and hence, the same source code. However, this also means that Windows 11 26H1 users won't be able to upgrade to 26H2 as that is a different branch, but this is something we have known for a while now. Similar to previous annual feature updates, Windows 11 26H2 will offer the following support cycles: 24 months of support for Home, Pro, Pro EDU, and Pro for Workstations editions 36 months of support for Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and Enterprise Multi-session editions Microsoft has not confirmed a concrete release date for Windows 11 26H2, but noted that it is "coming soon". If we go by the ongoing release cadence, we can expect it to begin rolling out in early October 2026. As such, IT admins have been encouraged to begin validating Windows Insider releases in the Experimental Channel, plan rollout rings, and strategize the utilization of their existing deployment tools.
    • Windows 11 gets new audio improvements in the latest builds

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Windows 11 gets new audio improvements in the latest builds by Taras Buria Today's Experimental builds (26H1 and Future Platforms, formerly Canary) pack several audio-related improvements. If your device is enrolled in the Experimental Channel (26H1), you can download build 28120.2315, while those in the Future Platforms version have build 29613.1000 to try. Here is what is new in build 29613.1000: [Audio] Following up on our previous improvements, we’re making some more adjustments to Settings > System > Sounds based on your feedback. Namely, we’ve updated the “All sound devices” page so: You now have the ability to change default devices from this page. Each of the devices displayed on this page now has a little volume meter next to it to show if there is audio actively playing. We’ve adjusted the page design slightly so now you can filter whether you’re viewing input or output devices. We’ve added toggles so you can choose if you want to hide or show disabled, disconnected, and unplugged devices on this page. We’ve also updated the input and output audio properties page for devices in Settings to now include jack information for those that need it. And here is the changelog for build 28120.2315: This update includes a small number of minor bug fixes and improvements. [Accessibility] This update improves caption style responsiveness by redrawing captions immediately for caption style changes. If no current caption is visible, a sample caption string is displayed. [Audio] This update improves the reliability of the inbox HD Audio driver. You can find the official release notes for build 28120.2315 here and for build 29613.1000 here.
    • Google is opening the world's first AI museum in Los Angeles

      By sphbecker · Posted

      I agree with what I think you are saying, just not in the way you are saying it. Like any tool, the amount it represents your work is perorational to the effort you put into it. It is similar to why 2nd grade math students learning to add and subtract are not allowed to use calculators, but a high-school calculous student is. For the 2nd grader, that tool would completely replace the work they are doing, for the calculous student the same tool allows them to work far more effectively while in no way replacing their effort or knowable. If you spend 30 seconds writing a prompt, then the image that comes out is no more "yours" than if you found the same image with a Google Image search. However, many of these generative tools also support highly iterative processes that allow back and forth, and merging generated images with photos or human created images. I am sure you would agree that a human spending hours of time working on a project, even if AI was involved in the process, still reflects that human's work.
    • Windows 11 version 26H2 is now available for testing in the latest preview build

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Windows 11 version 26H2 is now available for testing in the latest preview build by Taras Buria Friday Windows 11 preview builds are here. Insiders in the Experimental (formerly Dev) and Beta Channel can download builds 26300.8697 and 26220.8690. There are no new features, but Microsoft is officially moving the Experimental Channel to version 26H2. In addition, Microsoft is improving the copy dialog in File Explorer, the Start menu reliability, and fixing virtualization issues. Here is the changelog: [General] With today’s build, Windows Insiders in the Experimental channel will see the versioning updated under Settings > System > About (and winver) to version 26H2. For more information, see the Windows Insiders blog. [File Explorer] We’ve improved the visual consistency and reliability of the Copy dialog in Dark mode, including its launch experience and the expanded progress view. [Start menu] - Also available in Beta Improved reliability of Start menu reflecting newly installed or removed apps without requiring sign-out or restart. [Taskbar] Fixed an issue for Insiders using the new smaller taskbar option, where the system tray might get cut off or pushed off screen. [Settings] - Also available in Beta Improved reliability of Settings > Apps > Startup. [Virtualization] - Also available in Beta This update addresses an issue that could result in bugchecks citing HYPERVISOR_ERROR (0x20001) and KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (0x1E) errors after installing the latest flights on some devices during system restarts, virtual machine operations, or while running some gaming applications. You can find the official changelog for the Experimental build here and for the Beta build here.
    • We now know when and how the Universe may truly end

      By sphbecker · Posted

      I've always preferred this possibility. There is something that feels good about the idea that all matter in the universe will eventually come back together and maybe even result in another big bang. The idea that the universe would fizzle out over the eons and forever drift apart is a little depressing. I realize it is not logical to let a basic human desire for life to have a grand everlasting meaning change the way I feel about a scientific theory, but I am human, so that is how I feel :-).

  • Recent Achievements

    • Collaborator
      ryansurfer98 went up a rank
      Collaborator
    • Week One Done
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      Skeet Campbell earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Sharbel earned a badge
      One Month Later

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      574
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      188
    3. 3
      Michael Scrip
      77
    4. 4
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      76
    5. 5
      neufuse
      71
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!