Webcam
A webcam is a camera that connects to a computer. It captures either still pictures or motion video, and with the aid of software, can transmit its video on the Internet in real-time. The picture is of a Logitech Webcam C270, an example of a webcam.
Today, most webcams are either embedded into the display with laptop computers or connected to the USB or FireWire port on the computer.
The first widely-publicized webcam was the XCoffee, also known as the Trojan Room coffee pot. The camera began operating in 1991 with the help of Quentin Stafford-Fraser and Paul Jardetzky. The camera was then connected to the Internet in November 1993 with the help of Daniel Gordon and Martyn Johnson.
The XCoffee webcam monitored a coffee pot outside the Trojan Room in the University of Cambridge, so people didn't waste time going down to get coffee if none was brewed. After being mentioned in the news, the website had over 150,000 people online watching the coffee pot. The webcam went offline on August 22, 2001. The picture is an example of how the XCoffee appeared online.
Real time
Real-time may refer to any of the following:
1. Sometimes abbreviated as RT, real-time is a term used to describe a process or event that occurs immediately. For example, chat occur in real-time, where messages are seen immediately after the user presses his or her Enter key.
· Chat (e.g., IRC)
· SMS or Text messaging
· Talking on the Phone and VoIP
· Teleconference
· Two-way radio communication
· Videoconferencing
2. RT is also an abbreviation for Retweet.
FireWire
Alternatively referred to as IEEE-1394, FireWire is a digital bus with a bandwidth of 400-800 Mbps and higher. It can handle up to 63 units on the same bus, is hot swappable, and supports PnP (plug and play) devices. It was first developed by Apple in 1995.
Users more familiar with USB can consider FireWire similar to USB, as they have some similarities. Like USB, FireWire has several devices, such as removable drives and cameras.
· FireWire 400 (IEEE-1394) - The original specification, capable of data transfer speeds of 100, 200, and 400 Mbps; released in 1995.
· IEEE-1394a - An improvement over FireWire 400, adding support for asynchronous streaming, packet concatenation, and a suspend mode for reduced power consumption; released in 2000.
· FireWire 800 (IEEE-1394b) - Increased data transfer rate of up to 3200 Mbps using "beta mode" or using an optical cable; released in 2002.
· FireWire S800T (IEEE-1394c) - Technology improvements to provide 800 Mbps data transfer rate using the same connection as a Cat 5e cable; released in June 2007.
· FireWire S1600 and S3200 - Capable of data transfer speeds of 1.57 Mbps and 3.14 Mbps respectively, and are compatible with FireWire S400 and S800 devices; announced in December 2007.