HP WEBCAM USER GUIDE

Webcam overview

Congratulations on purchasing an HP Webcam. Your webcam includes the following features:

1. Power LED
2. Integrated microphone
3. USB connector cable
4. Adjustable clip/stand

Please refer to the product label for the HP product number and serial number. If the information provided in this user guide or in Help and Support does not answer your questions, you can contact HP Customer Service.

Software overview

The disc that comes with your webcam includes the following software:

• Webcam drivers – enable your webcam to operate with optimum performance.
• Video Call Quick Launch – helps you set up your chat program to communicate with your webcam.
• Video/photo capture program
• HP Webcam Control Center – enables you to access all of your webcam functions from a single location on your desktop.
  You can webcam software from www.hp.com/support.

System requirements

The HP Webcam can record video up to VGA resolution 30 fps at UVC (USB Video Class). To use your webcam with the included software, your computer must meet the following minimum system requirements:

• Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, or Windows 7
• USB 2.0 high speed port
• Intel® Pentium 4 with 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon equivalent processor or faster; 1.6-GHz Dual Core recommended
• 1 GB RAM minimum; 2 GB RAM recommended
• 230 MB free hard drive space required for program installation
• DVD/CD-ROM drive

Quality and performance

Image quality and video performance are impacted by the following factors:

• The amount of light on the subject
• The webcam resolution setting
• The performance of the computer
• The bandwidth of the Internet connection, especially for chat
  If you are experiencing slow or choppy video or washed out color, try adding a small lamp to the area that will not be visible in the frame. This will light the viewing area of the webcam and help provide more lifelike video and more accurate color.

Installation

To install the webcam software on your computer:

1. Insert the HP Webcam Control Center disc in your optical drive. The Installation Wizard loads, and the Welcome screen displays.
2. Click Next to continue.
3. Read the End User License Agreement. If you accept, choose I accept the terms in the license agreement, and then click Next to continue.
4. You may specify the location of the software installation or click Next to install the software in the suggested folder.
5. Click Install to begin installation.
6. Click Finish after installation is complete.

Using HP Webcam Control Center

You can access all of the software utilities included with your HP Webcam through HP Webcam
Control Center , accessible from your desktop.
Click the Features icon to access webcam utilities.
Start a Video Call – launch video call programs.
Take Video or Photos – take videos or still photos.

Starting a video call

You can launch installed video chat programs, as well as install common video chat programs. Supported video chat programs include:

• Google™ Video Chat
• Skype
• Windows Live Messenger
• Yahoo! Messenger
• AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
• HP MyRoom

1. To start a video call, double-click the HP Webcam Control Center icon on the Windows desktop, and then click Installed Video Chat . The system displays all supported, currently installed video chat programs.
2. Select the program you want to use. The program opens.
3. To install a video chat program, click & Install . The system displays all supported, video chat programs not currently installed.
4. Select the program you want to use. The program opens in your default web browser.

Recording video or capturing still photos

To take videos or capture images:

1. Double-click the HP Webcam Control Center icon on the Windows desktop, and then click Take Video or Photos .
2. If necessary, click Select webcam and select which webcam to use.
   
3. To configure webcam settings, click Settings.

Video Settings

• Video Path – the path for the location to store your videos. You can use the default location or navigate to an alternate location.
• Select Audio Device – select the device to use to record audio with the webcam. For best results, select the microphone built into the webcam.
• Select Video Format – select the format in which to record your videos. Available options are avi or wmv.
• Resolution – select the resolution of the videos you capture. Higher resolutions offer better quality images but take up more memory.
• Preselect Record Time – select this box to set the amount of time the webcam records a video. Clear this box to require that you manually stop video recording. The default setting is clear.
• Video Duration – select the length of time (in minutes) that the webcam records your videos. You must select the Preselect Record Time box to enable the Video Duration field.
  Image Settings
• Image Path – the path for the location to store your images. You can use the default location or navigate to an alternate location.
• Burst Image Count – select the number of consecutive still images to capture during a “Burst” operation. You can set a burst of 2 to 9 images.
• Burst Image Interval – select the amount of time that elapses between each image taken in a “Burst” operation.
  Facebook Settings – enter your Facebook account credentials.
  Click the Advanced Settings button to access standard Windows webcam settings, where you can configure various webcam video settings, including brightness, contrast, hue, and frequency. To manually adjust a setting, drag the slider for the setting. To let the webcam automatically detect a setting, select the Auto check box for that setting.
  NOTE: In Advanced Settings, make sure to set the PowerLine Frequency (Anti Flicker)for the power line standards of your country. Available settings are 50Hz or 60Hz. An improper setting may result in lines disrupting the image.

To immediately begin recording video while showing it on the screen, click Record Video. After recording a video, the video capture window displays. You can save the video, upload the video to Facebook, or delete the video using the following buttons:

• Save this video to a file – browse to a folder and save the video file.
• Upload this video to Facebook – log in to Facebook and upload the video file.
• Discard this video – delete the current video file, and then return to the main window.

To capture still photos, click Snapshot. The preview window provides a countdown to when shooting will begin, and then the webcam takes a single image capture. You can save the image, upload the image to Facebook, or delete the image using the following buttons:

• Save this image to a file – browse to a folder and save the image file.
• Upload this image to Facebook – log in to Facebook and upload the image file.
• Discard this image – delete the current image file, and then return to the main window.

To capture multiple still photos in quick succession, click Burst. The preview window provides a countdown to when shooting will begin, and then the webcam starts the burst image capture. You can save the image files, upload the image files to Facebook, or delete the image files using the following buttons:

• Save these images to a file – browse to a folder and save the image files.
• Upload these images to Facebook – log in to Facebook and upload the image files.
• Discard these images – delete the current image files, and then return to the main window.

Troubleshooting