Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought this camera as a low cost security camera, I also tested its use as an eBay auction picture camera, and IM chat webcam.
The software has the following problems:
1) Drains system resources
2) Frequently freezes
3) Uses lower than advertised resolution and frame rate*
4) Installs processes and services that run on startup that the software can't be used to disable**
5) Lacks streaming video***
Installing the software takes more than 30 minutes, and you are better off not using any of the CDs that come with the cam. Download the latest version of the software from the website, if you don't the update feature will make you download them and install them, save yourself the time and go to Creative's website yourself.
The website is not very easy to navigate because there is no Live Cam Video IM Pro listed, there is "WebCam Live! Pro" and "Live! Cam Video IM," but no "Live! Cam Video IM Pro." This is one of the many support annoyances you will face with this cam.
I suggest not installing the software and installing only the drivers that you download from the support website. The software has remote monitoring, motion detection, and some otherwise useful looking applications, the problem is I had the motion detection and remote monitoring hang on me during a 24hour test. I did not get the software to run for more than 12 hours continuously.
The FX features are interesting (well about 3 of them are) such as the ghost, psychedelic, and fire. But they don't work very well because the face tracking is not very accurate if you have a forehead, glasses, or a mouth. I have all three, and I am fairly certain any reader seeing this has at least two of the three.
*: While recording with the camera I captured 640x480 and my fps dropped to .53 at the moment I walked across the camera's field of vision. I was staging a burglary and this critical failure caused the video of my burglary (taking 3 boxes out of a basement) to not record my face. I warp across the field of vision as the fps fluctuates between .53 and 6 fps.
If you use motion detection it takes a second or two to kick in and depending on how close the camera is to the subject (closer images get better resolution of the facial features) you subject may have walked past the camera before it begins to capture video. A security cam should not miss the subject and then deliver only blurry pictures of limbs.
**: When you install the software you are not asked when it also installs StartFX and CTLCMgr, these programs insert themselves into startup. Calling tech support didn't help. They didn't know that the software did this, they were also unable to tell me how to disable the features (I used msconfig and manually disabled them). Software should not lack a menu option that disables startup processes. These slow down startup and waste resources when you are not running the camera. I also asked tech support to list the processes, but they failed this test, they were unable to 'research' the issue. They have no idea about their own software.
***: You can get streaming video only through a third party website, Orb. Orb is not entirely free, and Creative does not stand behind it whatsoever. I was able to get Orb working and stream my camera over the internet for a short time before it crashed. Something about the Orb site bothers me, I feel they are collecting a bit too much personal information and that they are trying to sell you something. Also, Orb secure or whatever it is called on the box of the cam is not what you get. I kept looking for the red icon and special orb secure features only to find that orb 2.0 is what you get.
Creative teamed up with Yahoo to bring you advertising in your box. Keep your eyes peeled during install so that you don't inadvertently infest your computer with annoying toolbars and adware.
BUY THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE FOR THIS CAMERA. The sooner you abandon Creative as anything but a hardware company with no real warranty, the sooner you can enjoy what this cam can do.
The low light performance is so poor, even if you are 3 feet from the camera, that there is almost no point in using it. I have not explored if other software can help improve lowlight performance by using effects that more intelligently handle contrast (making gray scale noticeable to human eyes).
If you use the software out of the box you better setup nice lighting, artificial lighting works well if it is evenly distributed and not too intense. Flip the lights on and off and the software responds slowly and poorly. You can enjoy the floundering attempts to capture images every time there is a change in lighting, this will only last for 1 to 5 seconds and then the camera will resume its poor quality performance in inadequate lighting.
DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA. The detector isn't that good, the software is abysmal, the USB cable is poorly shielded and suffers from interference. Adjusting the focus doesn't work, there is one focus and if you change it you make the image blurry, so you can play with degrading the image all you want but you can't make it better than the one size fits all. The lens also feels very cheap (wiggles in and out and rotates farther than intended) when you try to adjust it and it lacks fine control.
If I find software that deals with these problems, or a method of insulating the cabling cheaply and efficiently, I will post them here later.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Creative Live Cam Video IM Pro
Live! Cam Video IM Pro lets you chat with sharp, smooth and clear video. It comes equipped with a high-speed USB 2.0 connection so that you can enjoy faster frame rates and ultra smooth videos. At 30 frames per second and VGA resolution, you'll feel as if you are chatting face-to-face. Don't worry about lighting and brightness adjustments. Creative Auto Tuning handles it for you, so that you'll enjoy the clearest picture possible. Sit back and have more fun by adding a wide range of special effects and backgrounds to your video chat with the included software, Advanced Video FX.Platform: WindowsPackaging: Box
Click here for more information about Creative Live Cam Video IM Pro
