VIDEO - HTML5 - page 219

WEBCAMS
At the time of this writing, most laptop computers come bundled with built-in webcams.
Likewise, many desktops do as well. For computers that do not come with built-in webcams,
several are available that can be connected to the USB port.

For Windows 7 users, the best sot ware for making videos with the webcam is usually that of
the webcam manufacturer. For example, both Logitech and Creative, two companies that
manufacture webcams, have excellent sot ware that both records and stores video i les that can
be converted for Web use. You also can add special ef ects with the sot ware to your videos.

Also, with Windows 7 and Vista, you can download the newest Microsot Movie Maker
sot ware free from: http://explore.live.com/windows-live-movie-maker .
Unlike Windows XP, which comes packaged with Windows Live Movie Maker, you have to
download the movie-making sot ware from Microsot if you have the Windows 7 or Vista
versions of the OS.

Apple Macintosh computers generally come with built-in iSight webcams. Both iMacs and
MacBook laptops have webcams embedded in the top-center of the monitors. h e models
that don't come with webcams have iSight webcams available that plug into the USB or the
Firewire ports.

For creating videos, the Photo Booth application that comes with Mac sot ware can be used to
create videos. All i les taken with Photo Booth are saved as QuickTime i les with the .mov
extension. h ese are in MP4 format, and if you change the extension from .mov to .mp4 ,
they're recognized as the same i le.

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Webcams are useful for certain kinds of video projects. For making instructional videos for
the Web, the instructor can sit in front of the webcam and talk and display materials to the
audience. Making Web pages in HTML5 to provide slides supporting the video presentation
makes creating an instructional package as simple as making virtually any similar presenta-
tion not intended for Web use.

SMALL CAMCORDERS
h e primary drawback of webcams for making videos that can be embedded in HTML5 is
that they're tied to a computer — either built in or tethered to a USB or IEEE 1394 Firewire
port. h is makes mobile use of webcams problematic, even for highly portable laptops.

Wireless webcams are available, but they tend to have a limited range and are more expensive.
However, several highly portable alternatives are available. h e most common are video
cameras built into mobile phones. Mobile phones used during the protests following the 2009
Iranian elections provided worldwide exposure of the government retaliation against those
who protested election fraud. Because Western journalists were banned from covering the
election at ermath, the news coverage was provided by video from mobile phones broadcast
on YouTube and announced through Twitter.