HP KQ245AA Premium Autofocus Webcam

by HP

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 5 x 2.6 inches ; 9.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001B7PXOY
• Item model number: KQ245AA#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 15, 2008

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The compact HP Premium Autofocus Webcam has a 2 megapixel sensor with autofocus. It features quick-launch buttons for chat, making videos, and taking photos. It works with these instant messaging programs: AIM, Windows Live Messenger, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger.

Features

• True 2-megapixel sensor with Autofocus in a small and stylish webcam: webcam: get HD video quality and keep the image always sharp and focused. focused.
• Unique notebook clip: stable, secure and easy to clip, our adjustable notebook notebook clip design works on more notebooks.
• Tilt and Pan: easily adjust your webcam to let you show what you want while while maintaining a stable connection to your notebook PC.
• HP Instant Chat button: just click one single button to automatically launch launch your preferred Instant Messaging program and your webcam controls controls (Magic-I).
• ArcSoft Magic-I: enhance your video conferencing experience with fun special special effects. Magic-I also keeps all your webcam controls in one application application and allows you save up to 5 user profiles so you are looking looking good wherever you use your webcam.
• Compatible with AIM, Windows Live Messenger, Skype, and Yahoo! Yahoo! Messenger.
• Certified high-speed USB 2.0: take full advantage of your broadband access access and enjoy up to 30 frames per second for smooth and natural body body motion.
• Integrated microphone and plug and play USB connection for easy installation installation and ease of use. And your webcam comes with a free headset headset for better sound and more privacy.
• Privacy cover: switch the privacy cover when you don’t want to be seen. seen. The colored shade helps you identify if the privacy cover is on or off. off.
• Comprehensive software included: capture, edit and share short videos with with Arcsoft Video
• Impression, capture photos with HP Image Capture, and edit and retouch retouch photos with HP Photosmart Essential.

Technical Specifications

• True 2-Megapixel CMOS Sensor with Autofocus
• USB 2.0 high-speed certified
• Live video: 640 x 480 (VGA) up to 30fps, 800 x 600 up to 20fps, 1280 1280 x 960 up to 8-9fps, 1600 x 1200 up to 5-6fps
• Still picture: up to 8.4MP (3360x2520 pixels) by software interpolation
• UVC (Universal Video Class)
• Face-tracking
• Effective focal range: 5 inches to infinity
• Frame rate: Up to 30 frames per second
• Tilt and Pan: Tilt (55°, up to 20° down and 35° up) / Pan (320°, up to 160° 160° left, up to 160° right)
• Clamp extension: up to 0.67 inch (17mm)
• Integrated microphone
• 5X Digital Zoom
• 2 buttons on the top: Snapshot button and HP Instant Chat button
• Privacy cover
• Front LED (on/off)
• Notebook clip
• External headset
• Cable length: 3.28 feet (1 meter)
• Software: HP Image Capture, Arcsoft VideoImpression, Arcsoft Magic-I and and HP Photosmart Essential

Product Description

HP's compact Premium Autofocus Webcam has a 2 megapixel sensor with autofocus. It features quick-launch buttons1 for chat, making videos, and taking photos. Works with these instant messaging programs: AIM, Windows Live Messenger, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger.Our compact Premium Autofocus Webcam has a 2 megapixel sensor with autofocus. It features quick-launch buttons1 for chat, making videos, and taking photos. Works with these instant messaging programs: AIM, Windows Live Messenger, Skype, and Yahoo Messenger. System requirements: available USB 2.0 port, CD drive, Intel Pentium 4 processor with 1.75GHz or AMD Athlon XP 2000+ 1.67GHz or faster processor, 512MB or more RAM, Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent webcam, September 2, 2009

By 

William D. Wilcynski - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HP KQ245AA Premium Autofocus Webcam (Personal Computers)

This camera has worked well for my purpose, which is just talking with my girlfriend on Skype while she's away. It has good clarity, although if you move around too much, the autofocus seems to get a little confused and the picture becomes blurry, but it's easy to quickly "refresh" the camera by turning video off, then back on. My biggest complaint is it seems to freeze up quite a bit, while my girlfriend's webcam that came built in to her Toshiba laptop never freezes. When it freezes, sometimes I'll have to "refresh" the camera and sometimes it will unfreeze itself. Also, in order to have a clear enough picture, the camera needs a fair amount of light, so don't try to use it in the dark - you won't be able to see anything!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars VERY Disappointing, October 14, 2009

By 

GaryPen "Nobody you know" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HP KQ245AA Premium Autofocus Webcam (Personal Computers)

I was really looking forward to receiving this webcam based on the reviews here, and because of the specs. Also, I was lucky enough to grab it during a temporary price drop, making it a huge bargain. However, the image quality is so poor, it isn't worth even the relatively low price I paid.

The image on the PC it is hooked up to is grainy and fuzzy. The only way I could get the picture to look half way decent on its "home" PC was within one of the bazillion ArcSoft application the CD installs. The video on the other end of Skype calls is close to unwatchable. And, there is no way to adjust the resolution within the driver's webcam settings.

Who uses these useless applications anyway? It is a WEB cam. Its main purpose is for video communications across the WEB. So, the only software necessary is the driver software. AND, that driver software needs to be able to utilize the full resolution and capability of the webcam.

Unfortunately, this piece o crap is going back to Amazon. I'll just have to get another Creative Optia or perhaps try a Logitech 9000 which seems to get great reviews. (Then again, this one got some good ones, too.)

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really Happy over HP Premium Autofocus Webcam, October 12, 2009

By 

Saliya Ekanayake (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HP KQ245AA Premium Autofocus Webcam (Personal Computers)

Pros: 1. Auto focus
2. Really good video quality with actual 2MP sensor
3. Quick and easy buttons for taking pictures, recording video
4. Versatile mounting options (two brackets included)
5. Video and sound in single USB link
6. Great build quality

Cons: Um, didn't find any at the moment

This camera is really worth for its price. I have purchased several other brands prior to this, but none of them gave a picture quality of this good. In fact, it performs as well as my Sony VAIO built-in Web cam. It can handle low light conditions fairly well. I really like the fact that it has just one USB wire for both video and sound (makes your life easy with less wires). It has two mounting brackets to suit your desktop or laptop.

I am using it with Windows7, Windows Vista Home Premium, and Ubuntu 9.04. It works equally well in all these OSs. No installation needed with Ubuntu 9.04. So if you are looking for a good cam to use with Skype, this is one choice you can go with.

The bottom line is, it's a really good camera for a price less than $50.