Logitech QuickCam Orbit MP Webcam ( 961422-0403 )

by Logitech

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.2 x 4 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000BBAKSA
• Item model number: 961422-0403
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

You've never seen anything like the unique combination of form and function in the Logitech® QuickCam® Orbit MP Webcam. Motorized pan and tilt keeps this stylish camera focused on you, and the True 1.3 Megapixel sensor delivers superior quality images.

Features

Motorized Pan and Tilt
189 degree Pan/102 degree Tilt allows for flexible camera placement and better eye contact.

True 1.3 Megapixel Sensor with RightLight™ technology
Captures finer, more accurate details, achieving superior quality videos and pictures in low light situations.

RightLight™ technology
Superior video performance in low light situations.

Built-in Microphone with RightSound™ technology
Cancels echoes so you can make video calls without wearing a headset.

Low Distortion, Ultra-Wide Field of View
With expanded video coverage and multi-person intelligent face-tracking, you can include friends and family without the distortion common in less-advanced cameras.

Logitech Video Effects
Express your unique personality by using Logitech Video Effects. Choose 3D animated avatars that imitate your facial expressions and head movements, or 2D face accessories that allow you to change your look with glasses, hats and more. They're fun and easy to use with programs such as MSN Messenger Video Conversation, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and others.

High-speed USB 2.0
The fastest interface for maximum frames-per-second video, allowing for true 1.3 megapixel still pictures. Fusion can connect to any USB port, including USB 1.1 systems.

Dual-height Base
Use the stylish 9" stand to position the camera closer to eye level.

Enjoy optimal face time during your video calling or video instant messaging sessions. The QuickCam Orbit MP features motorized pan and tilt for intelligent face tracking, plus a true 1.3 megapixel image sensor for high quality pictures and video—even in low-light situations.

System Requirements

• Windows® 2000 or XP
• CD-ROM drive
• Pentium® P4 1.4 GHz or AMD Athlon® processor 1 GHz (Pentium® P4 2.4 GHz or better recommended*)
• 128MB RAM (256MB RAM recommended*)
• 200 MB free hard drive space
• 16-bit color display adapter
• Windows compatible sound card and speakers (Full duplex sound card recommended*)
• Available 1.1 or 2.0 USB port (USB 2.0 High Speed port required for megapixel image capture*)

Package Contents

• Logitech® QuickCam® Orbit™ MP Camera with motorized camera head and built-in mic
• Integrated universal monitor mount
• Stereo headset
• Thin, 6-foot USB cable
• QuickCam Software CD
• Camera set-up guide
• Audio set-up guide
• Two-year limited warranty

Product Description

QuickCam Orbit MP delivers true 1.3 megapixel performance, with RightLight 2 Technology for sharp images even in difficult lighting situations. Featuring an elegant, eye-level design with motorized pan and tilt, the camera automatically keeps its focus on you. Logitech's exclusive RightSound Technology ensures that your voice comes through clear and echo-free through included microphone. This webcam connects to your PC through a USB port and works with Windows XP and 2000. One of the neat features is the ability to add your voice and image to instant Internet messages and for use with Skype phone calls. You can achieve up to 30 frames per second live video or you can capture stills at up to 1280x960 resolution. So just add an optional headset or use your computer's speakers and enter the realm of cyberspace with the Logitech Orbit MP. Logitech's Video Effects imitates facial expressions and head movies with the 3D animated avatars or 2D face accessories that allows change to look with glasses, hats and more. Fun and easy to use with MSN Messenger Video Conversation, Yahoo Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger and others Use the 9 inch Dual-Height Base to stand to position the camera closer to eye level System Requirements - Pentium P4 1.4 GHz or AMD Athlon processor 1 GHz (Pentium P4 2.4 GHz or better recommended), Windows 2000 or XP, CD-ROM Drive, 128MB RAM (256MB RAM recommended), 200MB Free Hard Disk space, 16-bit color display adaptor, Windows compatible sound card and speakers (full duplex sound card recommended), Available 1.1 or 2.0 USB port (USB 2.0 High Speed port (Required for megapixel image capture) Package Contents - Logitech QuickCam Orbit MP Webcam with built-in microphone; Base with 9 stand; QuickCam software; Quick-start guide 2-year limited hardware warranty

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

207 of 214 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Big step backward for Logitech, October 12, 2005

By 

M. M Magliaro "maxvideo" (Philipsburg, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Logitech QuickCam Orbit MP Webcam ( 961422-0403 ) (Personal Computers)

The video is excellent, like all the previous good Logitech cams like the QuickCam Pro 4000. In fact, the video is better than the previous generation. The built-in mic has excellent sensitivity and clarity, which is a real plus. You can stand back from it, face away from it, and it still picks you up well, while rejecting a lot of room noise.

So, why did I only give it 2 stars?

1. It's a CPU hog. Even with the echo cancellation turned OFF, this camera consumes a good 10% more CPU on my same test system, when videoconferencing, when compared to a QuickCam Pro 4000 or Notebooks Pro model (the OLD Notebooks Pro model... the NEW one has all the same problems that this one does). That may not sound like a big deal, but it is when you start using 65% instead of 55% on a Pentium 4 2.4 GHz machine (WinXP Pro SP1)

2. The acoustic echo cancelling (AEC) is shoddy and is a MASSIVE CPU hog.

When it's on, the CPU in the above test case jumps to 85%. And it doesn't really echo cancel very well. It does a lot of heavy gating off and on, causing sentences at each end of a conversation to frequently get cut off. And even so, it lets a lot of echo ring around and go back out.

3. The installer shoves an obnoxious set of auto-startup tasks and services into your system. If you aren't afraid to turn off Windows services and delete things from the "Run" folder of your registry, you can get rid of these things. But it's either that or install the "driver only" option in the installer. These things make the camera consume even MORE CPU, even with AEC off, than the numbers I quoted above (i.e. 75% instead of 55% for a simple 2-way video conference.

4. Beware of installing this if you already have other Logitech

cameras installed on your system. The new driver installer "says" that it uninstalls these, but you'll find that the old camera either won't work anymore, or neither one will, until you uninstall both and reinstall the new one. It's best to just uninstall the old one and install the new one. The old camera will then work with the new driver. AND IT WILL USE 10% MORE CPU THAN IT USED TO!

5. The pan/tilt function of the camera works, but it ONLY works with Logitech's little proprietary popup control panel, which you must enable off their tray icon. So, you have to leave some of those annoying "automatic" things running to get this to work. Further, it doesn't obey the standard DirectShow interfaces to make it move, so application writers can't very easily control the camera motion, if at all. I downloaded Logitech's SDK to do this. None of the SDK examples even run, and there is no tech support for it.

Background:

I installed the full product and let it do what it wanted (I didn't try to disable anything). I trained the AEC with their tool. It still doesn't really work.

I have DirectX 9.0c (latest), and Logitech's latest driver. In fact, when I downloaded the newer driver from their website, nothing got better and the CPU usage climbed by ANOTHER 5%!

I am a video programmer by trade, and have tested a large number of USB cameras and echo cancellation devices. I only tell you this to give you some level of faith that I'm not a total idiot, and I am used to evaluating these products.

If you are just an average user who plugs in the camera and uses it, this camera will work well. But forget the echo cancelling; that really doesn't work. All in all, you probably would have been better off with older models, because they installed easier, used less CPU, and caused less installation interaction problems with other cameras.

In other words, it's just a big step backward. If future releases of the driver improve things, great. But I give Logitech a big black eye for even putting out an initial release that ties down my machine this much.

All these problems are true of the Fusion and the new-generation Quickcam for Notebooks Pro. They all share a similar, if not identical, driver. So they all have the same problems.

60 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quality hardware, junky software, December 18, 2005

By 

Rick V "Bargain hunter by day, shopaholic at ... (IN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Logitech QuickCam Orbit MP Webcam ( 961422-0403 ) (Personal Computers)

I echo what one of the other reviewers stated.

The hardware is excellent: the image is NEVER grainy, even in miserable lighting conditions (monitor reflected light only, for example). Cowbofrank dot net gives some good examples of just how good the picture is in various lighting conditions. I have a wide array of cams (call me a cam fetishist) and until now I have benchmarked all cameras against my trusty old INTEL PRO which is 5 yrs old but still makes people as what I am camming with.

This one is visibly better uin quality and the CCD sensor, for once, makes a real improvement over the CMOS sensors in the cheaper cams.

The pan and tilt is 'cute' and gadgety (has a bit of a wow factor) but frankly, given the wide screen lens, it is not relly needed. Would have been better to work on an autofocus.

The RightLight and RightSound technology to improve sound and pic quality in a wide range of conditions are SUPERB. Nothing to compare it with other than expensive bi-aural mics and light measurement in a more expensive digital cam.

The fps is excellent. I really get comments that my cam seems like watching TV. And that is not just caused by the bandwith of my internet connection.

The reason I also ducked a star is because the software, especially the drivers, do hog resources. And not a little. I run a P4 machine, 3+ ghz, 2gb internal, and I noticed a difference. It truly does seem to load a lot of junk in the registry. I do not think it is a real problem, given the speed of today's machines and I think Logitech will fix this in future driver updates. They are loyal to their customers...

Also, keep in mind that this is a small trade off when you're on a quest for true video conferencing capabilities that don't give you the impression you are working with premature technology. This baby can run full screen video and do it without decline in fps.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Logitech Orbit actually better than I thought, January 19, 2006

By 

Big Daddy "Big Daddy" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Logitech QuickCam Orbit MP Webcam ( 961422-0403 ) (Personal Computers)

I bought 3 of these for us, and my children who are all over the country. I was worried that the quality would be grainy and jumpy but to my surprise, it is really impressive. My daughter said it reminds her of the "eye" in Lord of the Rings!Easy to install, easy to use and works seamlessy with MSN Messenger. A great buy!