Creative hits 1080p with its Live! Cam Socialize HD webcam, launches 720p models too
Today, if your webcam can't do HD it might as well not even power up its sensor in the morning, and Creative is latest to join the full HD crowd with the $89 Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 -- an excessive title for the latest 1080p webcam to grace your USB ports. It joins the Microsoft LifeCam Studio and Logitech C910 in terms of resolution, but adds some interesting features, perhaps most notably being a dual-microphone array that can be adjusted to provide a field of 20 to 180 degrees, allowing you to control the amount of environmental sound that gets through. Also interesting is a cradle that "scans" in business cards, though we're not sure you really need 1080p for that. Meanwhile, for those who don't necessarily live life 1,920 pixels at a time, there's the $69 Live! Cam Socialize HD AF model, which features a similar design but a 720p sensor, and the $39 Live! Cam Chat HD, which still does 720p but loses much of the other accoutrement. The 720p Socialize model looks to be available now, but no word on when the others will be perching themselves atop your display.
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Creative Announces New Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 Web Camera
New Line of HD Web Cameras Now Available with 1080p Full HD Resolution, Auto Focus Lens and Ultra Precise Noise Canceling Microphones
Creative today announced the new Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 HD web camera. Sporting a full HD sensor with 1080p resolution, auto focus wide-angle glass lens and built-in dual adaptive array microphones with beam-forming and noise cancellation technologies, the Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 is a formidable tool for video chatting and more.
"We are constantly pushing for newer and better features for our web cameras. With the Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080, we are offering a wide variety of newly enhanced visual, audio and software features from full HD resolution, an auto focus capability, beam-forming and noise cancellation technologies and also a business card scanning feature," said Steve Erickson, VP and GM for Audio-Video Group at Creative. "Our aim is to offer users an unparalleled experience when using our Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080."
The Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 has built-in dual adaptive array microphones which form an adjustable beam angle that ranges from 20°to 180° and enable the optimal performance of a headset-free, far-field voice input by centering microphone sensitivity on the user's voice and reducing noise outside that signal. It dramatically reduces ambient noise caused when a speaker's voice reverberates from walls or ceilings.
Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080
The Live! Cam Socialize HD enables 1080p video capture and playback up to 30 frames per second. It also features:
2MP HD sensor
Auto focus, wide-angle glass lens
Built-in dual adaptive array microphones with beam-forming and noise cancellation technologies
Still picture image quality up to 12MP*
4x digital zoom
Live! Central 3 software
Live! Scan business card scanning software
The included Live! Central 3 software offers new touchscreen control and multi-touch capability for users who are using touchscreen-enabled Windows 7. It also lets users upload recorded videos to more social media links including YouTube, Photobucket, KinKast, Tudou.com, Youku.com and Facebook. The new Live! Scan software further enhances the already robust Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 with business card scanning ability. By placing a business card in the cradle bundled with the Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080, the web camera captures the information on the business card into a file – an extremely handy way of storing business cards electronically.
New Line of HD Web Cameras
Together with the Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080, Creative also announced the Live! Cam Socialize HD AF and Live! Cam Chat HD as part of the new line of HD web cameras. With a new sleek and hybrid industrial design for desktops and notebooks, the new line of HD web cameras showcases high quality HD video capture for crystal clear video chatting.
"When you experience the HD video quality of our new line of web cameras, you will no longer be satisfied with the quality of the video from an integrated web camera and upgrading to the Live Cam HD series of web cams will be a no brainer. The new line of Live! Cam HD web cameras enhances the quality of your video chatting experience to HD," continued Erickson. "Our Live! Cam range of web cameras takes social networking to exciting new levels by enabling you to record high definition videos and add fun visual effects through the included Live! Central software suite. We're offering the most fun and personal ways to connect with friends and family online."
Live! Cam Socialize HD AF
The Live! Cam Socialize HD AF features an auto focus, wide-angle lens that captures and plays back video at 30 frames per second at 720p HD resolution. The Live! Cam Socialize HD AF also features:
2MP HD sensor
Built-in noise-canceling microphone
Still image picture quality up to 10MP*
4x digital zoom
Live! Central 3 software
Live! Cam Chat HD
The Live! Cam Chat HD features 720p video chatting and recording capabilities. Additional features include:
True HD sensor
Still image picture quality up to 5.7MP*
Built-in noise-canceling microphone
Live! Central 3 Lite software
*Interpolation
Pricing and Availability
The Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 is priced at US$89.99, the Live! Cam Socialize HD AF is priced at US$69.99 and the Live! Cam Chat HD is priced at US$39.99. For more information about Creative Live! Cam products visit http://www.creative.com.
About Creative
Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster® sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed ZEN® MP3 and portable media players. Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.
This announcement relates to products launched in the United States. Availability is subject to change without notice and may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements. Live!, Sound Blaster and ZEN are trademarks or registered trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
