The LifeCam Cinema is the first consumer webcam on the PC to offer widescreen video with a native 720p sensor. Microsoft in the past has taken a beating by Logitech who had a deep product line up to now. The question is will the LifeCam take mind share away from the deal Logitech has with Skype as the the hardware partner to deliver High Quality Video (640×480 pixels, up to 30 frames per second).
More and more people are going online to share videos with friends and family; in fact, more than 10 million videos are uploaded each month to Facebook alone. LifeCam Cinema webcam’s 720p widescreen sensor should deliver clear, quality videos. Microsoft claims it will work well even in low light which has been a weakness of their past webcams.
“When we started working on LifeCam Cinema almost a year ago, we were motivated by the fact that new computer displays were predominantly widescreen and top social networking sites were allowing widescreen video,” said Stuart Milton, systems engineer for Microsoft Hardware.
720P and Wide Angle
LifeCam Cinema provides 720p high-definition video and features Auto Focus to keep video sharp from across the room all the way up to 4 inches from the webcam. Also launching with LifeCam Cinema is Microsoft’s ClearFrame Technology, which offers faster image processing technology to help deliver smooth video at any resolution and improved noise reduction technology to reduce image graininess and keep video sharp. Finally, the LifeCam Cinema webcam’s widescreen technology allows the widest angle of capture ever for a Microsoft webcam, at 74 degrees.
Easily Edit and Share Videos
Windows Live Movie Maker is new and now available with HD support. Users can now easily turn photos and video memories into extraordinary movies and upload them to popular sharing sites such as YouTube with one click. In addition, Windows Live Photo Gallery enables users to easily upload a photo to edit, tag and share with friends and family.
New LifeChat Headset
Microsoft also announced the LifeChat LX-1000, a headset with high-quality audio and a noise-canceling microphone.
Pricing and Availability
LifeCam Cinema and LifeChat LX-1000 will be available in September for the estimated retail prices of $79.95 and $24.95, respectively. The camera is available for pre-sale on Amazon.com starting today (Aug. 24, 2009). The headset is also available, but is on back order. Microsoft backs the LifeCam Cinema with a worldwide three-year limited hardware warranty, and the LifeChat LX-1000 with a two-year limited hardware warranty.
