Nuggets: World's first MPEG 4 InternetCam from Sharp
Published: 25 Mar 1999 17:56 GMT
Sharp's ViewCam breaks new ground, but will you buy it?
Back from Sharp's press briefing and feeling a tad confused. There's no question that the VN-EZ1 Internet ViewCam represents a significant advance in digital movie technology, but as the company's spokesman said, "this is the first step down this path."
So what's the problem? Well, take a very small digital movie camera, rip out all its high-end stuff, and then replace the digital tape with a SmartMedia card. What you've got is a gadget costing just under £600 (price may fall before release in Summer) that can record a maximum of 1 hour's video in MPEG 4 format and provide instant movies that can be plugged straight into a PC. The beauty of recording in MP4 -- according to Sharp -- is the files are nearly a third smaller than equivalent MPEG 1 files, making Internet transfer much quicker.
The problem is, Sharp is aiming this quirky device at the consumer market, but for £600ish for one hour of video on a SmartMedia card that could cost more than £60, I simply cannot see it selling. Estate agents will buy it. Maybe a few of you guys will buy it. But the consumer market... Not.
Am I missing something here...? Mail me.
There's a patronisingly simple Nuggets competition going on at the mo. Click here to win the latest groovy gear for your PC... Don't say we're not good to you!
Did you find this article useful?
50 out of 99 people found this useful
Digg
Slashdot
Del.ici.ous
Stumble
Reddit
Full Talkback thread
1 comment
