- ISight
Infobox_Camera
camera_model = iSight
manufacturer =Apple Inc.
camera_type = Motion picture camera
sensor_type = Digital CCD
sensor_size = 1/4-inch; 640x480 resolution
recording_medium = Attached to computer viaFireWire
lens_system = Glass, internal auto-focus lens system
focus_type = Automatic (50 mm - ∞)
shutter_speeds = Continuous up to 30 fps
f_numbers = 2.8iSight was a
webcam developed and marketed byApple Inc. The iSight was sold retail for US$149 as an external unit which connects to a computer viaFireWire cable and comes with a set of mounts to place it atop any current Apple display, laptop computer, or all-in-one desktop computer. The term is also used to refer to the camera built into Apple's iMac, MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro computers.Apple introduced iSight at the
2003 Worldwide Developers Conference , intended to be used withiChat AV , Apple's video-conferencing client.iMovie (version 4 and later) can also be used to capture video from the device. In April 2005, Apple released afirmware update for the iSight to improve audio performance. As ofDecember 16 , 2006, the iSight was no longer for sale in the Apple online store or in retail locations.Design
The iSight's ¼-inch color CCD sensor has 640×480-pixel VGA resolution with a custom-designed three-part F/2.8 lens with two aspherical elements. It features autoexposure, autofocusing from 50 mm to infinity, and video capture at 30 frames per second in 24-bit color with a variety of shutter speeds. However, the iSight has an image delay of approximately 78 ms. The iSight incorporates internal
microphone s with dual-elementnoise suppression . The actual camera only takes up one-quarter of the unit; the remaining space is primarily occupied by its two microphones and mounting socket.The iSight camera weighs 2.3 ounces (63.8 grams). It uses a single FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) cable (included) for audio, video, and power. The camera runs hot even when inactive. Four camera mounts, a plastic tube carrying case, and a FireWire camera mount adapter are also included. The user can select the mounting bracket most appropriate for their monitor or other mounting surface. It is fully compatible with its native
Mac OS X as well as partially compatible with theMicrosoft Windows andLinux operating systems.The iSight has a small green LED that illuminates when the camera is in use. It also has an iris that closes by twisting the front of the camera.
Built-in iSight
Although external and internal iSights have significant differences, Apple has used the "iSight" name to brand its built-in video camera found in their
MacBook ,MacBook Air andMacBook Pro notebook computers as well asiMac desktop computers produced since late2005 . While the external iSight is similar to the built-in iSight, the built-in iSight uses an internalUSB 2.0 interface and not the FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) interface used by the external iSight camera. [ [http://developer.apple.com/documentation/HardwareDrivers/Conceptual/MacBookPro_0601/Articles/MacBookPro_0601.html Apple Developer Connection, "15-inch MacBook Pro Developer Note"] , Last updated: 2006-05-09.] Further, the built-in iSight has a plastic lens, is fixed-focus, and uses a CMOSActive pixel sensor , rather than the CCD used in the external iSight. With the LED-Backlit MacBook Pros, Apple has moved to using a sensor capable of 1280x960 pixels, but when accessed using provided APIs, the image is re-sampled to 640x480 pixels. However,Quartz composer allows access to the 1280x1024 pixel video stream. They can also be used forPhoto Booth .iSight on Windows
External iSight
Windows XP and Vista will autodetect an external iSight camera as “1394 Desktop Video Camera”, but no specific iSight driver exists for Windows. Nevertheless, most
Instant messaging clients are capable of using video from the camera and adjusting brightness and other settings (the image will appear to be overexposed until the settings are altered). Windows is not capable of receiving audio from iSight’s internal microphones, as no Windows driver exists.Technology
blog [http://www.gizmodo.com Gizmodo] reported in July 2006 that a bounty was offered for a driver that would enable the external iSight's microphone to function on Windows XP. Users were asked to contribute funds that were to be won by the successful developer. The driver's source would then be open to the public for porting to future Windows versions. After waiting 5 months with no submissions, Gizmodo canceled the competition, returned all donations, sold the iSight and bought a MacBook Pro.Built-in iSight
Version 1.1 of Apple's Boot Camp added
Microsoft Windows XP drivers for the built-in iSight. Version 1.2 implemented support for the built-in iSight inWindows Vista as well.[http://forum.parallels.com/showthread.php?p=57896 This forum post] points to a solution that works for Parallels 3188 (verified) and claims to work for VMware.
References
External links
* [http://www.apple.com/macbook/isight.html MacBook iSight] on Apple.com
* [http://www.apple.com/macbookair/features.html MacBook Air iSight] on Apple.com
* [http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/isight.html MacBook Pro iSight] on Apple.com
* [http://www.apple.com/imac/technology/isight.html iMac iSight] on Apple.com
* [http://lisight.sourceforge.net/ iSight Linux audio driver] project page
* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/lisight/ iSight Linux driver project] on SourceForge
* [http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Hardware/Conceptual/iSightProgGuide/index.html iSight Programming Guide] for FireWire iSight cameras on Apple.com
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