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User’s Guide
Creative WebCam Notebook
Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Creative Technology Ltd. No
part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording,
for any purpose without the written permission of Creative Technology Ltd. The software described in this document is furnished under a license
agreement and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the license agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any
other medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. The licensee may make one copy of the software for backup purposes.
Copyright © 1998-2003 Creative Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.
Version 1.0
April 2003
Sound Blaster and Blaster are registered trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft, MS-DOS,
and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective owners.
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Contents
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Contents
Before You Begin ................................................................................................................. i
Package Contents ......................................................................................................... i
README file ............................................................................................................... i
Minimum System Requirements .................................................................................. i
Document Conventions ............................................................................................... ii
2
About Creative WebCam Notebook ................................................................................. 1-1
Installing Creative WebCam Notebook ............................................................................ 1-2
In Windows 98 / 98SE / Me / 2000 / XP ................................................................. 1-2
Using PC-CAM Center
Starting PC-CAM Center .................................................................................................. 2-1
Capturing Images and Video ............................................................................................ 2-2
Taking a Photo ......................................................................................................... 2-2
Recording a Video .................................................................................................... 2-2
Viewing a Photo ................................................................................................................ 2-3
Viewing a Video ............................................................................................................... 2-3
Reactivating the Camera ................................................................................................... 2-3
Starting PC-CAM Center Help ......................................................................................... 2-3
3
Creative WebCam Notebook Applications
Creative PC-Cam Center ................................................................................................... 3-1
Creative WebCam Monitor ............................................................................................... 3-1
Microsoft NetMeeting ....................................................................................................... 3-1
Microsoft Internet Explorer .............................................................................................. 3-1
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Technical Specifications
Troubleshooting
Problems Using Creative WebCam Notebook ................................................................ B-1
Problems in Windows XP ................................................................................................ B-2
C Note on USB Compatibility
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Introduction
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Introduction
Creative WebCam Notebook is a 24 bit, 16.7 million color digital video camera kit for your notebook,
giving you everything you need to capture still images and full color video. Not only that, it also allows
you to communicate face-to-face with others on the Internet!
Creative WebCam Notebook is bundled with the following software:
❑ Creative PC-Cam Center
❑ Creative WebCam Monitor
Applications included on
your Installation CD may
vary depending on camera
model and region of
purchase.
®
❑ Microsoft NetMeeting
❑ Microsoft Internet Explorer
For more information, see "Creative WebCam Notebook Applications" on page 3-1.
Before You Begin
Package Contents
Your Creative WebCam Notebook package contains the following items:
❑ Creative WebCam Notebook with USB cable attached
❑ Creative WebCam Notebook installation CD
❑ Quick Start
README file
The README file on the CD-ROM contains information not available at the time of printing. Read the
file before you begin installing Creative WebCam Notebook.
®
®
Minimum System
Requirements
❑ 350 MHz Pentium II or higher IBM compatible notebook
❑ 128 MB RAM
❑ 350 MB free hard disk space (for installation of all software titles)
❑ Available USB port or USB hub with an external power supply
❑ Microsoft Windows 98/98SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000 or Windows XP
❑ AGP display adapter that supports 16 bit color at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels
Introduction i
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❑ CD-ROM drive installed
®
❑ Sound Blaster or other Windows-compatible audio card. Sound Blaster 16 or higher required for
simultaneous two-way conversation with full-duplex support.
For Videoconferencing
❑ Microphone
❑ Modem or LAN access to the Internet at 28.8Kb or faster
Document
Conventions
Tip. This tells you about short cuts or hints relating to a feature.
Note. This highlights additional or important information about a feature.
Caution! This highlights proper usage of your product. Use this information
to avoid risky situations.
Warning! This warns you of possible hazards to yourself or your product,
that may result in injury or damage.
Introduction ii
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Installing Creative WebCam Notebook
This chapter tells you how to quickly install Creative WebCam Notebook.
Figure 1-1 highlights the features of Creative WebCam Notebook.
About Creative
WebCam
Notebook
Power LED
Focus ring
To adjust the view focus, point the lens
toward your subject and then rotate this
ring in a clockwise or counterclockwise
motion until the image is in focus.
USB connector
USB cable
Figure 1-1: Creative WebCam Notebook
Installing Creative WebCam Notebook 1-1
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Follow the installation procedures for your operating system.
InstallingCreative
WebCam
Notebook
In Windows 98 / 98SE
/ Me / 2000 / XP
1. Do not connect Creative WebCam Notebook to your notebook before installing the drivers.
If you accidentally begin installation with Creative WebCam Notebook connected, the Add New
Hardware Wizard or Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box appears. Click the Cancel button.
2. Insert the Creative WebCam Notebook CD into your CD-ROM drive. If it does not run
automatically, click Start-> Run and type D:\ctrun\ctrun.exe (where D:\ represents your CD-ROM
drive).
•
•
You can attach
Creative WebCam
Notebook to a USB
hub with an external
power supply.
3. Click the options for installing drivers and applications.
4. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation. You may be asked, after an
application is installed, if you want to restart your notebook. Do not restart your notebook until all
the drivers and applications are installed.
If you have a
microphone, connect it
to your external
microphone connector.
Read your notebook’s
documentation for
more information.
5. Connect the USB cable to an available USB
port on your notebook (Figure 1-2).
USB port
Figure 1-2: Connecting Creative WebCam Notebook to
your notebook
Installing Creative WebCam Notebook 1-2
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6. Clip Creative WebCam Notebook on top of your
notebook screen (Figure 1-3).
Follow the steps below that are for your operating
system.
For Windows 98/98SE and Windows Me only
After connecting your camera, Windows automatically detects
the device.
i.
If you are prompted to insert the Windows 98 CD,
replace the Creative WebCam Notebook CD with
the appropriate CD.
Note: Windows 98 is available in various editions.
Be sure to use the correct edition for your system.
ii. In the Insert Disk dialog box, click the OK button.
Figure 1-3: Clipping Creative WebCam
Notebook to your notebook
screen
iii. Follow the instructions on the screen.
7. Check the image in the Video preview pane of the
Creative WebCam Notebook Camera Configuration
dialog box.
If it flickers or displays a series of dark bands, click the Cancel Flicker button.
8. Click the Finish button, and then restart your notebook if you are prompted to do so.
Installing Creative WebCam Notebook 1-3
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For Windows 2000 only
9. When a Digital Signature Not Found
dialog box appears (Figure 1-4), telling you
that Creative WebCam Notebook has been
detected, ignore the message and click the
Yes button.
10. Check the image in the Video preview pane
of the Creative WebCam Notebook
Camera Configuration dialog box. If it
flickers or displays a series of dark bands,
click the Cancel Flicker button.
11. Click the Finish button, and then restart
your notebook if you are prompted to do so.
For Windows XP only
Figure 1-4: Digital Signature Not Found
dialog box
After connecting your camera, Windows
automatically detects the device.
12. When the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box appears, select Install the software
automatically (Recommended), and then click the Next button.
Installing Creative WebCam Notebook 1-4
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13. When a Hardware Installation dialog box
appears (Figure 1-5), ignore the message and
click the Continue Anyway button. For more
details on this warning message, see "Problems in
Windows XP" on page B-3.
Installation will be complete in a while.
14. Check the image in the Video preview pane of
the Creative WebCam Notebook Camera
Configuration dialog box. If it flickers or
displays a series of dark bands, click the Cancel
Flicker button.
15. Click the Finish button, and then restart your
notebook if you are prompted to do so.
Figure 1-5: Hardware Installation
dialog box
Verifying the
installation in
Windows 98/98SE
and Windows Me
1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
2. On the menu that appears, click Properties.
3. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Device Manager tab.
4. Click the plus (+) sign next to the Imaging Device icon.
The entry “Creative WebCam Notebook” should appear.
Verifying the
installation in
Windows 2000 &
XP
1. Right-click on My Computer.
2. On the menu that appears, click Properties.
3. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Hardware tab.
4. Click the Device Manager button. A window appears.
5. Click the plus (+) sign next to the Imaging Device icon.
The entry “Creative WebCam Notebook” should appear.
Installing Creative WebCam Notebook 1-5
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Using PC-CAM Center
This chapter tells you how to quickly set up Creative WebCam Notebook as a Web Camera using Creative
PC-CAM Center.
For detailed information about the application’s features and settings, refer to its Help file. See "Starting
PC-CAM Center Help" on page 2-3.
PC-CAM Center is an easily usable application that enables you to take photos and record videos with
Starting PC-CAM
Center
❑ Double-click the Creative Cam
•
•
If PC-CAM Center does
not recognize the
camera correctly, see
Appendix B,
Detector icon
in your taskbar.
This icon appears if, during installation,
you clicked the option for Creative Cam
Detector to launch automatically at
Windows startup.
"Troubleshooting".
PC-CAM Center
automatically detects
your installed model of
Creative WebCam, and
disables any
❑ Plug your camera into the USB port and
let Windows auto-detect it.
unsupported features in
the user interface.
Figure 2-1: PC-CAM Center screen.
Using PC-CAM Center 2-1
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With PC-CAM Center, you can take photos and record videos.
For more instructions on how to take a photo or record a video, refer to the PC-CAM Center Help file. To
launch PC-CAM Center Help, See “Starting PC-CAM Center Help” on page 2-3.
and Video
Taking a Photo
1. In the PC-CAM Center window, click the Live Video button. The current camera view is displayed
in the Viewing window.
2. In the Save Photo in box, select an album to put your photos in.
If you want captured images to be saved automatically, be sure that the Save automatically check
box is selected. Otherwise, click the check box to clear it.
The Save automatically
check box is selected, by
default.
3. Click the Snap Photo button at the bottom of the window.
A preview of the saved photo is shown at the bottom-left corner of the Live Video window.
The photo is added to your selected album.
If the Save automatically check box is not selected, click the Save button to save the image.
Otherwise the photo is not saved or added to your selected album.
Recording a Video
1. In the PC-CAM Center window, click the Live Video button. The current camera view is displayed
in the Viewing window.
2. In the Video Size box, select a suitable resolution.
3. In the Save Video in box, select an album to put your videos in.
If you want captured video to be saved automatically, click the Save automatically check box.
Otherwise, click the check box again to clear it.
4. Click the Capture video button to start recording.
The button starts blinking to indicate that recording is in progress.
5. To stop the recording, click the button again.
The button stops blinking. The video is added to your selected album.
If the Save automatically check box is not selected, click the Save button to save the video.
Otherwise the video is not saved or added to your selected album.
6. To preview the video, click the Play button on the bottom-left corner of the Preview window.
Using PC-CAM Center 2-2
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1. Click the My Album button. PC-CAM Center is now in My Album mode.
Viewing a Photo
Viewing a Video
2. In the My Album box, click the My Photo folder and then click the album that contains the photos
that you want to view.
Thumbnails of photos in the album are displayed in the Thumbnails window.
3. Double-click the thumbnail of the photo displayed in the Thumbnails window.
The photo, in its actual size, is displayed in the PC-CAM Center Viewing window.
If you are not satisfied with the result, you can select a higher resolution, and then capture the image
again.
1. Click the My Album button. PC-CAM Center is now in My Album mode.
2. In the My Album box, click the My Video folder and then click the album that contains the video
that you want to view.
Thumbnails of videos in the album are displayed in the Thumbnails window.
3. Double-click the thumbnail of the video you want to view.
The video plays in the Viewing window.
If you are not satisfied with the result, you can select a higher resolution, and then capture the video
again.
If your computer goes into standby mode, your camera will go into suspend mode. You can reactivate the
camera and computer by moving the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard.
Reactivating the
Camera
This Help file contains instructions on how to use PC-CAM Center to take photos and record videos. It
also teaches you how to optimize settings to take high quality photos and videos.
Starting PC-CAM
Center Help
To start the Help file:
1. Click the PC-Cam Center logo at the top left corner of PC-CAM Center’s main window.
2. On the PC-CAM Center menu, click Help.
Using PC-CAM Center 2-3
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Creative WebCam Notebook Applications
This powerful application lets you take pictures or record videos and store them in albums. You can also
CreativePC-Cam
Center
export pictures or videos to other programs, or send them as attachments in your e-mail message. There
are various settings for you to adjust, allowing you to optimize the quality of your pictures and videos. For
Want to put a live snapshot of your office, coffee pot, or even your fishtank on your web page? Creative
WebCam Monitor is the application to look at. Just point your camera at your subject and pick a time
interval. WebCam Monitor does the rest, including uploading the snapshots to the Internet. WebCam
Monitor also acts as a motion-detecting security system which automatically e-mails you when somebody
comes near your PC while you are not present.
Creative
WebCam
Monitor
Microsoft NetMeeting is a voice communications client that includes support for international
conferencing standards. It also provides true multi-user application sharing and data conferencing
capabilities.
Microsoft
NetMeeting
With its one-way or two-way video-conferencing features, your friends can see you even if they do not
have a camera. Audio-only conversations and text chats are also supported. Two or more users can
collaborate on a document, doodle on a whiteboard, or even share any Windows application in real-time
over the Internet or on a corporate intranet.
Microsoft Internet Explorer is an Internet browser that features ActiveX technology, so web pages can
combine interactive ActiveX Controls, Java applets, and more, to create interactive content. ActiveMovie
technology allows you to view multimedia content on the web, including MPEG audio and video.
Microsoft
Internet Explorer
Creative WebCam Notebook Applications 3-1
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Technical Specifications
Construction
Power
❑ USB Port version: Remote camera head with a USB cable
❑ From a USB port or USB hub with an external power source
❑ CMOS image sensor
Sensor
Resolution - Video
mode
❑ All resolutions up to 640 x 480
Resolution - Still
mode
❑ All resolutions up to 640 x 480
Video formats
❑ RGB 24
❑ I 420
Exposure control
Colour balance
Colour matrix
Field-of-view
❑ Automatic
❑ Automatic
❑ Preset and integral to camera
❑ 44 degrees +/- 5% (horizontal)
❑ 15 centimeters or 6 inches to infinity
Depth-of-field
Technical Specifications A-1
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Port compatibility
❑ Universal Serial Bus port
Software
compatibility
❑ TWAIN, Video for Windows, WDM MiniDriver for DirectShow, and Still Image driver that runs in
Windows 98/98SE, Windows 2000, Windows Me and Windows XP
Technical Specifications A-2
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Troubleshooting
If you have a technical problem with this product, you may wish to consult our self-help tool
region.
An application reports that the video driver is already in use, or that the camera cannot be found.
Do the following:
Problems Using
Creative
❑ The camera is not properly connected. To resolve this problem, ensure that the camera’s USB
WebCam
Notebook
Windows 98/98 SE, Me and 2000, the computer
restarts for no apparent reason.
You may have USB devices drawing too much power
from your computer. This can happen especially when
connecting USB devices to a passive or bus-powered
USB hub. In Windows XP, a dialog box similar to
Figure B-1 appears.
Do the following:
❑ Connect the camera directly to your computer’s
USB port.
❑ Use a USB hub with an external power supply.
Figure B-1: USB Hub Power Exceeded dialog
box
Troubleshooting B-1
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Insufficient system resources reserved for the USB port, causing the system to be unable to
function.
There are too many devices in the system, causing IRQ problems with the system’s USB controller.
Do the following:
1. Remove some devices from the system.
2. Restart the system.
The system will rearrange the resources automatically.
A Hardware Installation error message appears on a Windows XP operating system when
applications are being installed.
Problems in
Windows XP
At the time of this product's release, Microsoft strongly encouraged companies to submit their hardware
solutions for certification. If a hardware device driver is not submitted, or does not qualify, for Microsoft
certification, a warning message similar to the one below appears.
You may see this message when installing a driver. If you do, you may choose to click the Continue
Anyway button. Creative has tested the driver on Windows XP, and it does not impair or destablize your
computer.
Troubleshooting B-2
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Note on USB Compatibility
While testing Creative WebCam Notebook on motherboards with integrated Universal Serial Bus (USB)
ports, we encountered a small number of motherboards that do not meet the USB specification exactly.
These and other non-USB-compliant motherboards may not operate correctly with Creative WebCam
Notebook. Fortunately, the manufacturers of some of these motherboards have released new versions of
motherboards or BIOS to address the problem.
To look for a USB
If the setup program warns you that your motherboard’s USB port is incompatible with Creative WebCam
Notebook, or if the camera does not work on your system and you suspect that the problem may be related
to your computer’s USB port, the following is a list of available options:
compatible product, you
can visit the product
search page at the official
USB Web site: http://
1. Contact your computer vendor.
Your computer vendor may be able to upgrade your motherboard or its BIOS to a newer version that
addresses USB incompatibilities.
search/products.
2. Use a PCI host adapter that provides USB connectors.
If you are not able to upgrade your motherboard or its BIOS, we recommend this approach.
3. Attach the Creative WebCam Notebook to a USB hub with an external power supply.
Some USB devices (such as monitors) also operate as USB hubs; you can also buy USB hubs which
are to be attached to your computer’s USB port. However, in some cases, attaching a USB hub to a
non-USB-compliant USB motherboard connector will not solve the problem.
Note on USB Compatibility C-1
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