Moving Image

With film, each picture is a distinct frame of light-sensitive chemicals on film. In order to take moving images, you need some serious equipment and a Hollywood studio behind you. But because a digital picture is just a series of 1s and 0s that can be recorded to a cheap computer hard drive, the difference between still and moving images becomes easily surmountable. And, as video only requires low-resolution image capture (between 0.1 and 0.5megapixel), the hardware can be even cheaper than a still camera--you can now pick up a USB webcam without burning a hole in your pocket. Many digicams and camcorders will double as webcams too. The problem with these solutions, however, is that they rely on slow USB 1.1 connections, offering sub-VGA resolutions at jerky framerates.

Fortunately, the arrival of high-speed broadband internet has been mirrored by the rise of two high-speed computer ports-- FireWire and, more recently, USB 2.0. These allow relatively cheap cameras to capture smooth, full-screen video. Visit site like http://www.ispq.com/ and you'll find easy - not to mention cheap - ways to communicate live with friends and family around the world or send videomails. New applications are springing up to meet demand - from visual instant messaging to group videochats, in which your browser becomes a virtual bar where you can meet people with similar interests or proclivities.