From...

by David Pescovitz

(IDG) -- In the early days of the Net, before e-commerce and IPOs became No. 1, the online world was a hotbed of multimedia experimentation. In 1991, visitors could see how much coffee was left in the pot at Cambridge University by looking through the eyes of a networked video camera. The buzz came not from seeing how much coffee computer nerds really drink, but rather from the sensation of seeing a remote space in real time. Webcams came next, then JenniCam. You know the rest.

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Gadget fever

Now you can take Webcams to the next level of voyeurism with SiteZap, a top-notch telerobotic camera and server software package that enables Web viewers to move the camera around and zoom in.

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In 30 minutes or less, anyone with a static IP address (provided with DSL service, for instance) can be transmitting live streaming-video feeds without complicated server software. Push technology delivers the feed to Netscape browsers, while a Java applet does the dirty work for Explorer. Video quality depends on the usual factors: size of the image, compression level, CPU and connection speed.

While SiteCam 4.1 software ($149) works with any video camera that can be connected to a PC, the included Sony video-conferencing tabletop camera, with its high-speed pan-and-tilt motor, is worth the added cost. Want to look someone in the eye from 2,000 miles away? Click the Tilt and Zoom buttons and your wish is the camera's command.

Now you can let Web site visitors in on the office atmosphere, watch your employees' every move and host video conferences where you can actually look around the table. Now that's entertainment.

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