The iSight is a webcam made by Apple Computer. It currently comes in two versions. One is an external FireWire camera that can be mounted on any current Apple laptop, all-in-one desktop, or display. It is also manufactured as a built-in USB-based model found on iMac desktop computers manufactured during or after 2005. It is standard built-in equipment on the MacBook Pro laptop computer. The iSight was designed for iChat AV, Apple's video-conferencing client. iMovie 4 and later can be used to capture video from the device, which is also the recommended camera for use with Freeverse Software's ToySight game collection.
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Maker | Apple Computer, Inc.. |
| Type | Motion picture camera |
| Lens | |
| Lens | Internal auto-focus lens system |
| F-numbers | 2.8 |
| Sensor/medium | |
| Sensor type | Digital CCD |
| Sensor size | 1/4-inch; 640x480 Resolution |
| Recording medium | Attached to computer via FireWire |
| Focusing | |
| Focus | Automatic (50 mm - ∞) |
| Shutter | |
| Shutter speeds | Continuous up to 30 fps |
Some advocates claim the iSight has superior colour quality and striking industrial design. The 1/4-inch color CCD sensor has a 640x480 VGA resolution on the external and internal PPC versions, a reportedly 905x678 VGA resolution on the MacBook Pro and a reportedly 1280x960 VGA resolution on the Intel Core Duo iMacs. Apple calls iSight's three-part F/2.8 lens with two spherical elements custom-designed. It features auto-focusing from 50 mm up and autoexposure and can capture video at 30 frames per second in 24-bit color and use a variety of shutter speeds. All iSights include internal microphones, which, Apple advertises, feature dual-element noise-suppression. Its unique design and light weight allow it to be attached just above the monitor using one of the four included mounts, meaning that the image seen by the recipient during a video chat will be at eye level and not from beneath, as many webcams require.
The external iSight is compatible with Mac OS X as well as Windows (though reputedly, notoriously difficult to set up properly) and GNU/Linux computers; the libdc1394 library is required under Linux and a GUI is available (Coriander). However, the internal microphones will only operate on a Mac with the iChat AV software installed; work is in progress to decode the audio protocol and provide a Linux driver.
The external iSight uses an included FireWire cable for audio, video, and power. Four camera stands, a carrying case, and a FireWire cable adapter are also included.
Apple introduced the iSight at 2003's Worldwide Developers Conference.
In April 2005, Apple released a firmware update for the iSight; weighing in at around 956 KB it is claimed by Apple only to increase audio performance.
External links
- The iSight
- iChat AV
- Freeverse's ToySight
- iSight Linux audio driver
iSIGHT is also the name of a computer program for multidisciplinary design optimization. It provides optimization methods such as sequential quadratic programming, simulated annealing, and genetic algorithms. [1]