#Unibrain ifire manual
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#Unibrain ifire software
#Unibrain ifire Pc

With a good light source, such as indirect sunlight or a fluorescent bulb, the Fire-i's image quality is superior to that of almost any USB Webcam that we've tested to date.

When used with Yahoo Messenger, the camera sends images at 1fps to 2fps, but the quality is excellent-assuming that your subject is well lit. We saw some blurring at the beginning of a few of our recordings, but it settled almost immediately. At lower light levels, the images got dark, but we were still able to view and record at 30fps.

#Unibrain ifire full

We had no problem capturing images at full speed with a 1GHz Dell desktop, and we were able to preview at 30 frames per second (fps) on a 700MHz Sony laptop, although we couldn't record at that frame rate. Like most video-capture hardware, the PC's speed affects the Fire-i's video frame rate.

#Unibrain ifire software

Since the software will also work with higher-end FireWire cameras, you'll see features-such as memory presets or the Trigger mode-that the Fire-i doesn't support.įrom our tests, we'd say that the camera performs best in moderate lighting, indirect sunlight, and fluorescent light levels from 50fc to100fc (approximately 500 to 1,000 lux). You can capture still images at timed intervals, although the Fire-i saves each picture as a separate file, so you can't refresh images very easily. The color-bar display works well for testing and configuring monitors. The software includes basic controls for adjusting color, exposure, frame size, and frame rate, but with choices such as 'YUV 4:2:2' for frame format and 'U/B' or 'V/R' for color options, neophytes will quickly head for the hills.Įase of use aside, the bundled software gives you a good range of control over color and exposure.

#Unibrain ifire manual

This camera does not cater to nontechnical folks: installation requires a fair amount of know-how and some manual labor. The camera will sit flat on a monitor or a table, but the stiff cables can easily pull it out of position. But unless your machine has powered FireWire ports, you're tied to an AC outlet. The Fire-i comes with a bull-clip-like clamp-there's no tripod mount in sight-so it's best suited for perching on laptop screens.

However, Unibrain does sell low-cost cards that can provide a powered interface for your camera. But Unibrain doesn't include an external power source in the package, so you're out of luck if you want to use this cam with unpowered FireWire boards such as the All-In-Wonder 7200 DV or laptops such as the Sony VAIO. You can power the Fire-i using either the included FireWire cable or an external 12-volt power supply. A single, bicolor LED informs you of the camera's status: green when it's turned on and yellow when it's in use.

The Fire-i comes with two FireWire connectors so that you can daisy-chain several cams together to build an impromptu home-surveillance system. The 4.65mm lens focuses smoothly and provides a good field of vision for Webcam applications. While the perforated front looks like it should contain a speaker or a microphone, the holes simply provide ventilation. Unibrain won't win any beauty contests with the squat Fire-i its transparent case and 1/4-inch Sony CCD sensor scream geek toy. If you're an advanced Webcam owner who has FireWire ports on your machine and doesn't mind the clip-only mount, the Fire-i makes a decent pick.

#Unibrain ifire Pc

However, this camera, available for both the PC and the Mac, isn't especially easy to use, nor is it feature-rich. The boxy Unibrain Fire-i comes up short on bells and whistles, but thanks to a FireWire connection, it delivers the highest-quality video that we've seen to date from a Webcam.