Creative PC-CAM 880 User Manual Download Page 9

Introduction ii

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 PC-CAM 880.

Minimum System 
Requirements

233 MHz Pentium

®

 II or higher IBM

®

 compatible PC

32 MB RAM

250 MB free hard disk space 

Available USB port or USB hub with an external power supply

Microsoft Windows

®

 98/98 SE, Windows Me, Windows 2000 or Windows XP

AGP Display adapter that supports 16-bit color at a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels

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

Technical Support and 
Warranty

For Technical Support information, go to 

Start

 -> 

Programs

 -> 

Creative

 -> 

Technical Support

.

This information can also be found in the Installation CD. Go to 

d:

\

Support

\

<language>

\

Support.pdf

.

For warranty information, go to 

d:

\

Warranty

\

<region>

\

<language>

\

Warranty.pdf

 (replace d:\ with the 

drive letter of your CD-ROM drive, <

region

> with the region you are in, and <

language

> with the 

language the document is in). Please keep your Proof of Purchase for the duration of the Warranty period.

Summary of Contents for PC-CAM 880

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ...ent 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 register...

Page 3: ...Contents ...

Page 4: ...rview of the LCD Monitor Icons 1 7 Using the Multi selector button 1 8 Installing Creative PC CAM 880 1 9 In Windows 98 98 SE Me 2000 XP 1 9 2 Using Creative PC CAM 880 as a Digital Camera Digital Camera Modes 2 1 Camera mode 2 1 Playback mode 2 1 Tips on Taking Good Pictures 2 2 Taking a Photo 2 3 Taking a Photo with the Self timer feature 2 3 Recording a Video 2 4 Viewing Your Photos and Videos ...

Page 5: ...o 3 2 Taking a Photo 3 2 Recording a Video 3 2 Viewing a Photo 3 3 Viewing a Video 3 3 Transferring files from your camera 3 3 Reactivating your camera 3 4 Starting PC CAM Center Help 3 4 4 Creative PC CAM 880 Applications PC Cam Center 4 1 Creative WebCam Monitor 4 1 Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 1 Microsoft NetMeeting 4 1 ArcSoft Photo Impression 4 2 ArcSoft Video Impression 4 2 ArcSoft Email 4 ...

Page 6: ...A Technical Specifications B Troubleshooting Problem Installing Software B 1 Problems Using Creative PC CAM 880 B 1 Problems in Windows XP B 3 C Note on USB Compatibility ...

Page 7: ...Introduction ...

Page 8: ...t Explorer ArcSoft PhotoImpression ArcSoft VideoImpression ArcSoft Multimedia Email ArcSoft Funhouse ArcSoft Greeting Card Creator Microsoft Netmeeting For more information see Creative PC CAM 880 Applications on page 4 1 Before You Begin Package Contents Your Creative PC CAM 880 package contains the following items Creative PC CAM 880 Camera stand Soft camera case Camera strap USB cable Video cab...

Page 9: ...nd 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 Technical Support and Warranty For Technical Support information go to Start Programs Creative Technical Support This information can also be found in the Install...

Page 10: ...lusive updates on promotions and events 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...

Page 11: ...1 Installing Creative PC CAM 880 ...

Page 12: ...PC CAM 880 front view Camera Lens USB 1 1 port Connects to the USB port on your computer Flash Optical viewfinder Self Timer LED Lights up when the Self timer feature is enabled Video Out to TV port Connects to the Video jack on your TV Normal Macro focus selector Move the selector up or down to enable Macro or Normal modes Macro mode lets you take pictures when the subject is less than 60 cm appr...

Page 13: ...red when camera is detected by your computer Turns green when the camera is used as a Digital Camera in Camera Playback mode used as a Webcam in Camera mode Viewfinder Multi selector button Selects images and OSD menu features zooms in and out switches between the self timer and camera LCD display Mode button Use this button to switch between Camera and Playback modes Strap lug Use this to attach ...

Page 14: ...Installing Creative PC CAM 880 1 3 Figure 1 3 Creative PC CAM 880 bottom view Camera stand socket Battery compartment ...

Page 15: ...ve PC CAM 880 1 4 Attaching Camera Accessories Attach your camera stand and strap as shown below Push camera down onto stand Thread through Strap lug 1 Pull and secure Figure 1 4 Attaching the camera stand and strap 2 3 ...

Page 16: ...urns itself off automatically when the SD MMC removable card slot cover is opened The SD MMC card has a write protect switch to prevent the accidental deletion of valuable data This switch is disabled by default When the SD MMC card is protected images cannot be deleted or recorded If an attempt is made to record or delete an image with the camera the SD Card Locked message will appear in the LCD ...

Page 17: ... the Power button to turn on your camera The LED lights up in green and the LCD monitor is activated For an overview of the icons displayed see Overview of the LCD Monitor Icons on page 1 7 Be sure to insert the batteries in the correct direction If not they may leak and damage your camera Do not mix old and new batteries of different types together To conserve battery power your camera turns itse...

Page 18: ...ry Level Indicator Icon Indicates the battery power level SD Card Icon Indicates that an SD Card is inserted Operation Mode Icon Displays the current camera mode Self Timer Mode Icon Indicates that the Self Timer feature is on Macro Mode Icon Indicates that the Macro Mode feature is active This mode allows you to record subjects at close range Slide the Normal Macro Focus Selector down to switch t...

Page 19: ...Use the various directional keys to navigate through options on your Onscreen Display OSD menu and press the Enter key to select an option For more details on using the Multi selector button with your OSD menu see Chapter 2 Using Creative PC CAM 880 as a Digital Camera Up key Down key Left key Right key Enter key Figure 1 8 Multi selector button ...

Page 20: ...the drive letter of your CD ROM drive 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 computer Do not restart your computer until all the drivers and applications are installed 5 If a Software Installation dialog box appears Figure 1 9 clic...

Page 21: ...tton 11 The New Hardware Found message box appears telling you that Windows is installing software for a USB Mass Storage Device 12 When a second New Hardware Found message box appears telling you that Windows will be installing software for a Digital Camera Device wait approximately 5 seconds and then press the Mode button on your camera Your camera s LED indicator lights up in green Software ins...

Page 22: ...ait approximately 5 seconds and then press the Mode button on your camera Your camera s LED indicator lights up in green Software installation will be complete in a while 11 If an Unsafe Removal of Device dialog box appears click the OK button 12 When Digital Signature Not Found dialog boxes appear Figure 1 11 telling you that Creative PC CAM 880 has been detected click the Yes button 13 Click the...

Page 23: ... a Scanners and Cameras dialog box close the application or dialog box If Windows starts copying captured images to your computer click the Cancel button 12 When the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog box appears select Install the software automatically Recommended and then click the Next button 13 If a Hardware Installation dialog box Figure 1 13 appears click the Continue Anyway button For more d...

Page 24: ...next to the Imaging Device icon The entries Creative PC CAM 880 Camera and Creative PC CAM 880 Video should appear Verifying the installation in Windows 2000 XP 1 Be sure that Creative PC CAM 880 is in Camera Mode LED light is green If not press your camera s Mode button 2 Right click on My Computer 3 On the menu that appears click Properties 4 In the System Properties dialog box click the Hardwar...

Page 25: ...2 Using Creative PC CAM 880 as a Digital Camera ...

Page 26: ...monitor is activated Digital Camera Modes As a digital camera Creative PC CAM 880 has two modes Camera mode and Playback mode Camera mode The Camera mode setting is the default setting for your camera Live images will be displayed on your LCD monitor Press the mode button to switch to Playback mode For more details see Camera Mode Features on page 2 6 Playback mode The Playback mode setting allows...

Page 27: ...ser the close up images may appear blurry Fill the viewfinder with the object Using Flash When in a dimly lit environment be sure that the distance between camera and object is less than 2 5 meters 8 feet but greater than 1 5 meters 5 feet However objects in the background that are more than 2 5 meters 8 feet away from the camera may appear fuzzy Objects that are less than 1 5 meters 5 feet may ap...

Page 28: ...ter you press the Snap button This allows you to include yourself in the picture 1 Be sure that your camera is not connected to your computer and that you have inserted new batteries into your camera 2 Turn on your camera which is in Camera mode by default 3 Press the Left key on the Multi selector button to activate the Self timer feature The Self timer LED lights up 4 Place your camera on a flat...

Page 29: ...are displayed 5 Press the Down key on your Multi selector button once and then press the Enter key to select the Video Clip icon The Video Clip operation mode is enabled 6 Point your camera at your subject and press the Snap button to begin recording 7 Release the Snap button to stop recording Note The Snap button is disabled when your camera s memory is full 8 Press the Mode button to switch to P...

Page 30: ...our TV set Your camera s LCD monitor is disabled 4 Turn on your TV set and change the TV channel to the corresponding AV channel Your TV displays what you would normally see on your camera s LCD monitor Note Be sure that the video format settings for your camera and TV are compatible To verify your TV s video formats check your TV s documentation See Camera mode Onscreen Display Menu Icons on page...

Page 31: ...tor button to zoom in and out of pictures set a timer and view LCD monitor information Up key Press the Up key continuously to increase the zoom factor from 1 0x to 4 0x in steps of 0 2x Down key Press the Down key continuously to decrease the zoom factor from 4 0x to 1 0x in steps of 0 2x Right key Camera LCD Info ON Info OFF LCD OFF Press the Right key to select a function Left key Self Timer ON...

Page 32: ...bles that follow describe the options available Press the Enter key on your Multi selector button to display the OSD Menu Setting Options Icon Description Operation Mode Photo Press the Snap button to take ONE photo at a time Video Press the Snap button to record videos Release the button to stop recording MultiSnap Press the Snap button to take FIVE consecutive photos at a time ...

Page 33: ...200 pixels Under Mode 600 x 480 pixels Under Mode 1600 x 1200 pixels Low Resolution Under Mode 800 x 600 pixels Under Mode 320 x 240 pixels Under Mode 800 x 600 pixels Flash Setting Flash Off The flash is disabled Auto Flash The flash functions automatically according to lighting conditions LCD Brightness High Brightness level Low Brightness level Normal Brightness Level Setting Options Icon Descr...

Page 34: ...rocessed with increased sharpness making edges more distinct Normal Level sharpening of all images applicable to most situations Soft Image sharpness reduced below normal level Quick Review ON Enable this feature to preview an image after a photo is taken A confirmation dialog box appears beneath the preview Select Continue to save the picture or Delete to erase the picture OFF Disables Quick Revi...

Page 35: ...n use the Multi selector button to locate pictures and videos select the Thumbnail Display feature and turn on or off LCD monitor information Up Key Press the Up key to view the previous image on your camera Down Key Press the Down key to view the next image on your camera Right Key Camera LCD Info ON Info OFF LCD OFF Press the Right key to select a function Left Key Press the Left key to select t...

Page 36: ...y the OSD Menu Setting Options Icon Description Thumbnail Displays ONE image Displays NINE images Delete Deletes all or the currently selected images Playback Zoom View the selected image in an enlarged size To exit the full screen view press the Enter key 1 0X Image Magnification Displays the viewed image at original size View the selected image in an enlarged size To exit the full screen view pr...

Page 37: ...l images on the SD MMC memory card Cancel Print Cancels the print order for the selected still images on the SD MMC memory card Print All Sets a print order for all still images on the SD MMC memory card Cancel All Cancels the print order for all still images on the SD MMC memory card LCD Brightness High Brightness level Low Brightness level Normal Brightness Level Setting Options Icon Description...

Page 38: ...3 Using Creative PC CAM 880 as a Web Camera ...

Page 39: ...ing PC CAM Center PC CAM Center is an easy to use application that enables you to record view and mange photos and videos with Creative PC CAM 880 You can also view photos and videos and create and manage albums You can start PC CAM Center in any of the following ways Click Start Programs Creative Creative PC Cam Creative PC CAM Center Double click the Creative Cam Detector icon in your taskbar Th...

Page 40: ...Automatically check box to clear it if you want to preview each photo before deciding whether to save it to the destination album 2 Click the Snap Photo button to take a photo A preview of the photo is shown at the bottom left corner of the Live Video window 3 Click the Save button if you wish to store it in the destination album Recording a Video To record a video 1 In the PC CAM Center window cl...

Page 41: ...ck 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 Viewing a Video 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...

Page 42: ...ransfer dialog box appears 6 Click the Photo Video or Voice tab The tab page for the chosen media appears 7 Click the album you want to transfer the files to 8 Click the OK button Reactivating your camera If your computer goes into standby mode your camera will go into suspend mode You can reactivate your camera and computer by moving the mouse or press any key on the keyboard Starting PC CAM Cent...

Page 43: ...4 Creative PC CAM 880 Applications ...

Page 44: ... 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 Microsoft Internet Explorer Microsoft Internet E...

Page 45: ...wn photos audio messages text music and digital videos ArcSoft Multimedia Email is so easy to use that beginners can produce personalized multimedia postcards in minutes Use personal photos videos and audio files together with the more than 100 unique postcard templates to create truly one of a kind multimedia postcards ArcSoft Funhouse ArcSoft Funhouse allows you to seamlessly combine two or more...

Page 46: ...A Technical Specifications ...

Page 47: ...frame rate Up to 30 fps with QSIF or QQVGA resolution 160 x 120 pixels Up to 22 fps with QVGA or SIF resolution 320 x 240 pixels Up to 10 fps with VGA resolution 640 x 480 pixels Picture Resolution PC Cam Center 1024 x 768 pixels available only when video size is 640 x 480 pixels 800 x 600 pixels available only when video size is 640 x 480 pixels 640 x 480 pixels available only when video size is ...

Page 48: ...tomatic Colour balance Automatic Port compatibility Universal Serial Bus port TV Out NTSC PAL selectable Storage Media Built in 16 MB Flash Memory SD MMC Memory Card Interface Software compatibility TWAIN Video for Windows WDM Mini Driver for DirectShow Windows Image Acquisition WIA driver and STI Still Image driver that runs in Windows 98 Windows 98 SE Windows 2000 Windows Me and Windows XP ...

Page 49: ...B Troubleshooting ...

Page 50: ...box type d ctrun ctrun exe replace d with the drive letter of your CD ROM drive 4 Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation Problems Using Creative PC CAM 880 There is no USB port available to connect the USB cable Do one of the following Unplug the device currently connected Add a USB hub with external power supply Add a PCI USB card An application reports that the video ...

Page 51: ...ternal power supply The image is too bright The amount of light entering the camera has exceeded the exposure control limit There may be a very bright object in the camera s view Avoid pointing the camera at very bright objects for example sunlight lights or highly reflective surfaces Insufficient system resources reserved for the USB port causing the system to be unable to function There are too ...

Page 52: ...ouraged 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 des...

Page 53: ...C Note on USB Compatibility ...

Page 54: ...the problem may be related to your PC s USB port the following is a list of available options 1 Contact your PC vendor Your PC vendor may be able to upgrade your motherboard or its BIOS to a newer version that addresses USB incompatibilities 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 Crea...

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