Re: Webcam for Mac

[Valter Prahlad]

Il giorno 11-02-2012 3:16, Kris Tilford ha scritto:

> I believe all the PPC Macs used the Plaintalk microphone which isn't
> the same as a normal mic.

Actually I have a PlainTalk mic (from an old Performa 6400), and it doesn't
work with the G5.

> CORRECTION: The G5 does NOT use a Plaintalk mic, it does NOT have a
> mic port at all, it's a "line-in" port that requires an amplified
> sound source. 
Ok, so the port is working, it's the mic that cannot send a powerful enough
signal.
Actually I managed to use an audio mic (for singing), but the signal was
really weak. I thought it was the faulty port, but know I understand it's
the wrong kind of mic.

Why oh why Apple messes up these simple things...?!? :-/
(the mic works in a cheap PC, but not in a G5? C'mon!)

> It's possible to build an adapter to provide
> amplification for a normal mic, but it's normally easier to get a
> cheap USB adapter.
I prefer keep things simple. I'll go with the all-USB webcam.

> 
Thank you, valuable information.

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Re: Webcam for Mac

[Kris Tilford]

On Feb 10, 2012, at 8:16 PM, Kris Tilford wrote:

On Feb 10, 2012, at 6:43 PM, Valter Prahlad wrote:


I got no sound at all from the webcam's
microphone; so it appears the line input in my G5 is faulty.


I believe all the PPC Macs used the Plaintalk microphone which isn't  
the same as a normal mic. You can create a universal adapter from a  
Plaintalk mic so that normal mics will work.


CORRECTION: The G5 does NOT use a Plaintalk mic, it does NOT have a  
mic port at all, it's a "line-in" port that requires an amplified  
sound source. It's possible to build an adapter to provide  
amplification for a normal mic, but it's normally easier to get a  
cheap USB adapter. I got one free with a headset that was about $7  
shipped on eBay. Otherwise you'll need a "self powered" microphone, see:



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Re: Webcam for Mac

[Kris Tilford]

On Feb 10, 2012, at 6:43 PM, Valter Prahlad wrote:


Alas, while the video was ok, I got no sound at all from the webcam's
microphone; so it appears the line input in my G5 is faulty.
When connected to a Windows PC, the webcam worked fine with both  
video and

audio, so the problem is definitely with my G5.


I believe all the PPC Macs used the Plaintalk microphone which isn't  
the same as a normal mic. You can create a universal adapter from a  
Plaintalk mic so that normal mics will work.




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Re: Webcam for Mac

[Valter Prahlad]

First, thank you all for your suggestions.

Today I bought a Trust Cuby for 13 Euro.
I got it because it was the only webcam with audio cable (3,5 mm jack) for
the microphone connection; all other webcams had USB connection only (thus,
for both video and audio).
I chose this solution because I wanted the microphone connected all the
time, even when the (video) cam was off.

Alas, while the video was ok, I got no sound at all from the webcam's
microphone; so it appears the line input in my G5 is faulty.
When connected to a Windows PC, the webcam worked fine with both video and
audio, so the problem is definitely with my G5.

Hence, it seems I have to go the all-USB connection route.
Tomorrow I'll get the Logitech C210.


Il giorno 8-02-2012 18:57, Bruce Johnson ha scritto:

> ANY UVC-compliant web cam will work out of the box.
Is this true for their audio, too?

> As for audio quality, if it's that important, I'd invest in a decent mike
> anyway. 
I wasn't looking for hi-fi audio. I just meant I value audio over video, for
my purpose. 
I'd like having just one (more) object on my (already crowded) desk for
both, so a mic-equipped webcam is the best for me. From the reviews, the
Logitech C210 should have pretty good audio.


Il giorno 8-02-2012 19:14, Scottls ha scritto:

> Second I would like to recommend a webcam by Rocketfish, model number
> RF-HDWEB.
Thank you, but I forgot to mention I live in Italy. So I don't think that
model is easy to find here.


>From what I understood, all the "plug and play" webcams (i.e., no drivers)
are UVC devices and should work with a Mac; of course, without drivers it's
likely their special features would not work.

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Re: G5 and Airport Extreme

[Valter Prahlad]

Il giorno 10-02-2012 23:01, arichic...@gmail.com ha scritto:

> Ok, so another mac has entered the picture, a MDD at the same price
> [$100] with these specs:
> 
> G4 dual 1.25GHz processors
> 2GB PC2700 DDR RAM from Crucial
> 80GB IDE hard drive
> Pioneer DVD-R drive
> Zip 750MB removable drive
> NVIDIA GeForce Titanium 4600 128MB graphics card
> Airport Extreme wireless card [pci card running at extreme speed]
> i believe a usb 2 card will be tossed in the deal
> 
> So which is the better deal?
Considering the computer itself, the G5 is of course the better.
Though the MDD was a fine Mac, it was noisy (with the standard fans) and
obviously way slower than a G5. You might check XBench for some numbers.

I had a G4 DA 1,4GHz (single proc), and now I'm using a G5 2,7 DP.
It's sensibly faster, included in web surfing. Speed can be needed when
accessing heavy  websites and watching videos.

Then you have to consider the components:
- Ram: G4 as 2GB, but today memory is cheap
- HD: G5 as a bigger HD (and now HDs are costly due to production problems
with Thailand flooding)
- Zip Drive: I'd say today is useless (unless you have a specific use for
it)
- Video card: the G4's Geforce Ti 4600 is a good card (was top of the line
in its time); the G5's standard Geforce FX 5200 is quite lousy but, unless
you do 3D gaming, could be adequate for your needs.

> i am concerned about the reliability of G5's, and the electrical usage.
AFAIK, realiability problems were mostly about the liquid cooling system;
the 1.8 GHz is air-cooled.
Power consumption could be around 50% more with the G5.

> Whatever I buy needs to last a while.
If you're looking for something to last, the G5 - again - is a better value.
Unless your needs don't demand much power / speed, then the G4 could be
fine.


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Re: G5 and Airport Extreme

[Kris Tilford]

On Feb 10, 2012, at 4:01 PM, arichic...@gmail.com wrote:


So which is the better deal?





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Re: G5 and Airport Extreme

[arichic...@gmail.com]

> So it looks like I might bite the bullet and buy this particular G5
> just so I can run Leopard and sync with the recently acquired 2nd gen
> ipod touch. It sure would save time on the various workarounds
> proposed here for my G4. Local seller wants $100; inside is 1 gig of
> ram and a nice 500 gb hard drive [is that a decent deal?].
>
> http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powermac_g5/stats/powermac_g5_1.8_dp.html
>
> Now, what it does NOT have is an Airport Extreme card installed.
Ok, so another mac has entered the picture, a MDD at the same price
[$100] with these specs:

G4 dual 1.25GHz processors
2GB PC2700 DDR RAM from Crucial
80GB IDE hard drive
Pioneer DVD-R drive
Zip 750MB removable drive
NVIDIA GeForce Titanium 4600 128MB graphics card
Airport Extreme wireless card [pci card running at extreme speed]
i believe a usb 2 card will be tossed in the deal

So which is the better deal? G5 has half the memory, and i am
concerned about the reliability of G5's, and the electrical usage.
Whatever I buy needs to last a while. However, it has a huge 500 gig
hard drive, and will come with the Leopard disks I need to sync the
ipod touch. But, it does NOT have an airport card at all, i MIGHT be
able to dig one out of my dead ibook, but the install on the G5
doesn't look that easy. The MDD will only lack the Leopard install,
but acquring that disk might also cost as much and eb as much trouble
as installing airport on the G5.

So, G4 or G5? Mainly using this to manage itunes collection, get fast
web performance, and manage my thousands of text documents while
trying to stay ahead of Apple and tis wicked upgrade reaper.

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Re: ATI Radeon 7000 Mac Version 32MB PCI video card not recognized on Sawtooth

[Len Gerstel]

On Feb 10, 2012, at 3:17 PM, Bruce Johnson wrote:



On Feb 10, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Jesse wrote:


So does anyone have experience using this card in anything other than
the Xserve?


It SHOULD "just work", as the only difference between this and a  
retail Radeon 7000, iirc, was the lack of the other ports. Have you  
tried it on a more modern monitor than the old 19" one? It's  
remotely possible it's putting out a signal that won't work on the  
monitor, but my suspicion is that it's a dead card.


Yes, they "just work". At least as tested through 8.x, 9.x and 10.2  
in a beige and with no reports of problems from the 30 or so I sold  
on the swap list. They use the same drivers and deliver the same  
performance as the Mac specific retail cards, just without the DVI  
and S-Video ports.


If it is not working after all the standard easy fixes (pram and cuda  
reset, making sure you have the drivers installed) it is, in the  
immortal words of one of the great Doctors, Dead Jim (er, Jesse).


Len

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Re: ATI Radeon 7000 Mac Version 32MB PCI video card not recognized on Sawtooth

[Bruce Johnson]

On Feb 10, 2012, at 12:29 PM, Jesse wrote:

> This now makes total sense. I was curious as to why it would only have
> a VGA out. It wasn't an issue b/c the monitor I'm hooking it into is
> an old 19" Trinitron (mounted in portrait orientation for a MAME
> cabinet), so all I needed was VGA.
> 
> I had a feeling it was mac-specific... every time I did a search on
> the part number, it always returned as a Mac part.
> 
> So does anyone have experience using this card in anything other than
> the Xserve? 

It SHOULD "just work", as the only difference between this and a retail Radeon 
7000, iirc, was the lack of the other ports. Have you tried it on a more modern 
monitor than the old 19" one? It's remotely possible it's putting out a signal 
that won't work on the monitor, but my suspicion is that it's a dead card.

-- 
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs


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Re: ATI Radeon 7000 Mac Version 32MB PCI video card not recognized on Sawtooth

[Jesse]

This now makes total sense. I was curious as to why it would only have
a VGA out. It wasn't an issue b/c the monitor I'm hooking it into is
an old 19" Trinitron (mounted in portrait orientation for a MAME
cabinet), so all I needed was VGA.

I had a feeling it was mac-specific... every time I did a search on
the part number, it always returned as a Mac part.

So does anyone have experience using this card in anything other than
the Xserve? Also, if it's not working, should I try going through the
procedure that people use to force-flash ATI Radeon cards for the PC
to try and bring it up to spec? I have an old junker PC that I'm sure
would be up to the task but I'm unsure if you can use that method if
it technically has already already been used in a Mac (namely the
Xserve).

Thanks!

On Feb 9, 3:42 pm, Len Gerstel  wrote:
> On Feb 9, 2012, at 3:35 PM, Kris Tilford wrote:
>
> > On Feb 9, 2012, at 2:21 PM, Bruce Johnson wrote:
>
> >> IIRC the very first Xserve's had a VGA-only PCI ATI card, ISTR it
> >> was a 32 mb 7000.
>
> > I was unaware of this card, is it a half-height card or full size?
>
> Full size. Looked just like the retail 7000, just had only a vga
> connector. It was mounted parallel to the main board on a riser I
> believe.
>
> Len

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