Webcam/OSX Hello, I am trying to use any webcam on my Mini. Microsoft LiveCam Studio does not work, my old-skool iSight is firewired 400 has got an other problem. They do not work after downloading Macam. I am surprised, I thought that this sort of problems were not existing anymore. I have tried my Sony Eyetoy PS3 and that is giving an image! But only stills, so not very useable with Skype. Does anyone has a solution for this incredible problem? Thanks, Johannes Roeland in France

Your connections sound confusing, but you are correct about connectivity being your problem. The more wire and connections between any device and your computer, the worse the results. I have few devices requiring a firewire. Scanners have to transfer a lot of data very quickly. Printers too but they will usually function, just slowly. Your best bet is to simplify it somehow. A long time ago firewires were going to be the big thing by 2000. It never happened and few pc's come with a firewire. I have an old pc I drag out when I need the firewire and it's a big pain. What you are trying is experimental and I guess I'd be trying the same thing. Good luck finding simplicity because it's your best bet.

Hi There,
This is a fairly common issue with lifecam/livecam and dell machines. A workaround has been presented here: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_other-windows_update/lifecamexe-has-stopped-working/f1f43ce5-25e9-47b7-9277-ec4499854c63
However a simpler workaround would be to upgrade to better webcam software, not just the default that came with the computer.

I expect that Firewire 800 is backwards compatible with 400. You just need a cable with the appropriate connectors on each end. The Mac surely comes with the drivers already installed.

How it works with my mini-DV recorder (on a PC) is that when I fire up the video editing software, it sees the camera as a source and can control it from the computer to rewind and download. The book says use the mains power adapter to make sure the camera stays powered.

There exist a number of methods for dealing with FireWire device interference, a few of which are explored here. Switching Ports The first procedure you should try when experiencing a problem that you believe to be caused by device interference is to simply reconfigure the arrangement in which your FireWire peripherals are connected. Try switching each device to a different port, or temporarily disconnecting one or more of the devices. In particular, if you are a PowerMac G5 owner, trying switching devices from the front to back ports or vice versa. Adding an external hub In some cases, it appears that FireWire devices are not drawing enough power from the computer. This can cause a sundry of strange issues, including apparent conflicts between devices and unexpected power-offs during device operation. In these instances, adding an externally powered FireWire hub can clear things up. One of the reasons an "under-powered" situation can occur is that different Mac models have varying power capacities available through their FireWire ports. PowerBooks and iBooks have the least, generating around 7 watts. The iMac G5 also generates a relatively low amount of FireWire power, sharing 8 watts between its two FireWire 400 ports. The Power Mac G5 shares 15 watts between its one FireWire 800 port and two FireWire 400 ports. Place devices on different FireWire busses/Isolate the iSight Similar to the above procedure, adding another FireWire bridge -- via an extra PCI-based FireWire adapter or another means -- can eliminate conflicts from devices that reside on the same bridge. Power cycling the system Simply cycling the power on your system may be enough to temporarily eliminate a few FireWire conflict issues. Shut down your Mac, and disconnect all FireWire devices as well as the computer's power cord. Leave the system off for about 10 minutes, then plug it back in. First turn your Mac back on, then re-attach the FireWire devices one at a time and check for the conflict to resurface. Disconnect specific FireWire devices (especially iSight) to check for conflicts As noted above, the most common cause of interference is Apple's own iSight. In case after case, simply disconnecting this single device has eliminated problems with other FireWire devices. Other devices often implicated in FireWire conflicts include video-related devices; cameras, the EyeTV, video decks, etc.
Disconnecting the iSight has proved particularly successful for an issue where the iPod disappears from the Desktop and from the iTunes playlist, while the iPod status screen cycles from the Apple logo to a "Do not Disconnect" message over and over. The exact reasons why the iSight causes more than its fair share conflicts with other FireWire devices are many, and sometimes unclear. One potential source of conflict, however, could be the unit's high bandwidth usage. The iSight captures video at a 640 x 480 pixel resolution, at 30 frames per second in millions of colors. Such throughput uses a significant chunk of the standard FireWire port's 400 Mbps bandwidth. As such, when other devices are connected, the bandwidth requirements for satisfactory performance may not be met. Try disconnecting all FireWire devices, then adding them back one by one and repeating the originally failed operation to check for conflicts. Apply the latest updates Make sure that your FireWire drives are using the latest firmware (check the manufacturers' Web site) and the most recent iPod update has also been applied. Of higher importance, if you have an iSight, is the iSight 1.0.2 updater. In a large number of cases it has resolved conflicts caused by the camera. Re-apply the most recent Mac OS X combo updater In some cases, re-applying the most recent combo updater can resurrect seemingly defunct FireWire ports and allow devices -- drives included -- to be recognized again. The most recent combo updater is available from Apple's download page. Clear caches Try using a tool like Tiger Cache Cleaner or Cocktail to remove potentially corrupt system caches. Restart, then check if your FireWire devices are recognized.

If this problem just started it may be due to the 10.6.5 update that broke the iSight on Flash applications. If this is your situation try this post for solutions to get your camera working again:
http://mailvu.com/blog/solutions-to-mac-isight-camera-problem-with-flash-applications/

hello. click on the little speaker in the lower right corner and open up the sound mixer. that will show you the speaker systems that you have on and the ones that you have off. if off, click to on and you will be in business.

unfortunatley all sony products only work on pc your best bet would be to transfere to dvd and import that way

you will have to use a firewire cable. The isight might work on your pc but the microphone wont work. you will have to go on my computer to find the isight

Turn off computer. Turn ON computer and immediately hold down Apple+option+p+r. after 4 chimes let go. You are going to be using the Firewire cable. once the camera is on and plugged into computer go to : apple> about this mac> more info click on Firewire. on the right hand side you should see your camera. Now if you don't its either the Firewire port on camera or the cable it self. to further isolate. Get your older computer. leave off. plug the firewire cable into both computers. Now the older computer that is turned off. TURN ON and immediately hold down the " T " on keyboard. ON the polder mac, your screen with have like a "Y" icon.. its a Firewire icon. Now look on the other computers desktop, do you see a yellow or blue hard drive on desktop. IF you do.. ITS your camera because we just tested your cable and both ports and they are working. Now try the USB cable and see if its detected by computer by going back to Apple system profiler and see if the computer is detecting it

I just got my iSight working with Windows XP AND fixed the image quality problem many are having.

To install the iSight, just plug it in, and cancel out of the "New Hardware Wizard." The camera will show up in My Computer, but will be VERY overexposed.

Next, download some program that will allow you to fiddle with the incoming video properties. I googled and found:

http://www.1394imaging.com/products/software/iccapture/
But I'm sure there's more out there. Use this program to turn down the brightness, and voila, your iSight will remember the new settings and you get great video even with AIM. Now if only the microphone worked...