IChat with a camcorder

Question

Is there any way to use a camcorder for your iChat instead of the iSight camera?

Answer 1

Answering Defcom's Question will be easier.
However.
USB Web cameras come in two main sorts.
More recently those that are USB Video Class Compliant that Apple have now got a Standard Driver for in the OS. This then works if you have USB 2.0 and you don't need to get an additional Mac Driver.
The second sort are older cameras mostly USB 1.1 that are Not USB Video Class (UVC) compliant.
These have to have a Mac Driver. This effectively subdivides them again into those that have one and those that don't.
Even then you have to get the iChatUSBCam Utility. A $10.00 add-on for iChat that effectively converts the VGA or other output of the camera into a DV format that iChat uses.
Camcoders fall into a group all of their own.
If they are firewire and have a standard DV output then iChat will be able to use their output.
If the Output is HD DV then iChat can not.
If the signal output is in fact set or only allows NTSC or PAL to connect to a TV or Video recorder then iChat can not see this either.
Obviously not all Cameras have Firewire as an Output.
Converting from USB to Firewire via cables is not really a solution.
Although there are several DV converters out there that have Firewire, S-Video, RCA connections I am not aware of one that does USB as well.
The reason you need a DV converter and possibly a Mini USB to RCA cable is because that replaces the need for a Mac Driver.
I am not aware of any manufacturer that has written a Mac Driver for the USB enabled camcorder.
The main reason for this is that the output is probably NTSC or PAL and iMovie can see that. So you would only heed it for iChat or possibly PhotoBooth
On top of that there are several manufacturers that have their own connection types and in some cases propitiatory DV formats.
As an Example.
I have this camera (Stills)
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/products/ekn006609.jhtml
It is no longer supported by Kodak but that is another issue.
It can be seen over USB by iPhoto an other apps that can access Media drives as this reads the memory card.
It can not take Video shots as it is quite old and it was not a feature when I bought it.
However it does have a small 2.5mm jack that plugs into the View Screen output and will show it as either a PAL (Euorpean) or NTSC (North America) TV Signal
The other end of this cable is a RCA connector.
I then connect this to a DV converter.
It has three options in the switch choice.
Analogue to DV Into the Computer
DV from Computer to Analogue on a device (TV, Video recorder, Camcorder)
and "Pass Through"
The signal using Pass through is seen be iMovie
It is only "Seen" by iChat when I use the Analogue to DV setting into the computer.
Summary.
Camcorders do not output signals the same as Web cams that iChatUSBCam could, if there was a Mac Driver, convert for iChat.
Of the choices of output that a camcorder may be able to change between only DV will work for iChat and has to get to the computer over Firewire.
Even if Stills cameras that save various forms of mpeg files or Camcorders that can also output mepg files over USB there are no Drivers for Macs for these.
A USB Web cam either has to be USB 2.0 and UVC compliant to be seen by the Mac OS after 10.4.9 - and the computer has to have USB 2.0 - OR
It has to have a Mac Driver AND the iChatUSBCam Utility.
Defcom is really good at finding out info about cables and output about devices like this situation and is likely to come up with definitive answer if there is a solution out there.
10:48 PM Monday; May 12, 2008