ISight resolution in iChat

Have just got my new iMac and done my first video Chat. I was surprised by the low resolution. iChat 5 displays the resolution in Connection Doctor, and I only got 176 x 144 in and out, although I have a very fast cable modem connection.
The picture quality was visibly lower than on Chats with my old G5 and an external iSight.
Is there any way to control the resolution of the built-in iSight in iChat?

Michael Gordner wrote:
Have just got my new iMac and done my first video Chat. I was surprised by the low resolution. iChat 5 displays the resolution in Connection Doctor, and I only got 176 x 144 in and out, although I have a very fast cable modem connection.
The picture quality was visibly lower than on Chats with my old G5 and an external iSight.
Is there any way to control the resolution of the built-in iSight in iChat?
Hello Michael.
Whenever this happens to me, I shut down everything in the system.
Then I restart the modem and allow its self-test to run. (See users guide for help if needed.)
When the modem test is complete, I restart the router (if you use one) and let its self-test run.
When the router self-test finishes, restart your Mac.
With NO other apps running, launch iChat and verify that your performance is as it should be.
(If you like, you can run http://speedtest.net/ to see if your system is delivering all the speed you are buying.)
Another possibility - if your Mac is new, it may be working hard to index the startup disk, and, possibly, to make its initial Time Machine backup. Both these tasks are processor intensive. Let your Mac run until Spotlight (upper right corner) does not give you an "indexing" message and System Prefferences... > Time Machine does not show that it is making a backup. FYI only-When I first got Leopard, I let my previous Mac run overnight to do this. The process will be quicker with your fast i7.
Enjoy iChat,
EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2) MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

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My external iSight works in iChat, but NOT quicktime 7 pro

I'd like to get in on this...
My external iSight works in iChat, but NOT quicktime 7 pro when i try to make a movie recording. No audio, no video, nothing. But, iChat works. This is on a brand new mac pro with the latest leopard. Any ideas????

Hello Tommy Igoe
With no other video capable apps running and your working iSight connected and turned on when you launch QT 7 Pro, try these suggestions to see whether one of them fixes your problem:
(0) Try all suggestions applicable to your system from Apple's How to Troubleshoot iSight.
(1) Check that your QuickTime Player > Preferences > Recording settings are correct.
(2) Repair Permissions and test to see if iSight works with QT Pro now.
(3) Disconnect all peripheral and test again to check for hardware or software conflicts.
(4) Download and reinstall QuickTime 7.4 for Leopard. Repair permissions and test movie recording.
If you must post back for other suggestions, please clarify and expand on your QT problem. Please be specific. For example, can you see but not execute the QuickTime Player > File > New Movie Recording menu command? Can you execute the menu command but find that the recording window does not open? Does the recording window open but you find the "Record" button is not clickable? Etc.?
Also please tell us whether you found that QuickTime is the ONLY problem app in EVERY user account you tried when you used Apple's Troubleshooting suggestions.
Finally, if you currently have ANY other problems with your Mac, please describe them all.
EZ Jim
PowerBook 1.67 GHz w/Mac OS X (10.4.11) G5 DP 1.8 w/Mac OS X (10.5.1) External iSight

Want to manually ajust the built in Isight camera for Ichat?

Want to manually ajust the built in Isight camera for Ichat?
Sometimes because of backlights and face look black for example, etc.

Hi
You need iGlasses http://www.ecamm.com/mac/iglasses/
Tony

Isight resolution

Ok i hsve ne questio that iwas ondering about.... in my macbook pros built in iSight is there any way to make the resolution better?

Actually, iGlasses plugs into the following programs:
iChat AV 2.0 or higher
iMovie 4.0 or higher
QuickTime Pro Player 7.0
Apple Photo Booth
BTV and BTV Pro
SecuritySpy
iSpQ 6.3.1 or higher
Yahoo! Messenger v2.5.3 and v3.0 Beta
QuickTime Broadcaster
EvoCam 3.5 Preview 1 or higher
GCam 1.2 or higher
iVisit
vChat
Web-based video chats via Safari
iCamShare
ohphoneX
ineen
WuffCam
Blog.Mac
Boinx iVeZeen
Boinx iStopMotion
MulleSight
aMSN
Mercury Messenger
SightSpeed
Skype 1.5 BETA (Video Preview) or higher
Journler
Gawker

Isight resolution and leopard

i have noticed on my MBP with the 1.3 MP isight, in imovie, i can no longer change the resolution of the camera when importing in imovie, if i switch to the higher res option the camera freezes, i seem to recall in tiger i was able to up the resolution... now i am not... any ideas or similar experience?

Try creating a new user account, log in there and see if the problem persists. You should be able to import from the camera at 2 resolutions without issue.

Problem with iSight resolution in iMovie 08

Every time I change the resolution for the iSight camera in iMovie 08 it freezes. It seems to work fine at vga resolution but not the higher resolution that it gives me as an option. It worked one time so far and don't ask me how. After it freezes and I quit iMovie the camera can't be used by any application including iMovie until the computer is restarted. Is anyone able to help me out with this problem? If any more details are needed I would be happy to give them. Thanks.

I've answered my own problem. It has to do with the "created" date; most of these clips came over from my PC, so they all have the same date. By modifying that, you resolve the problem and it reorders the clips.

ISight Resolution on Macbook Pro

I have a Unibody Macbook Pro from last summer (2.8ghz, 500gb HD, 4gb RAM). The iSight camera records in a 4:3 aspect ratio when I use it in Camtasia for Mac - is there any way to get it to record in 16:9, or does the built in camera have a native 4:3 resolution?
If not, maybe I'll need to start a thread about upgrades (just try not to tell me that the 27" Cinema Display would do exactly what I what I'm looking for with its built in iSight camera!).

neilcauldwell wrote:
I have a Unibody Macbook Pro from last summer (2.8ghz, 500gb HD, 4gb RAM). The iSight camera records in a 4:3 aspect ratio when I use it in Camtasia for Mac - is there any way to get it to record in 16:9, ...
No. It will record only 4:3. The only way to change that ratio is to edit it after recording.
... or does the built in camera have a native 4:3 resolution?
Yes.
If not, maybe I'll need to start a thread about upgrades (just try not to tell me that the 27" Cinema Display would do exactly what I what I'm looking for with its built in iSight camera!).
I don't use Camtasia for Mac, but after I have saved a recorded clip from my iSight using iMovie or QuickTime, I can crop the recorded clip to 16:9 in iMovie or resize the video to my desired aspect ration using QuickTime Pro. I would think that Camtasia for Mac would offer capabilities at least as flexible as those.
If your only question(s) is(are) about using Camtasia for Mac, see Camtasia for Mac support:
http://techsmith.custhelp.com/app/answers/list
or search or post for help in Camtasia for Mac's dedicated user community pages:
http://forums.techsmith.com/forumdisplay.php?f=36
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz Mac OS X (10.6.4); MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.4)
LED Cinema Display; G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11); iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9); External iSight; iPod touch 4.1

Blurry Built-In iSight when using iChat

I have a new 20" iSight iMac and seem to be having an issue with using the iSight w/ iChat. The picture looks perfectly clear in my preview window, until the moment where it actually connects with another user, at which time it immediately goes blurry as if the camera has completely lost focus. I've tried on multiple occasions, connecting to people who also have an iSight/iChat with everyone having high-speed connections.
This seems like a bug to me, and there's no way to manually focus the camera until/unless iGlasses comes up with a version that's compatible w/ the new iMacs. I've searched and seen this problem mentioned a few times on the boards, but have yet to hear a solution or even whether this is something fixable or not.
Thoughts?!
20" iSight iMac 2.1 gHz Mac OS X (10.4.3)

It's certainly possible there's some kind of bandwidth detection going on that made it blurry, but it doesn't make sense that it would make the picture BLURRY, rather than make it lower quality (more pixalated). I have a cable connection that has a very fast upload speed, so if there was a bandwidth problem, it wasn't likely on my end.
Today I connected w/ a neighbor and didn't have the blurry problem, though I did have the problem with the other two people I've tried it with.
Next time it happens I'll check the connection doctor to see what it says. I should also note that when I connected to the same people using a stand-alone iSight, I did NOT have the 'blurry' problem. It seems to be confined to the built-in camera, and again it looks fine until it actually connects to someone.

New iSight - Why did iChat AV Work 1st Time but Not Since?

I recently bought an iSight to use with my sister in Minnesota (I'm in Canada, eh). It worked perfectly - the first time I used it after installation. I haven't been able to create a connection with my sister since.
Between the first connection and my second connection attempt, my sister installed a Linksys router and turned on her Mac firewall. She is still able to use iChat for video chats with other people without a problem. Nothing has changed at my end (I have a Linksys router, too, and my Mac firewall has always been on). Sadly, I don't have anyone else with whom to test my connection, but as I said, nothing has changed on my system.
The error message accuses the invited party of failing to respond. This is simply not true. The invited party always "Accepts". (We've alternated initiator and responder roles.)
I've reviewed several support documents including the one about using iChat with an NAT router, although I don't think this is the problem. I opened the ports in my router and after this I was still unable to connect, but for a different reason - "insufficient bandwidth". Restoring my router to the previous configuration (i.e., no special adjustments to ports) restored the original error message ("failed to respond").
I checked my Quicktime and various system preferences and they were correct. This isn't a surprise since iChat did work with my system the one time.
I'm reluctant to keep fiddling with various settings when my original setup actually worked - once.
Thank you for pondering my problem!
James

Hi.
I apologize for not noting the model of router. I'm using a Linksys WRT54G wireless, but my eMac is hooked up with a wire (the wireless is for another Mac). I'm not sure what my sister is using but I will find out.
I agree that it looks like all this is her fault, what with the router and the firewall and the what-not, but I'm mystified by the fact that it worked the first time.
I've printed off some of the other threads and I will try a few other things.
Thanks you very much!

Integrated isight Resolution and Quality.

Hello,
I-ve just bought ( it arrived yesterday ) a brand new Mac Book Pro woth 2,8 Ghz 4 Mb of Ram and so on...
I've been playing around with it a bit just to know my new computer and i noticed the bad quality of the image of the webcam...
It only takes pictures at at the resolution of 640x420 pixel... ( I've also tryed with other program than photo Both )... when I go to check the hardware it says...
Built-in iSight:
Product ID: 0x8507
Vendor ID: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.)
Version: 4.19
Serial Number: 8H9C7007F6V23L00
Speed: Up to 480 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: Apple Inc.
Location ID: 0x24400000
Current Available (mA): 500
Current Required (mA): 500
I've read on internet that the
Product ID: 0x8507
It's an old webcm.. is it possible on a brand new computer??
Shouldn't I have a 1.3 Mpx camera??
Thank you for your attention.
Message was edited by: Sp1ke85

Mark Cockram wrote:
I would like to add to this question. I purchased an MBP 13 2.53 manuf June 2009 and a MB manuf oct 2009. When I use skype i see people in gloriuous widescreen but everyone sees me in only 4;3 with black bars down either side. Can anyone explain why this is the case. Do I have an inferior camera?
Thanks
mark
It seems to me that you have found a software feature (limit?) of Skype for Mac, Mark.
This Skype Help page states, in part, that Skype's "High Quality Video will transmit video images at 640x480 resolution at up to 30 frames per second."
http://tinyurl.com/y89568y
640 x 480 is normal (4x3) screen format, not a widescreen one. Moreover, according to this Skype Help page:
http://tinyurl.com/yz8nezk
Skype's "Standard Video" offers a resolution of up to 320X240 pixels (QVGA) at 15 frames per second (fps). 320x240 is also a normal (4x3) screen format.
Based on this info directly from Skype, although your preview monitor image on your Mac may be showing your webcam's full widescreen capability, it appears that neither video quality level in Skype for Mac can transmit widescreen images to your contacts.
IF you have other Skype-specific questions, you may get better and faster help from Skype Help
http://www.skype.com/help/guides/
if you do not not get the answers you need here in this Apple forum. The users who post in the dedicated Skype Community Forums linked in the Skype Help pages may have already answered your Skype related questions for their own use.
See http://share.skype.com/sites/mac/video/ for some examples of more Mac related video info.
EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2) MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

Black screen on Isight when in IChat

When my wife contacts me via Ichat with an Imac, I can't see here. Audio is fine. She can see me fine, but her screen of me freezes up.
When viewing her screen via built in isight camera, it is black.
I'm using a MBP.
Any suggestions?

Hi,
I have re-read your post several times.
I still can not work out what you are trying to tell us.
I seem to understand that when she initiates the call She gets Video and Audio fro you which displays fine.
However you can not get a picture from her - and if this is from her Built in iSight the picture is in fact black ?
Can you open the Connection Doctor during a Chat (It is in the Video Menu) and tell us if it says there is any Video feed ?
Also what is the incoming Bit rate showing as ?
You seem to also be saying that even though your wife can see you at the start of the chat that your pic that she sees in fact also freezes ?
Have I understood you correctly ?
Could you also tell us what your Internet connection speeds are both Up and Downloads at both ends ?
Have you (both) made the change to System Preferences > Qucktime > Streaming to 1.5Mbps ?
7:21 PM Saturday; October 27, 2007

IMac iSight resolution turned grainy

One of my friends recently downloaded Skype and after she used it, I went to PhotoBooth and the camera resolution was really bad. Really bad. I was wondering if the Skype app had anything to do with it considering the iSight doesn't have a video setting?
This is really upsetting because I am really anal when it comes to people messing with my stuff. Please help.
Here is a before & After pic. You can kind of tell on the white walls in the background.
Before:
After:

Check out http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090 How to Troubleshoot iSight and also EZJim's Website for possible solutions to your grainy video.

ISight works with iChat & iMovie but not with 3rd-party apps

Hi,
I cannot get iSight to work at all with aMSN, Mercury Messenger or Yahoo. It is fine with the Apple apps. My son has a G4 iBook and the same iSight works fine on this with the Apple apps and aMSN. We have looked at all the settings we can think of, and they are the same on both computers. There must surely be a very simple answer...
Any help greatly appreciated.
Bob.
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Hello Bob. If you unhook your son's iBook from the ethernet cable, plug in your PowerBook where his iBook was, and still have the same problem, you likely need some work on your Mac.
It may be an issue of the relative health of your Mac versus the vagaries of some third party software:• Be sure you Mac OS X maintenance is up to date.
• If you have not already done so, try re-applying the 10.4.3 Combo Update. Unless you have a "tried and tested" update method, I suggest a technique such as How I Update My Mac OS X.If that does not help, and if your Mac works with all your other apps, see the app's Help, Readme, or other documentation that came with the download for the problem app(s). If that fails, see the Support sections of the third party app web site to find out its known issues with your Mac and for help on how to install and use their applications. If they cannot help you use their application, you may want to try a different app.
In the worst case, you may want to get a PC if you must connect to the PC versions of Microsoft or Yahoo! Messenger. These apps are better supported for the PC platform, although they do not offer the features of iChat AV 3.
The simpler answer is iChat AV, but iChat AV will not connect for video with your chosen third party apps.

Built in isight - resolution

Is there any way to change the resolution and or colors with the pictures taken from the built in isight? My pictures aren't up to par even in a well lit light source compares to others. I was just wondering if there was a way to fix the resolution or the colors. Does anyone also know how many MP the built in isight camera takes? Thanx!

thatgirl718 wrote:
Is there any way to change the resolution and or colors with the pictures taken from the built in isight? ... how many MP the built in isight camera takes?
Welcome to Discussions, thatgirl718
(1) _Camera resolution_ is a function of hardware and cannot be changed. If you do not know your iSight's resolution, you can find it by using QuickTime Pro.
If you don't have QT Pro, use the test explained in this page to find the native resolution of the iSight in your Mac.
If your iSight makes 640x480 images, it is a Ø.3 MP camera. If your images are 1280×1024, your iSight is a 1.3 MP camera.
(2) The _resolution of the images_ iSight can make is separately controlled by each software application used to operate the iSight. You can try some of the other applications from this list to see if they allow increased resolution:
http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/EZJim/EZJimpage7.html
(3) As explained in this article, you should use good lighting for the best possible iSight picture:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3097
(4) You can change the _color of images you have already made_ with your Mac's Preview or iPhoto apps. For more controllable or complex adjustments, use image-editing software such as PhotoShop Elements or PhotoShop.
The easiest way to change the color of images that you will capture is by changing the color of the light on your subject. However, you can use iGlasses software to take manual control of several of iSight's functions, including color balance, that are normally automatically operated by the software being used to drive your iSight. If you are interested, see this page:
http://www.ecamm.com/mac/iglasses/
(Readers who are using Snow Leopard should check iGlasses' compatibility info.)
EZ Jim
“I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link."
G5 DP 1.8GHz w/Mac OS X (10.5.8) PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

ISight Resolution...a final reply

I have a macbook unibody end 2008 and I want to know what's the resolution of the built-in iSight? because I read different parts that apple had increased the resolution of 1280x1024 but my webcam isght records at 640x480 ... Why?

cpptnow wrote:
if i record with Quick time x at the maximum quality , the video is still recorded at a resolution of 640x480 ... why?
Because applications control the resolution and other operating functions of your iSight.
Apparently QTX is checking system parameters. The original built-in iSights were 640x480. Some may still be. Are you certain that your iSight's native resolution is 1280x1024 rather than 640x480?
Although I do not know, processor power also may be a determinant. On my MacBook Pro, when saving a movie recorded with my iSight, the QTX File > Save As... menu command options are limited to HD 480p (640x480) maximum. This seems consistent with what you report. However, on my Mac Pro, the same save menu in the same (QTX) app allows HD 720p and HD 1080p in addition to HD 480p.
If you know that your iSight is capable of1280x1024, you could check some of the other apps that can record movie clips with your iSight to see if any of them can give you more resolution than QTX or iMovie. If you do not already have other candidates, you can start with apps from the Movie Capture section of this list:
http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/EZJim/EZJimpage7.html
However, *be sure to test recording quality before doing anything important* to determine whether the higher resolutions overpowers your system's processor or disk storage capability and results in poor quality of recorded videos.
Finally, if you need more resolution and find no better solution, the best and least cost solution may be a compatible digital camcorder or still camera that offers HD movie modes.
you able to register in 1280?
Yes. My Mac Pro can record 1280 using the iSight built-into the Apple LED display that I use with it.
EZ Jim
Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.3) MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.3)
LED Cinema Display G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11) iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9) External iSight

ISight resolution in iChat

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