New Webcam from Logitech Has Extra-Wide Field of View

Aiming to eliminate two of the main problems that webcams have, Logitech has formally launched the C930e, a video imaging and web transmission tool for businesses.

The two so-called problems that most webcams show are the "fish eye" effect and the distinct lack of a wide field of view.

Logitech's Webcam C930e says it lacks both problems, something that, the company hopes, will charm customers from the enterprise segment.

First off, the field of view is of 90 degrees, which means that it is possible to show a full whiteboard or during conference, or an entire office if the camera is placed properly.

Secondly, the "fish eye" distortion is eliminated thanks to the specially-engineered Carl Zeiss-certified glass lens.

"We designed the Logitech Webcam C930e to meet the demands of our business customers for the highest-possible video quality and for features that enhance face-to-face collaboration," said Eric Kintz, senior vice president and general manager of Logitech for Business.

"At the same time, we implemented standards such as H.264 SVC and UVC 1.5 to deliver maximum performance, even when available bandwidth is low or the PC's processor is heavily burdened."

Indeed, the Webcam C930e uses H.264 SVC and UVC 1.5 video encoding to store the 1080p recordings. These codecs use less bandwidth than others, by processing video within the camera and adjusting performance for maximum video quality when bandwidth fluctuates.

Furthermore, the company tossed in the RightLight 2 technology (modifies the image to improve quality in low light conditions, at multiple distances) and the digital pan-tilt-zoom (preserves quality even at 4X zoom magnification).

All in all, the Logitech Webcam C930e has all the strappings of a convenient business webcam for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Mac OS X 10.7 or higher systems. Shipments will begin, for $109.99 / 81.81-109.99 Euro, in May 2013.

Businesses that use Microsoft Lync or compatible with Cisco, Skype and other unified communications will benefit from it the most.