Would a wireless iSight work?

[t300]

The question is, would a wireless iSight work? In theory, to me, it does and seems like it would be a great idea if it was perfected and Apple released such a technology. I see lots of cool benefits and ideas. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[wPod]

it could work. . . i wirelessly stream my video iChat from my laptop to router etc. . . but the quality would be very limited. in the direct connect through firewire you can end up with much better resolution and frame rates resulting in a better end product of video. but, why would you need wireless other than the coolness factor? you would still need something to power the isight so either a powercord recharging the batteries or an always plugged in power cord. seems to me a single firewire cable is easiest and will result in the best quality. that is until super wi-fi comes out, then we could stream full quality video to our home entertainment centers. that would be cool. the ultra airport express . . . with an RCA out to your TV. im sure it will happen, but not any time soon.

 

[Diatribe]

I don't see a huge use here. You'd still need, as said before, a seperate power cord. Bluetooth couldn't handle it but the new wireless firewire could.
But that does not rid you of the need to power it...

 

[BornAgainMac]

Solution: If it was integrated into the monitor then it would be wireless.

 

[Darwin]

Solution: If it was integrated into the monitor then it would be wireless.

Well not wireless wireless, it wouldn't have wires but it would be connected to the display

 

[Mr. Anderson]

There's talk here about a new wireless protocol that runs at 480MBits - that would be plenty for a wireless iSight and it might happen sometime in the future. It would be pretty damn cool.

Kind of funny that I was mentioning a wireless iSight as a possibility before I even saw this thread

D

 

[frozenstar]

Ultrawideband (UWB) is likely the technology that is best suited to this type of application. Peak data rates over short distances can reach in excess of 1gbit/sec. IEEE has yet to ratify a standard because there are still a couple different variations of the technology that certain companies are trying to push. But again, as a number of people mentioned earlier, the camera would still required a wired connection to a power source. So until cameras can extract hydrogen molecules from the air and convert them into usable energy (efficiently), this is all moot.

 

[emw]

I don't see a huge use here. You'd still need, as said before, a seperate power cord. Bluetooth couldn't handle it but the new wireless firewire could.
But that does not rid you of the need to power it...

Well, it could have a rechargeable battery. I'd see a use for it if you were using it in a training situation where you wanted to direct the camera at something other than yourself that may be located somewhat distant from your Mac. More of a specialty purpose, though, and like you I don't see demand being particularly high.

 

[telecomm]

Also, there's been a lot of development of isight-based surveillance software - and it'd be much easier to conceal an isight security camera if you didn't need to string a firewire cable accross a room (I'm assuming that a power outlet would be more conveniently located than one's computer).

 

[t300]

Well, it could have a rechargeable battery. I'd see a use for it if you were using it in a training situation where you wanted to direct the camera at something other than yourself that may be located somewhat distant from your Mac. More of a specialty purpose, though, and like you I don't see demand being particularly high.

I like this idea, a lot. You could have a rechargable battery and a power cord as well, for back up. The "firewireless" technology could indeed do the job, I believe. Just think of the possibilities...You could shoot a mini movie with your Powerbook near by, and your iSight would just be saving your information wirelessly to your laptop. It would also make for great video chats for businesses as well, as they could showcase new products by just going down the line and shooting them, with the other people watching. It sounds like such a great idea!

 

[NusuniAdmin]

why cant it run off wireless firewire or similer tech and use batteries?

 

[dotnina]

Solution: If it was integrated into the monitor then it would be wireless.

Yes, there's a little white Sony laptop that has this ... I can't recall the name, but you've probably seen it around? It has a distinctive look.

Anyway, I think a wireless iSight would be cool. Apple seems to like minimizing wires / clutter, so I'd bet this is something we might see in a year.

 

[webmatthijs]

I don't see a huge use here. You'd still need, as said before, a seperate power cord. Bluetooth couldn't handle it but the new wireless firewire could.
But that does not rid you of the need to power it...

talking of wireless firewire... is it already out or is it still under development. it would be great though. could this be one of the new iPod features?

well w/f your welcome

 

[t300]

Yes, there's a little white Sony laptop that has this ... I can't recall the name, but you've probably seen it around? It has a distinctive look.

Yeah, my friend has this. The camera novelty is cool but the iSight's quality is SOOO much better. But I am not really looking into an integrated camera in a computer, although I do think that the iMac, eMac, and iBook should have one. I would be a nice novelty.

I bring all this up because I was wanting to get an iSight and just wasn't sure, like everyone always, that a new one might not be coming out soon. And then I thought of this wonderful idea about a wireless iSight.

 

[t300]

There's talk here about a new wireless protocol that runs at 480MBits - that would be plenty for a wireless iSight and it might happen sometime in the future. It would be pretty damn cool.

Kind of funny that I was mentioning a wireless iSight as a possibility before I even saw this thread

D

Wow! It looks like we were on the same page this morning...!