Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe

Written by Michael Larabel in Peripherals on 22 March 2009 at 08:18 PM EDT. Page 2 of 2. 11 Comments.

Examination:

Most web-camera users end up mounting their camera atop their monitor, which is great for the QuickCam Communicate Deluxe's flexible clip. We tested out this camera for its video recording capabilities back at FOSDEM 2009 to record the X.Org talks. At first not realizing how flexible this clip was, it looked like the camera could not be mounted on a desktop or other flat surfaces. As a result, we ended up setting the camera with its clip on top of a Coca-Cola can and taping the around the soda can. However, this clip is actually quite flexible and can be bent so the camera can rest on a flat surface. The 1.3 mega-pixel web-camera is able to swivel around the base.

When the camera is not in use, a plastic cover slides down to protect the glass lens from being damaged and to serve as a privacy shade. On the right side of the web-camera is a scroll wheel for the manual focus. On the left side is a snapshot button for taking pictures, but under Linux that button is un-supported. Below the lens is the microphone for its integrated audio support. The Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe uses RightLight 2 and RightSound Technology, which are features that claim to offer better video and audio quality, respectively. The six-foot USB cable is sufficiently long and should be suitable for most purposes.

Linux Compatibility:

Fortunately, the Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe does work with recent Linux distributions. The Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe had worked "out of the box" with Ubuntu 8.10 through the uvcvideo driver. The snd-usb-audio module was also loaded for USB sound support through ALSA, however, that did not seem to work for us when it came to recording video with audio.

Our testing was done with Skype and GNOME's Cheese program for testing out the video capabilities for this USB web-camera. The quality is not bad, but it is also not great. There was nothing special about the quality and it did not look like the RightLight 2 did any good under Linux, which likely means that this technology is just implemented in the software within Logitech's Windows driver. To get an idea for the video quality, check out our FOSDEM 2009 videos or our other recent videos such as the Ubuntu 9.04 USplash video. The quality of still captured images was better than the video quality, but still sub-par and nothing spectacular.

Conclusion:

The Logitech QuickCam Communicate Deluxe works with Linux through the uvcvideo driver, though the snd-usb-audio module did not seem to provide any audio support. The video/picture quality was satisfactory, but is good enough for teleconferencing purposes or recording short videos for the Internet. Logitech's QuickCam Communicate Deluxe retails for about $60 USD, which is a bit expensive considering under Linux it basically equates to being a basic USB web-camera, but it works (except for the audio and snapshot button) and its built well by Logitech.

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Michael Larabel

Michael Larabel is the principal author of Phoronix.com and founded the site in 2004 with a focus on enriching the Linux hardware experience. Michael has written more than 20,000 articles covering the state of Linux hardware support, Linux performance, graphics drivers, and other topics. Michael is also the lead developer of the Phoronix Test Suite, Phoromatic, and OpenBenchmarking.org automated benchmarking software. He can be followed via Twitter, LinkedIn, or contacted via MichaelLarabel.com.