webcam – BIG

Using your smartphone as a webcam has become increasingly popular over the last few years. While iPhone users can enjoy built-in features like Continuity Camera to turn their iPhone into a webcam for their Mac, Android users have had to rely on third-party apps so far. That might change in Android 14.

As detailed by Esper senior technical editor Mishaal Rahman on Twitter (via 9to5Google), a work-in-progress project called ‘DeviceAsWebcam’ aims to let users plug their Android phone into a device and use it as a webcam.

It appears Google will use the ‘USB Video Class’ (UVC) standard, which should enable the feature to work across a variety of devices, unlike Continuity Camera, which only works for Apple devices. However, it does look like users would need to plug in their Android phone, which is a fairly significant difference from Continuity Camera.

Moreover, Google’s work on the feature so far is only as a ‘service’ to provide video data through USB. There would also need to be a system app on your phone to put the camera video data into the right spot to transmit over USB. That means Google would have to make a generic, Android-ready app, or manufacturers would need to create their own.

Of course, we’re also still a ways out from Android 14, so it’s likely things could change before then. It’ll be interesting to track this feature through the Android 14 developer previews — if it makes it into the preview.

Source: Mishaal Rahman Via: 9to5Google

Sony’s latest innovation unveiled at CES 2022 is a webcam designed for TVs, and while that in itself isn’t that interesting, some of its features are.

The Bravia Cam is what Sony is calling its new TV webcam that will come bundled with the company’s 2022 lineup, though it’s also available to purchase separately. The smart webcam can detect where and when you’re sitting and adjusts the television’s settings accordingly, including TV brightness, volume and sound balance, which can tune the audio for your relative position in front of the TV.

The Bravia Cam can also help you save electricity, as it will automatically dim the TV after it detects that you’ve moved away from it. You can set the dimming to take place within as little as a minute of you leaving the room, or you can set it to go off after an hour.

However, one of the main features the camera offers is especially useful if you have children. You can set up a proximity alert that will automatically pop up on the screen if the camera detects that someone is sitting too close to the TV.

Not repositioning to a farther distance causes the TV screen to blackout until the individual moves back to a safe viewing distance. By default, this setting will be on and can likely be configured to your needs. The camera can also be used to control and navigate the TV with gestures, though that isn’t that novel of a feature.

Sony hasn’t revealed the pricing or the release date for its new Bravia Cam.

You can check out more news from CES 2022 here.

Image credit: Sony

Source: Sony Via: The Verge