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I'm the cofounder at Lumina - we're building a modern webcam designed to solve some of these problems. There's really been a lack of innovation in the entire h

• pryelluw 4y ago
  Whats the privacy factor like? Does the camera software phone home? Do you track users ?
• hgomersall 4y ago
  I'd love to compare lumina too, but you don't support Linux so I'll have to accept a crap webcam over a non functioning one.
  • markstos 4y ago
    Same.
  • savy91 4y ago
    You may want to try Obsbot meet, I recently switched to it and it's pretty decent on Linux
    • hgomersall 4y ago
      From the Obsbot site: "The OBSBOT Meet series hardware is able to work with both macOS and Linux, but we will not make the exclusive software for the Linux operating system."
      • GekkePrutser 4y ago
        Also, their website makes my browser grind to a halt, they must use some kind of weird video codec that's not accelerated. If they make this crappy software for the web it doesn't instill a lot of confidence in their AI.
  • xeromal 4y ago
    I can probably count the number of people on linux who will buy this webcam on my two hands.
    • smaudet 4y ago
      In attempt to disabuse this notion that "nobody uses linux"... Spoken like someone who only eats from fast food restaurants. Fast food, for the most part, is horrid, disgusting, greasy, bad for your general health. Sometimes, I'm out and about, and I eat from a fast food website. I also cook. Lest you think I'm in some minority, the cooking business is a billion dollar industry, with multiple "trendy" startups (hellofresh, blue apron, etc.) selling pricey services. I've even used some of them. Yes, some people only eat fast food. Some people know no better. Yes, eating non-fast food can be incovenient, but its incredibly good for you... and just because we do good things doesn't mean we are all starving artists or paupers. But no, we are probably not sitting 400lbs overweight surrounded by burger king wrappers filled with xenophobia at anything that's not "like us".
    • yellowapple 4y ago
      Maybe you'd need more hands for counting that number if the webcam in question actually worked under Linux?
    • walrus01 4y ago
      webcams on linux with good driver support are not just for use by humans but in a myriad of industrial/embedded applications, for single image acquisition, etc. don't just think about people using linux desktop PCs in home offices, but all forms of other use of camera systems.
      • hanselot 4y ago
    • oliwarner 4y ago
      Your 2004 opinion might mean more if we knew how many horses ran.
    • 4y ago
  • m463 4y ago
    I think just supporting UVC instead of doing some other mess is what people really want and need.
• ncmncm 4y ago
  What sucks most is that Logitech, which used to be a proud name (back when "Feels good / Feels better") has gone totally to shit. Even their mice are designed to fail in a year. (Spill on the desk, the mouse that only got damp on the bottom is dead, dead, dead. That can't be accidental.) A full article on what went wrong at Logitech corporate could be enlightening, if not helpful.
  • Pxtl 4y ago
    The software is an abomination too - they switched from a native program to an electron app that I'd describe as "occasionally functional". And you do need to use the app to do simple things like checking battery of wireless headphones.
  • AngryData 4y ago
    Their mice still have the same terrible button that they had 17 years ago when I bought an original MX 518 as far as I can tell. Ive fixed the button so many times on every mouse from them since them. I even made the mistake of buying the re-released mx-518 a year ago thinking that since they put this new fancy sensor in maybe they fixed the button finally. It took 4 months for me to get a double click problem from it again that required me to open it up and fix that damn microswitch. I don't know what mouse ill get next but ive completely given up on logitech.
    • xxs 4y ago
      One of the reasons their buttons suck is: effectively running the microswiches out of spec. D2f-01f requires min 5V with micro loads[0]. There would be a tiny spark during switching and over time that would prevent a perfect contact, the higher voltage helps penetrate through. Omron has factories in different countries, e.g. Japan and China - with the China switches "known to be not as good as the original ones". Of course the mice feature the China versions too. In other words - your best bet is still replacing the switches to ensure longer life... I wonder if Logitech would ever consider stepping the voltage via capacitor charge pump to prevent double clicks. [0]: https://omronfs.omron.com/en_US/ecb/products/pdf/en-d2f.pdf https://omronfs.omron.com/en_US/ecb/products/pdf/en-d2f.pdf
• Beltalowda 4y ago
  Does Lumina work on Linux? I can't really find anything about it (there is also a Lumina Desktop Environment for Linux it seems), and while it says "Lumina is compatible with Windows and Macintosh machine" this can mean "we don't directly support Linux, but it should work" (like Logitech), or it can mean "we have specialized drivers/software that only work on Windows and macOS".
  • adhesive_wombat 4y ago
    If your software works only on Windows, you've written non-portable software. Likely, you have all your core logic mixed up with Windowsy UI and now you're stuck there. If it works on Windows and Mac, you've written portable software but just can't be bothered to support Linux. At a guess the problem is that you want to ship binaries only and don't want to deal with doing all the packaging and testing for Linux. For a consumer hardware company, one wonders what the benefit is to binaries-only unless you're hoping to charge a subscription for the software to run hardware you already bought. Or the software is such a mess internally that you'd feel ashamed of it were public (which I can understand, having seen commercial code). Or you have some security feature that you don't want to reveal (e.g. disallowing use of your software with third-party hardware). However, if someone wants to reverse your software methods, they'll find a way. Perhaps naively, my thought would be that if you want to sell hardware and not software, an excellent consumer-grade and consumer-priced camera platform with an open hardware interface and a decent reference implementation would actually find a lot of uses on embedded (i.e. probably Linux) platforms.
    • firebaze 4y ago
      Could you tl'dr? My naive reading of your comment doesn't help.
      • nmstoker 4y ago
        How heavily simplified do you need it? Doesn't seem that hard to follow (nor an especially long read worthy of shortening) but everyone's different.
      • 4y ago
• chrisweekly 4y ago
  I don't understand the business model / viability of dedicated webcams. Software like Elgato Epoccam or OBS is free or cheap, and the % of people who would benefit from a decent webcam and who don't own a modern smartphone is literally 0.
  • andrepew 4y ago
    People who have video calls throughout the day constantly. I don't want to have to mess around setting up my phone on a stand and getting it connected every time I need to do a meeting.
    • mbreese 4y ago
      I also dual call into many meetings. For these, I use my phone to see how my screen sharing is working. I have to do a lot of screen sharing presentations to present data (tables, figures, etc). With this use-case, it’s very helpful to have a second login to be able to see what everyone else is.
      • ghaff 4y ago
        Or I’m in a group meeting and I see a text or even a phone call I want to quickly respond to. Apple’s demo at WWDC seems interesting but not sure how much I would actually use it unless it was to partially repurpose an old phone. As for cameras, I got things setup with my Canon 5Diii but it was way too much trouble to use given even pre-recorded Biddeford is most of the way there with a Logitech C920–and I’m better than most of the people recording videos.
    • goosedragons 4y ago
      Buy an actual camera and use that instead? Basically every camera that has video out is pretty easy to get working as a webcam these days.
      • deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
• mchusma 4y ago
  I bought a Lumina in December. It still doesn't do automatic tuning of the video. Everything requires manual adjustment. I can't just have it...work. It requires tons of adjustments. It even ships with a color card, which I assume is to automatically tune things, but it fails miserably. I have tried tuning it a dozen times, but maybe I can get it right until the light changes (I am by windows). Finally, after about 5-6 months of giving leeway, I gave up and uninstalled everything, put it in a box in my attic, and went with a 5 year old webcam that doesn't look amazing but doesn't look bad. I have noticed you keep shipping a bunch of random features. I could be wrong, but my recommendation is to try and get it to automatically work right for 99% of cases without manual user input. (Note I'm on M1 MBA)
  • Terretta 4y ago
    Agree. I posted a sibling comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31803306 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31803306 I use this on MBP M1 Max and on Intel MBP2019 16”.
  • 23seaborn 4y ago
    Agreed. I backed it and was really hoping to like it. I've since switched back to my Brio. I felt like it took work just to get the quality I was used to with my Brio. It felt like it added more steps and the end result was only on par.
• dividedbyzero 4y ago
  It does seem like a very underserved niche, I hope your product works out! Looking for such a cam myself, will give you a good look. Do you do AI and image processing on the camera, or on the host system like Logitech/Razer?
• Terretta 4y ago
  First, I like what Lumina is trying to do. I pre-ordered, and since receiving the first batch, have been, and will keep, buying them. However, caveat emptor. Right now, buyers should support Lumina to support innovation in this space, but be prepared to pay a quality price while they work on it. Several ideas didn’t work out, and they’re trying to correct. Each software release is better, but I worry the hardware sensor in the shipping models may just not be up to task. I have four Brio and four Lumina in our office (several more just came!). LogiTune + Brio 4K is surprisingly (given Lumina marketing including the post above) better than Lumina in most every situation, and drastically better in high contrast lighting where Lumina shows severe washouts and color banding. Some of the article’s shots show washed out yellowing on the author’s face. Make that problem worse, and you can picture what Lumina is struggling with in some lighting. It’s probably good that he didn’t do a comparison yet, though I would note that the most recent software release might have done better than 75% of those tested in his particular setting. Meanwhile, if you like Lumina’s features but want better video, Logitech Brio 4K + Xsplit Vcam gives the same “virtual cameraman” pan and zoom, bokeh background softness control, virtual green screen, logo/watermarks, and more. Just like Lumina that requires a separate app for “pro” mode (aka software processed), Brio 4K (also most any webcam works) requires Xsplit Vcam to enable those features. With Lumina the extra app is just enough easier for non-tech users to remember, that’s the direction I’m leaning for our staff. Going forward, I’d pay 2x the Lumina price for (a) large aperture and high dynamic range sensor running off USB-C, and another 50% for configurable onboard features like the pan and zoom that wouldn’t require a helper app and confusing settings in Zoom, Teams, etc. It’s certainly possible within the price point. What I likely want is something like this on USB-C: https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-protect-cameras/products/uvc-g4-pro https://store.ui.com/collections/unifi-protect-cameras/produ... The quality on this 4K sensor + lens array is remarkable, the optical tele-zoom fantastic, the low light gathering shockingly good. The price point includes a full PoE camera engine and an audio mic. True, so that wouldn’t fit in a laptop bag. But iPhone optics would fit easily in a Brio housing, and long throw zoom would fit in the Streamcam form factor. Given videoconf is now a fact of work, I’d argue innovators should not be afraid of a larger device to achieve better quality. Like the author of this article, while I used to use a Sony A9 for web conferences that matter, now I use iPhone + Camo for high value teleconfs. It doesn’t have to fit in my bag, I’m already carrying it. The innovation needed here is for the mount. All this said, Lumina’s software is iterating fast, their cameraman is easy and works well, and I am buying more of the Lumina over the Brio for our staff. // @rlei: a few usability notes (1) give us a toggle to turn off the default background image (e.g., show black instead) while virtual camera is panning in, the default scene generates annoyed comments from participants, (2) don’t flip from black to the live image until the initial pan and zoom is done, and (3) consider offering an eye-contact filter and marketing that. Staff who prefer Brio affirm they would switch just for that. Also, (4), don’t make users search email to find a serial number to use the helper software with their Lumina camera.
• brightball 4y ago
  I like the camera. Any chance of the AI software becoming available on Linux?
• EwanToo 4y ago
  I'd love to try a Lumina webcam but at the moment it'd cost me $200 shipping and import tax to the UK. It's a pretty big punt compared to buying something off Amazon that I know I can send back without a quibble if it's no better than my Logitech Streamcam.
• modeless 4y ago
  > Size isn't everything. As the iPhone shows, you can get very good image quality from a tiny sensor and lens if you have the right tech supporting it. (At Lumina, most of our eng effort is on the software layer) This is my problem with all the webcam startups. So what if you can mask some of the problems of small sensors and lenses using machine learning that adds a whole new set of problems? You could have done that without even making hardware at all. We have plenty of crappy hardware out there already, and if yours is only a minor improvement with the "magic" in software then it mostly amounts to a hardware dongle to enforce your software license. No thanks! If you're going to bother making hardware, you should make good hardware. That means a big sensor and a big lens. Start there, and sure go crazy with the machine learning afterward, you'll get much better results with less effort when you start with better input! And you'll have no competition because there's literally nobody else out there putting decent lenses on webcams.
  • dj_mc_merlin 4y ago
    Completely agree, this is the old adage: "Garbage in, garbage out". Improving the data the sensor collects is surely much easier than using ML models to correct after the fact. The people willing to pay a premium for nice big lenses/sensors are the market to go after, everybody else won't care since they already feel their current set up is good enough.
  • adrusi 4y ago
    Smartphone cameras are small and far better sensors than what you get in webcams. They rely on software to produce images of the quality we're used to seeing, especially with less-than-ideal lighting, but the lenses and sensor are still far better than the Logitech C920. A webcam doesn't need the latest and greatest video hardware. Give it a camera module from a midrange 2017 smartphone and use the latest image processing tricks, and you'll blow almost any webcam on the market today.
    • kylecordes 4y ago
      This is the answer. Camera and processor from a several-year-old smart phone, which is now quite cheap. Sell it for $500. So far no one has, there must be a reason no one can.
• ip26 4y ago
  I think mics and webcams suffer a simple problem: the person who enjoys the benefit of higher quality is not the operator. Indeed, the operator may never experience how they look or sound.
  • jrockway 4y ago
    That might be true, but your reputation is at stake as well. For the same reason that you might wear a suit to an important meeting, you might also take steps to ensure that your video and audio quality are presentable when you're having an important meeting virtually. (Of course, once you've paid the cost for that, you can just do a good job for all meetings. Much easier than a trip to the dry cleaners.)
    • GekkePrutser 4y ago
      Not even just reputation. I have seen people with poor (often too soft) audio get 'snowed under' while trying to raise a point. It's much easier to ignore someone who is less 'in your face'. In that sense I think it's really important for effectiveness in meetings.
    • numpad0 4y ago
      Hard to notice that hoodie is your problem and not your coding style without ever being pointed out.
    • andrekandre 4y ago
      > That might be true, but your reputation is at stake as well. anecdotally, but i see this as well, especially for interviews, people will notice the quality!
  • GekkePrutser 4y ago
    And if they do it's because someone else has their speakers too loud and creates an awful echo :)
• theelous3 4y ago
  > that would be like if Apple stopped releasing new phones after the iPhone 4S (launched 2012), and it remained the bestselling phone through now. If I can be a bit cheeky - this sounds like exactly the kind of frankly ridiculous comparison a founder would make about their product alright. The reality is - nobody really cares that much. Whatever image you record is going to be gigga-smashed by whatever application you squeeze it through. I switch between the rubbish builtin on my laptop over wifi, and a gopro tuned to the highest res and framerate the cable will take, with colour and exposure tuning etc. Not once person has ever mentioned webcam quality in either case. As long as you can vaguely see _most_ of someone's face in _somewhat_ balanced light - that's good enough. For 99% of people in 99% of cases. Even job interviews where image is everything, it's irrelevant. The problem that needs solving is audio. That actually matters. I tried ping.gg recently which boasts high quality video and audio feeds (for a high price) and even then - meh. Video was entirely unimportant. The only people who really care about live video feed quality are content creators with high powered static systems, like streamers. Even then, they can just hook up a dslr and smash it out of the park with little to no effort. I don't see this as a real problem anyone bar a select few care about - and that select few has already solved the problem anyway. > and think we can achieve a quality level between an iPhone and a DSLR Good luck, but I think you're filling a spectrum nobody is concerned about.
  • bronco21016 4y ago
    Completely agree with you on audio. I’m not entirely certain it’s solvable without cultural norms changing. Even the absolute best noise reduction systems cannot work in every environment and echo cancellation always has enough delay to cause people to “step” on each other. It’s just physics and propagation of sound waves. At a minimum, normalizing the use of in/on ear audio needs to become the norm. Echo cancellation makes most “speakerphone” setups unbearable in my opinion.
    • aksss 4y ago
      > cultural norms changing Like what? Greater acceptance of sirens, roosters, kids, dogs, and motorbikes in background while people talking?
• maxique 4y ago
  > I would've loved to see Lumina in his comparison. We launched a few months ago The article is from Feb 2021.
• 01100011 4y ago
  Appreciate the effort. I think one thing that hinders innovation is that, as soon as anyone makes a decent camera that sells well, a company like Logitech will just try a little harder and bring a better camera to market at a lower price point. It's not like this is rocket science, Logitech just doesn't have much incentive to try very hard right now.
• selfmodruntime 4y ago
  You failed to mention that your webcam is a whopping 700 dollars.
  • wellthisisgreat 4y ago
    This is wild. What, how is this justifiable, why would anyone pay that amount when you can get an old DSLR and produce amazing quality video with some tinkering, or get Logi Streamcam or similar for as good quality.
  • redfern314 4y ago
    Where do you see that? Their website, plus the linked article, say $200.
  • ProZsolt 4y ago
    As I see it's only $200[1] [1]: https://getlumina.com/ https://getlumina.com/
  • jacooper 4y ago
    What the hell, Who wants a 700$ Webcam ? You can just buy an iPhone at that point.
• lxe 4y ago
  I have the Lumina! I think the hardware has been pretty good from the very start when I got it about a year ago. The software originally was... not very good, but you guys have improved it by leaps and bounds over time. I still have to manually adjust the exposure (which is fine), and fiddle with settings to get the colors right, but it works better than any webcam I have so far. Keep up the good work.
  • selectodude 4y ago
    >I still have to manually adjust the exposure (which is fine), and fiddle with settings to get the colors right Yikes, seriously? That’s the best you’ve used?
    • lxe 4y ago
      I mean, I've set up a sony a6000 with elgato, where I also had to adjust things.
• kozak 4y ago
  Sad to see such an imperfect monitor mount type on a webcam that tries to be better. For better eye contact, lens should be as low as possible to be as closer to where you are looking as possible. This one doesn't seem to even try.
• derelicto 4y ago
  Thank you for focusing into this space. Is there a reason why the lumina webcams only focus on going up to 30/40 fps and not 4k/60fps? Are there plans to improve that aspect?
  • vxNsr 4y ago
    Possibly because many internet connections are gonna struggle to support that streaming out and most video conferencing apps compress anyways.
• lkxijlewlf 4y ago
  >There's enough gross margin to produce a $B company just by selling webcams [0], especially if you can actually get customers excited about the product. Is this from HW only or some sort of MRR from SW lock-in?
• berny222 4y ago
  Could you explain what you mean by 'hardware is viewed as hard'?
  • Tempest1981 4y ago
    Hardware requires manufacturing ($, and slow change cycles), and prices are cut-throat.
  • IgorPartola 4y ago
    Imagine you ship a webcam and then find out that one of the capacitors you used is undersized and the camera randomly reboots when another USB device is plugged into a nearby port. You just shipped 5,000 of these and customers are unhappy. Unlike software you can’t just issue an update. You must manufacture new devices, issue refunds, send replacements. And all the while your competitor sells a very comparable $50 device so you can’t charge a subscription fee and make thousands off each customer over a lifetime. Software margins are huge compared to hardware and risk is often much much lower.
• SimianLogic 4y ago
  I purchased and returned a Lumina in January. I was hoping it was "good enough" to replace my current setup (Fujifilm X100f with a battery blank and Elgato camlink) and free up my family camera to do family camera stuff again. It was better than the built-in camera on my gaming laptop, but nowhere close to what I was expecting (even moreso because I was on Windows). More "okay-to-good webcam" than just "good" quality without pairing that word with "webcam." I'm on the waitlist for the Opal C1 and will give that a shot, but honestly might spring for the next-gen Fuji and turn mine into a permanent webcam (too bad my first generation X100 isn't supported by their webcam software update).
• skavish 4y ago
  I bought lumina last september, still has not received it yet. only emails about delayed shipments
• firecall 4y ago
  I bought a Logitech C925E and was expecting a decent camera experience. It is not a decent camera. Huge upvote for Camo! Even an old iPhone 6S is far better than any Webcam I've ever experienced! That Apple shipped a terrible camera in their new Display is baffling!
• GekkePrutser 4y ago
  > A big reason there hasn't been innovation is that the space doesn't attract entrepreneurs (because hardware is viewed as hard) or investors (because hardware is viewed as hard). Why though? It's all off the shelf stuff. If it's in phones you can put it in your product.
• ruph123 4y ago
  Does the software you need to configure the camera (and run color calibration) run on Linux?
• gnicholas 4y ago
  How do you think the market will be impacted by Apple's recently-announced feature, which lets people use their iPhones as webcams? I was considering getting a webcam, but when I saw this announcement I decided to wait and see how Apple's implementation works.
• dubswithus 4y ago
• giancarlostoro 4y ago
  > A big reason there hasn't been innovation is that the space doesn't attract entrepreneurs (because hardware is viewed as hard) or investors (because hardware is viewed as hard). It is so easy to throw yourself into software, I wouldn't know where to start as an amateur with hardware, it involves electricity and circuitry and probably months of learning. An amateur can scratch together a proof of concept in a few weeks.
  • mitchdoogle 4y ago
    Aren't people who start businesses in a particular space professionals in that space already? It's hard to imagine someone who is new to software jump in and try to start a software company
    • giancarlostoro 4y ago
      Not always, sometimes its just an interest, or it doesn't necessarily mean they have the technical means? For example a restaurant owner is not necessarily a technical expert, but could have an idea for a generic product that benefits every restaurant out there, and prototypes something, and gets funded and hires real devs to rework his prototype into a functioning viable product. I have met and interviewed with YC founders who are not developers by any means for software heavy projects.
• lifeplusplus 4y ago
  I just checked out lumina and comparisons, it looks average tbh.
• m348e912 4y ago
  Hijacking top comment to mention that Apple is planning to let you use an iPhone as a webcam soon. https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/6/23156834/apple-iphone-webcam-mac-continuity-camera-macos-wwdc https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/6/23156834/apple-iphone-webc...
  • herbst 4y ago
    I just had to check the date. It says really 2022. Are you actually telling me that you can't use the iPhone as Webcam right now?
    • pitkali 4y ago
      You can, with 3rd party solutions. It even works on Linux with Iriun Webcam. The news is about having it built right into Mac.
• dmix 4y ago
  Could you use Bluetooth or something wireless from a webcam like Lumina? Or is the datarate too low?
• rowanG077 4y ago
  If you can do enough in pure software why are you developing hardware at all? Why not make your product a software offering working with any webcam? Or OEM an existing webcam with your software?
• ThePowerOfFuet 4y ago
  Can I use a Lumina if I don't run macOS or Windows? (Does it show up on the bus as a UVC camera?)
• kenneth 4y ago
  I was thrilled to see Lumina and bought one. I unfortunately ended up having to returning due to a combination of buggy software and image quality that was no better than my laptop built in webcam. I really wanted to love it… but in practice it was no better than what ships by default. Also had tons of issues controlling white balance. The software depth of field was a bit better than what's built in to Zoom/Google Meet but still doesn't come close to the illusion of a real lens effect. Ended up going with a much clunkier and expensive setup with desk stands + a Sony a7c + a 28mm lens + a Yeti mic. Another thing worth mentioning is that lighting is key — so I got a 3 point key light setup (LumeCube lights) which works well. It might've been a matter of Lumina still being in beta — I hope it can improve to a point where this comment becomes entirely obsolete.
• notaplumber1 4y ago
  What even is an "AI powered" camera? You mean a device that will become useless when your company goes out of business in a few years, or shifts focus, or that only ever works on specific versions of Windows/macOS due to some required software? No, what people want is a decent modern UVC webcam that adheres to USB standards.
• swyx 4y ago
  i had to abandon my review issue of Lumina because the constant refocusing every time i moved my head was far too distracting for work. could you please give us an option to turn that off?
• Zetaphor 4y ago
  Your product looks intriguing, does it support Linux at all? One concern I have to a "smart camera" as a Linux user is that I won't get the simple plug and play experience I've come to expect from Logitech's products, as there's often a required software component/driver to get some or all of the devices functionality. I know I represent a small part of the market, but I figured it doesn't hurt to ask.
• __mharrison__ 4y ago
  The lumina does a great job or of the box even without software installed.
• awill 4y ago
  I agree with all the replies to this. 1. If you're saying that it's mostly software, then you shouldn't have created hardware. You should release and sell software to run in tandem with existing cheap webcams. Not a low-quality webcam with some magic software. 2. Saying the iPhone is proof that you can make good, small cameras is bunk. The iPhone has an enormous amount of horsepower at its disposal. And an enormous team of software engineers (in addition to hardware engineers). A small startup with a couple of engineers isn't going to replicate Apple's camera team. Plus, are you aware just how incredibly powerful Apple's SoC is? To replicate it, in addition to the world-class engineering team, you'd either need to offload all that to the host CPU (which won't have dedicated hardware for it), or build it in, which you can't for the price-point you'd need. I recently bought the elgato FaceCam, and honestly it's pretty good for $150. Much better than Logitech. It has a pretty large sensor and good software (and no autofocus!), but there's nothing magic about it.
  • smaudet 4y ago
    The iPhone has a high-res display, hi-capacity battery, associated regulator hardware, multiple SoCs, cost of supporting a software/firmware engineering team for the OS/drivers, app developers, UX/Design experts, company markup.... Not cheap. I don't buy this argument - they have a nice image processor, sure, there's nothing special about their image processing. Sure, its not going to be cheap, I think you are vastly overestimating the quality... for a price point of 1K per phone, even at scale, you are talking maybe a 5th operating costs (200$) going towards supporting that. Remember Apple makes its money from app commissions, more than the hardware, and AFAIK they don't operate selling hardware at a loss. You will need a SoC team, yes, you are looking at a multimillion dollar company, doable with VC I'd imagine. Or a team of brilliant-yet-bootstrapping individuals, willing to work for less.
• deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
• ChrisRR 4y ago
  > that would be like if Apple stopped releasing new phones after the iPhone 4S Would that be such a bad thing? Arguably there haven't been many technological leaps in the years since and if it weren't for planned obsolescence the 4S would still be a totally fine phone
• IYasha 4y ago
  Nice! I'd like to ask: as there's a growing trend for (e)motion-contolled 3D personas/avatars driven my conventionl webcams, are you considering that as one of your potential directions of development? As a potential buyer, I'm in need of an inexpensive webcam with invisible IR backlight that would reliably capture facial expressions at moderate resolutions (up to 1280*960) even in a dark room without being distracting or harmful. Fast internal basic encoder (maybe primitive, but fast) would be nice too.
• Saris 4y ago
  I think the question that comes to mind, is why focus on the software side so much? If you start with good hardware; large sensor, decent lens, good autofocus.. Then the software doesn't need to be doing much at all.