MS LifeCam HD-5000, HD-6000 Webcams Make TrueColor, 720p First Priority

Microsoft brings us a couple of webcams every year, and 2010 is no exception. Last year, there's LifeCam Cinema which introduces 720p capture as well as video noise-canceling ClearFrame technology. The only caveat with this model is the 15fps limitation to 720p recording. MS promises to unlock 30fps recording with a future drier release, which we presume can be found in these two new webcams - LifeCam HD-5000 and HD-6000. The duo should technically be the same with the HD-5000 made for desktop LCD monitors and the HD-6000 bundled with a clip that attaches itself nicely to notebook LCD screens. They both are tightly integrated with Windows Live! web services.

With these HD webcams, MS touts auto-focus, 16:9 widescreen, and true 720p HD video. Notice the word "true" is curiously missing in the LifeCam Cinema listing. TrueColor is in a nutshell another MS' image processing technique that touches up the video brightness, exposure and saturation based on the environment. 16:9 widescreen is likely possible with a convenient wide field of view, which isn't specified in MS' product page. The only major distinction we can tell between the HD-5000 and HD-6000 is the 360-degree lens rotation in the latter notebook model. Perhaps this explains the $10 price difference from the HD-5000 desktop model.

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