HP VGA Webcam with Microphone audio problems

Clarifications

Some on-board sound systems get confused with the sound but sound cards tend to perform better, though this depends on which sound card you choose, I have found Creative to be a good sound card to use for this kind of webcam, but then you might have your own choice.

Please post back if you have any more problems or questions.

The Type of USB Port can also play a part here. The Web Cam in question uses a USB 2 Port so if you have USB 1 or USB 2 Ports but are using the Front ports of a Desktop these are slower and provide less power than the back ones.

Also the USB 1 Ports are considerably slower than USB 2. It's best not to run things like this through a USB Hub either as these can introduce problems as well. I'm not personally convinced that this is the best type of Web Cam anyway as the Video files are large with a single still shot being 1.3 MEG in size and streamed Video using about 1 GIG per minute so there is a lot of traffic through the USB Port with out the Audio. You could try using a separate Mic plugged into the Mic Socket of the Sound Device so that the USB Port has less data running through it.

If you have a Desktop system with USB 1 Ports you'll need to fit a USB 2 PCI Card, and if you are using a Notebook you need to connect directly to the M'Board so use the back USB Ports not the front ones as these are on leads and slower than the ones connoted directly to the M'Board.

You may also find that the poor sound is a result of a faulty Mic or a damaged USB Lead/Plug/Socket or even being badly placed, these Mic's are small and not overly sensitive so you need to be fairly close to them. If you are amplifying the sound a lot that is running the Mic Level high this will be the problem as the Mic isn't getting a direct front on to the sound source so you'll need to move the Mic to a location when it is closer and not too much higher than the sound source.

I hope that is of use to you.

Col