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Webcam

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A webcam is a small digital video camera designed to stream or capture video and still images for use with a computer, typically connected by a cable such as USB or built directly into a laptop or display. The company Connectix released the QuickCam in 1994, widely credited as the first mass-market webcam, a grayscale camera that plugged into a Macintosh and could capture and transmit images over a computer network. Webcams became central to video calling, online conferencing and internet broadcasting as home internet connections grew fast enough to carry live video, and later models added color, higher resolution and built-in microphones.

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