Webcam Desktop Theater

Editors' ReviewDownload.com staffAugust 12, 2004The trial version of Webcam Desktop Theater has five minutes at a time to compel you to register, so it works its charms quickly. You can view a Webcam thumbnail by double-clicking its name in the list. To see one at full size, click once on the thumbnail. You can zoom that main view up to five times its actual size. With a name, the URL, and a refresh rate, you can add your own Webcams. Even when the trial times out, the program remembers your changes to the list. The controls are simple. You add Webcams to the list with the green plus-sign button and delete them with the green minus-sign button. The document icon lets you edit a Webcam's properties. The red X on the main control panel closes all open Webcams, while the one below each thumbnail will close the camera. The blue arrow forces a refresh. Memory consumption ran about 12MB with 10 thumbnails and one main camera view. The demo crashed frequently, including every time we hit the Save Image button in the main window. Despite stability issues, Webcam Desktop Theater will give home users an enjoyable way to watch the world.