Why the New Vaio SR Webcam is Only 0.3MP

I was really excited to see the new Vaio SR replacement come out here in Japan. Here it's called the VPCS11, and it's available with the i7-620M CPU, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, Nvidia GeForce 310M GPU, 16:9 ratio screen, and a bunch of other cool features! Here's a link (sorry it's in Japanese). I was ready to "pull the trigger" when I saw that the integrated webcam went from a 1.3MP on the old SR to a 0.31MP with the new "S-Series." I do a lot of virtual meetings (Skype), so I need the best video calling I can get. OK, I figure, ditch the Vaio and get a Lenovo T410s, which has a 2.0MP integrated webcam. Then I ran across this article, which explains why Sony probably went with a smaller resolution webcam. All right, back to "pulling the trigger" on the new "S".

Would love to hear your comments.

Cheers! - nojiri

 

If I'm not mistaken, the S11 has a 0.3mp webcam which is more common in notebooks now because its simply a lower resolution. Visually, the quality of the video should be the same, but since it is at a lower mp-count, it should experience less lag. Most users wouldn't really notice this because what's important is that they can only stretch the video window so large.

Hope this isn't misleading cause i'm just going off memory.

 

Actually yes, that's one of the main points of the article in eetasia.com. When you increase the pixel size and then try to stream that larger video file through the internet with services like Skype and similar video chats, typical internet speeds are still not fast enough to stream it efficiently. You then end up with painfully low frame rates, lag, poor exposure in low light situations, etc. So at this point in internet speeds, lower MP actually gives you a better chance of quality video calls, and moreover, there's a lot more to building a good webcam/notebook than just the number of MP. Can't wait to get a hold of an S11 !

Cheers - nojiri