How Windovs save .AVI files?

Hi all,

2 days ago I successfully recicled an HP webcam module of a brocken DV6000 model, and I connected it as external USB Camera (fortunately it has 4 wires, exactely like a standard USB connection).
All the work is been very easy and simple, and it works great!
But I noted that if I try to save video (.AVI) on the disk, the created file is absolutely exagerate as dimension!
The created file is been 496 MByte for 35 minutes of video at 640 x 480 pixel format.
Is it normal? I I don't think, and not understand why, because all seems to work correctly.
Can someone help me to understand, and suggest me how to solve the problem?

I have another question:
Do someone know a way to use the USB micro-webcam I made as a spy-cam, without of course to connect it to a PC?

I have Windows XP SP3, and the webcam module is 1.3 Mpixels.

Thanks

 

Without compression, yes that is normal. AVI video is capable of uncompressed audio and video packed into a single file. It depends on what program you are using to record and save the video. If the webcam you are using is being seen as a standard USB webcam, you should be able to use any standard video recording app. Preferable one that saves the avi video with Xvid compression, or an mp4 with H.264 compression.

 

As said, that is normal as the video file is not compressed. You could use any video converter program to compress. Handbrake should work.

If you want a spycam, just search on ebay for one. It is not nice to spy on people. (You hear that NSA)

 

When I wrote "As spy webcam", I was meaning "As home surveillance camera".
I sayd "spy webcam" because of the very small size of module.