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On Fri, 24 Apr 2020 at 10:31, Giles Coochey <giles@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> But - that said, probably most are compatible to a greater or lesser
> degree with a modern linux. You just won't be sure until you try. It
> might be worth checking your returns options first.
There are actually only a handful of actual manufacturers of webcam CCD
and Interface boards, any USB Webcam will adhere to the USB video device
class and will essentially be supported by the Linux kernel
I think that's broadly what I was saying anyway. Although remember it's not just a video device, it's an audio one too - and linux can be famously picky about audio.
When you buy a branded webcam, it's more likely that the only thing they
actually manufactured was the plastic case, and the logo (although some
even outsource that work as well), everything else was probably sourced
via the Asian grey market for electronic components and interface boards.
You would need to define what branded is for that statement to stand up! Everything is branded, it's just whether it's a known to you, established brand with a reputation worth anything. Or not. Brand = trust. That's why I buy a certain type of baked beans, I know what's inside the tin and that I like it.
That reputation generally makes sure that the 'better' brands do a level of quality assurance that your generic provider doesn't. And they have a level of support and documentation should you need it. It's a fiercely competitive market and they work hard to preserve reputation.
Any decent firm will absolutely not, unless they are deliberately running down their brand (rare, but it happens), grab random components to stuff in as you say. That is not how reputations in any electronics field are made or preserved. They will seek the lowest cost item that matches their specs of course, but that's a different thing. This is basic business practice.
You make very good points, which I didn't bother to, e.g. branding, quality assurance, support and service being part of the price of the item etc...
You are wrong about everything being branded however - it might
be the case for everything you see on Amazon or at Currys and
other retail outlets, but not in the real distributor / wholesale
markets - the start of my IT career in the early 1990s was for a
company that ran the "Genius" and "MouseSystems" brand of
products, it was mostly mice, and that is how they built the
Genius brand, but they had a foray into Scanners, Sound Cards,
Network Cards, Network Hubs, Switches and Routers, also with the
"Genius" or "GeniusNet" brand.
After some years working for them I went out to Taiwan to a trade
fair, literally looking for new products. The fair was awash of
traders selling unbranded equipment, and then there were other
stalls that were selling the service of taking your logo and
producing any shape of plastic enclosure of any design. The truth
was, the company was not really manufacturing a lot of their
products, they were taking existing products from the "grey
market", and branding it as their own.
-- Giles Coochey
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