I know some might have an ulcer just by seeing a mention of Windows Hello, but the facial recognition part is so convenient. When using my Surface Pro X (first laptop I ever owned who has support for Windows Hello facial recognition), login is so simple and fast. I like it.
And lately, I had the idea to have facial recognition for my desktop. It’s one stone, two birds:
I have a way more convenient way to login in my desktop. Currently, I’m using a Windows Surface Modern Keyboard with ID for the fingerprint reader. But with fingertips that easily get moist just enough so any readers cannot read them half of the time, it’s not the best experience. And ditching the fingerprint readers would help me to bring back a TKL keyboard.
I could just always run my work laptop closed when working at my desk (as I’m stuck in WFH until January), with a more flattering angle for the webcam.
But there is one problem: there’s almost no fucking option (and they are also often out of stock and/or expensive). I think I found some options, most being from Philips, but most of them are horrendous looking, or too small screens. And the two most interesting options (Dell, HP) I found (with USB C hub, 27", three sides boderless, hideable webcam) are 1440p (and expensive) when I’m fine with 1080p.
Why is there so few choices? And is there any option I might have miss? I know I can go for a webcam with Windows Hello, like this Lenovo one which I would be more likely to buy, but it will not be as seamless of a package, and they are unnecessarily huge.
I might be complaining for something trivial, but hey I can get feed up on the smallest of details some time.
Buyers aren’t proably looking for that feature in a monitor
Higher cost that would make good monitors cost even more
Security is not the main concern for an home PC that will probably not be accessed locally by someone else besides the owner like a laptop would (stolen, left at a desk at work for brief moments, etc.)
Offices in which such a feature makes the difference don’t make use of the other features of fancy monitors like high resolution (less so recently), good color reproduction, high framerate and need a good balance between tech and panel quality for costs reason
That’s good points. Sucks though. A simple camera mechanism must not be that expensive to incorporate. And Windows hello modules are more prevalent in laptops, and seems rather unexpensive when looking to salvage ones on ebay.
Also I don’t explain how the few monitors that exists can have a 180 to 300$ markup only by the presence of a webcam and Windows Hello. (Dell without/with) But now I’m just complaining.
Yay saw this one, but with a price of 240$, I would rather just buy an expensive monitor with one integrated at that point. The quality of the webcam is not my main concern, as I don’t use it outside of work.
The facial recognition part of Windows Hello works with IR imagery. Hence you cannot just use any webcam, you need a webcam with the additional IR components.
Just looking at Amazon I see some for as little as $40 with many positive reviews, including Windows Hello. I haven’t bought one, but it appears that they are common:
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t buy devices I plan to use daily unless the number of reviews breaches a couple thousand or it’s something like a super new/niche piece of hardware.
For reference, the Brio has 8k reviews
I basically consider anything under that a wash and un-trustable.
That would include me; especially with the rise in smart-only TVs, some of which have cameras builtin for face detection, it is quite heartening to hear that monitors are still just monitors.
Also, I personally do not like the idea of having infrared shone in my eyes, even if it is by all appearances harmless at these power/luminance levels.
Regarding why, I think the following general rule makes sense:
premium all-in-one products will try to add in many features to demonstrate value
Ex: cars, laptops, phones
premium components (which cannot be used by themselves) will be more likely to focus on quality (or perceived quality) than number of features
Ex: monitors, mice, screwdrivers, PSUs
I think this explains what @MetalizeYourBrain mentioned; premium monitors will more often have a focus on color, dynamic range, and framerate, rather than add-on features like Windows Hello cameras. I suspect USB type-C monitors exist in a similar niche.
Answer is unfortunately simple: Too many licenses and not enough OEM solutions.
Monitors are already heavily subjected to licenses and patents. Adding anything on top on will make you incapable to compete against people who do not integrate it.
It is the same reason the earliest OEM screens are often Dell - they have the volume.
During COVID we have a perfect example: Imagine wanting more GPUs with the integrated USB-C hub.
The quality of the webcam is not my main concern, as I don’t use it outside of work.