Elmo TT-12 Camera and CRA-1 Tablet

The Elmo TT-12 Camera and CRA-1 Wireless Tablet is a classroom set consisting of an interactive camera and a tablet that allows teachers to wirelessly control the camera's live-projection functions from up to 50 feet away.

The camera connects to a computer and to a projector and offers two categories of use. It lets teachers apply features, such as picture-in-picture, to class material being projected onto a wall, and it allows class sessions to be captured in high-definition video that can be posted online for students and parents. The features applicable are part of software called Image Mate. For normal projection, class documents need only be placed under the camera eye. But for projection with a feature applied, in addition to what's under the camera eye, images separately captured can be incorporated, as they would be in picture-in-picture.

The tablet comes with its own software, called Image Mate Accent, which includes all the features of the camera's software but that additionally has more. Accent offers picture-in-picture, split-screen, screen stamps, time-lapse photography, highlights, masks, color filters, Mosaic, and an annotation tool. Without the tablet, the features would be applied via the computer that the camera would be connected to. Annotations would, for example, be made by mouse. But with the tablet, all the work is done on the tablet screen. The tablet wirelessly connects by an included USB transceiver to the same computer that the camera connects to, and thereupon replaces the computer. (The computer must be Windows-based. Although the camera is compatible with both Macs and PCs, the tablet is only Windows-compatible.) A special pen comes with the tablet for annotations.

The camera has a 3.4 megapixel CMOS sensor that captures bright and colorful video and photos, and an internal mic that records sound. A jack for an external mic is also available. Shots can be gotten from almost any angle per a swivel-adjustable arm, and, by the combination of a 12x optical zoom and an 8x digital zoom, details can be magnified by 96 times without any distortion. Focus can be set manually or automatically at the tap of a button. Files can be saved to a connected computer or internally via USB/SD/SDHC slots. Output is by HDMI out and audio line out, and is at 30 frames-per-second and thus in smooth, full-motion video. Different output resolutions up to 1080p HD can be selected at the flip of a switch. (The camera does also come with its own control panel and remote control, but the tablet can control the camera almost entirely.)