Logitech, Microsoft, and HP have been at the forefront of desktop webcam development over the past several years, with each company periodically leapfrogging the other two. Logitech aims to regain its lead with the c920 ($99.99), a renamed and refreshed version of its popular HD Pro Webcam c910 (4 stars), which I tested back in 2010. In addition to stereo microphones and a Carl Zeiss lens, the Logitech c920 adds onboard H.264 compression and full 1080p high-definition video recording—and even offers 1080p video chat over Skype HD. It's a very solid choice, if not class-leading.

Design, System Requirements, and Video Quality
The Logitech c920 is a good looking gadget. It's made entirely of glossy and matte black plastics, with a clear plastic cover over the optics. It's not as classy a design as Microsoft's LifeCam Studio ($99.95, 4 stars), but it's a bit sleeker and more practical, particularly with regards to microphone placement. The USB cable is permanently attached, though it's sufficiently long enough to reach from the top of a desktop monitor to a PC chassis on the floor beneath a desk. A pair of stereo microphones bracket the lens, along with a curved pair of LEDs that light up blue whenever the webcam is active and transmitting video.

The c920's mount deserves special attention. In addition to folding up in different ways for positioning on a desk, on top of a monitor, or on a laptop lid, it also contains a second pivot point to brace it more tightly against the back of a monitor, plus a third pivot point that adjusts the vertical angle. That latter adjustment is crucial for ensuring your image is centered in the view, while simultaneously keeping the webcam secure against the monitor. Located on the bottom of the mount is a threaded tripod attachment, if you want to sit it on a desk or shelf instead of attaching it to a computer monitor.

There's no software CD in the box, but the c920 doesn't need one. If you're running Windows 7, setup is as easy as can be: mount the webcam on your monitor, then plug it into a free USB port. During the install, the software picked up my existing copy of Skype and added a shortcut for it. I also installed Logitech Vid HD, which is Logitech's existing, somewhat clumsy video chat software, though I didn't use it much, as both parties need to have it installed and it's not particularly popular. The c920 isn't Mac compatible, but all recent Macs come with a high-quality iSight camera built-in. While a c920 would add 1080p video and stereo audio, the target market on the Mac side is admittedly quite thin.

Video Performance
Logitech's Webcam Controller software features two main tabs. The Controls tab includes digital pan, tilt, and zoom adjustments, auto-correction modes for lighting and background noise suppression, an auto- and manual-focus toggle, and a Follow My Face feature for auto-tracking. The Effects tab includes various avatars, face accessories, video masks, and filters, most of which are fun to play with, if not particularly serious.

The autofocus Carl Zeiss glass lens captures video and snaps photos. Recorded videos weren't perfect, but they certainly looked as good as I've seen from a webcam. I tested the c920 in several modes, including 720p (1280-by-720-pixel) and 1080p (1920-by-1080p) resolution. Focus, light balance, and frame rates were all excellent, with the latter touching 30 frames per second at 720p and 29 frames per second at 1080p. The only downsides were a slight bluish cast in admittedly harsh office lighting—which I easily fixed by turning off RightLight (Logitech's automatic lighting compensation) and adjusting white balance manually—and a lower-than-expected 3300kbps average bit rate for 720p files and 4100kbps average bit rate for 1080p files, which led to a perceptible, if not serious, lack of facial detail.

Audio Performance, Settings, and Conclusions
When I tested the older Logitech HD Pro Webcam c910, I was impressed with the clarity of the audio recordings. The same is true of the c920; you can't beat the stereo microphone configuration, and the c920's noise suppression worked well enough to deaden the sound of an office fan, if not completely eliminate it. Background noise is usually a clear giveaway that you're not recording in a professional studio, so the c920 works to eliminate as much of it as possible.

In addition to the basic settings I mentioned above, Logitech's Webcam Controller software also includes a Properties page with two additional tabs for Advanced Settings and Device Info. The first tab contains various settings that light up when you turn off RightLight, including exposure, gain, brightness, contrast, color intensity, and white balance, plus refresh rate settings for NTSC (60Hz) and PAL (50Hz). The Device Info page just contains version numbers for firmware and drivers. Turning off auto-focus lets you fix the webcam on specific people seated further away, perhaps around a conference table or on a living room couch, though the distant focus maxes out at roughly five feet; you'll want to move the webcam closer in larger rooms.

The Logitech c920 almost took the Editors' Choice award away from the HP Webcam HD 5210 ($99.99, 4 stars), as the c920 has a more flexible mount and slightly better noise cancellation, but it falls flat in overall video detail, which is important. To date, Skype has only certified the c920 for 1080p high-definition video chats. The HD 5210 is stuck at 720p, but that's still plenty given the quality of many home broadband connections. If you're buying a webcam primarily for a home business or corporate setting, also check out the Creative Live! Cam inPerson HD ($149.99, 3 stars), which is also Skype HD certified, and includes quad microphones for nearby and more-distant voice recordings around a conference table.

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