AbelCam

AbelCam is a simple application to get your webcam up and running in under 2 minutes. It is as good as the applications bundled with you webcam, if not better.

Not only does it have popular functions such as motion detection, video recording and so on, but it also lets you stream the video to your web server, email it, upload via FTP and etc.
It also supports TV tuner cards so that you can record TV shows and other media. It has built in zoom features, panning and tilting. There is also a function for broadcasting the video stream to a chat user for those in need of running live web shows. And if you need to reboot your computer remotely and still need AbelCam to run, then all you need to do is change the configuration and it will run as a service.
AbelCam also comes with other tools. If you want to convert a number of JPEG files into a video without a lot of complications, there is a tool for that.
If you are in need of more advanced features, there is a professional, pay-based version available as well, but for most users this version will suffice. AbelCam currently supports 14 languages.