Broadcasting
The Broadcasting helps you share captured video and audio among Internet users or within local area network.

You can perform broadcasting by different ways:
 
1. Stream to Web server - The program sends video and audio to the PY Software web server. Users connect to this web server and watch the camera.
 
2. Remote Access - other Active WebCam programs connect to the server program which captures video and audio from sources. Server uses UDP protocol to push captured images and sound to the viewers computers.
 
3. HTTP Server - the program runs HTTP server on this computer; viewers can connect to this computer by TCP/IP using any internet browser and see web page with camera's live feed.
 
4. FTP Upload - the program uploads captured images to a web server using FTP protocol. Viewers point Internet browsers to your web site and watch uploaded images.
 
5. Copy Captured Images - the program copies captured images to another folder on your computer in order to use them with other software.
 
To select the Broadcasting typeStream to Web Server
The program sends video and audio to the PY Software web server that users can connect to this web server and watch the camera. This method doesn't require that the streaming computer is accessibly from Internet, and, because PY Software web server has broadband connection, this method provides high frame-rate broadcasting to the unlimited auditory.
 
You have to be subscribed on PY Software web service to use this broadcasting method. Please use the PY Software web services (Dynamic IP Service) command from the Tools menu to subscribe for this service.
 
To activate Web StreamingRemote Access
 
Remote Access allows having video and audio on remote computer with very high quality and frame rate, but the opposite side is that viewers must use the Active WebCam program to access camera and camera computer must be visible from Internet (unlike the FTP Upload method).
 
Click to select the Remote Access check box in the Broadcasting tab to enable access to this camera from other computers. Another copy of Active WebCam should be run on remote computer in order to have Remote Access.
 
Set up the remote access Frame Rate and the UDP Port value. Active WebCam uses the Port value to receive requests from remote computers. The Port must be available for using, it means it's not used in other programs and it's not used by other cameras in Active WebCam.
 
Click the Check the Port Availability button to make sure the port it's not used by other programs.
 
If you want to have Remote Access to the camera from outside local network (from Internet), make sure that the port and IP address of your computer are opened in the firewall. See more info how to configure your network router for remote access.
 
Click the Additional Settings button to configure Remote Access.
 
The content of remote access is managed by the Enable Video Stream and Enable Audio Stream buttons.
 
If you want to control number of remote clients, click to select the Limit Viewers check box and enter maximum number of viewers that can be connected to the camera. All over-limited viewers will receive message: "Administrator has limited the number of camera viewers. Please try again later."
 
Transferred video and Audio data can be encrypted for security reason. Select the encryption type from the Use Encryption to Transfer Data list.
 
You can restrict access to the camera by user name and password. Click to select the Use Authorization check box and click the Add button to grant access to this camera to a user or group. Only selected users and users belonged to selected groups have access to the camera. Viewers must enter valid name and password in order to connect to the camera.
 
FTP Upload Captured Images
 
Select the FTP Upload method if you want the program to upload captured images to your Web site using FTP protocol. To watch the captured images, you just need to point your Internet browser to your site.
 
The benefits of FTP use are: you don't need to have a permanent and fast internet connection (such as, Cable Modem, DSL, ISDN, etc.), and it's not necessary to make your computer to be accessible from Internet (security problems). An opposite side of FTP using is the lower frame-rate.
 
What is FTP?
FTP is an acronym for File Transfer Protocol. As the name implies, FTP is used to transfer files between computers on a network, such as the Internet. In an FTP transfer, your computer acts as a "client" sending a files to a remote host, or "server". Even computers from different manufacturers and running incompatible software can use this FTP process to exchange files over the Internet. To establish a connection to an FTP server, you generally need to provide a user name and a password in addition to the Internet address of the server (for example, hostname.berkeley.edu); someone would need to set up a user account and assign a password for you before you would be able to access the server.
 
To run FTP UploadConfigure FTP Connection
Click the FTP Settings button to set up FTP parameters.
 
Address of FTP server
Type name of FTP host of your Internet Service Provider (ISP), e.g. ftp.microsoft.com or members.aol.com.
 
User Name
Type user (login) name for this FTP server.
 
Password
Type your password for this FTP server. The password field replaces all typed characters with asterisks to hide it.
 
Folder to Upload
Type path to a folder where captured image and web page files will be placed.
 
FTP Port
Specify port number, which is used for FTP service on your web site (if it's not 21 on your server). It may be different if you are going through a firewall, or if the site administrator has assigned the FTP service to a non-standard port.
 
Passive FTP
This option causes the program to use passive mode on FTP uploads. Some proxy servers require to use this option.
 
Use Proxy
Specify if the program needs to use a proxy server to connect to FTP server. To list a proxy for a specific protocol, the string must follow the format:
 
<protocol;>=<protocol;>://<proxy;_name>
 
The valid protocols are http, https, ftp, and gopher. For example, to list an ftp proxy, a valid string would be:
 
ftp=ftp://ftp_proxy_name:21
 
where ftp_proxy_name is the name of the ftp proxy and 21 is the port number that must be used to access the proxy. If the proxy uses the default port number for that protocol, the port number can be omitted.
 
Click the Additional Settings button to change extra FTP parameters.
 
Image Name
The program uploads captured images to FTP server under this name. If you change Image Name, be sure you've changed appropriate parameter in the webcam's web page. For Java applet it is the IMAGE parameter. If your Web Page doesn't use Java applet, change the SRC parameter in the <IMG;> tag.
See Creating Web Page for more info about Java applet parameters.
 
Wait for response
The program waits for this time for an answer from FTP server. If there is no answer, it interrupts the FTP session and reconnects.
 
Disconnect after
If there was no activity during this time, the program disconnects from FTP server.
 
Image when WebCam is Offline
By default Active WebCam deletes the last captured image from FTP server when broadcasting are going to be stopped. If you want the program to replace last captured image with your own image (for example image with text: "I'll be back"), click to select the Upload Another Image to FTP Server check box and specify the image file name in the text box.
 
Broadcasting using HTTP Server
 
Select the HTTP Server method if you want to broadcast captured images from your computer. Active WebCam will run own HTTP Server on the port you have specified.
To watch the captured images, your viewers need to type address of your computer and HTTP port in the Internet browser, for example: http://63.236.73.147:8080 or http://www.mycomputer.com:8080
 
Unlike Remote Access, viewers don't need to have Active WebCam to connect to HTTP server. They use any Internet browser to watch captured images, but mostly this method gives lower frame rate than using Remote Access.
 
To run WebCam HTTP serverHow does WebCam HTTP Server work?
When a viewer types address of your computer and HTTP port in the Internet browser, the Internet browser sends a request to your computer to obtain default web page. This page contains link to java applet, which will be downloaded from your computer too. Once the Internet browser has downloaded the applet, the applet will execute and start sending requests to your computer for captured images. The applet sends requests according the frame-rate interval.
 
What do you need to run WebCam HTTP Server
Your computer must be visible from Internet. If your computer behind firewall or proxie, you need to configure that device that your IP address and port you specified are not blocked.
If you plan to broadcast among computers in a Local Area Network (LAN), your computer and computers of all viewers must have IP protocol.
 
Configure WebCam HTTP Server
 
In the Frame Rate box enter how often you want the picture refreshes on viewer's computer. To avoid the "Off Line" color bars appearing on client's computer, set the Frame Rate equal to client's network bandwidth.
 
Port
Type HTTP port number on which Active WebCam will listen for viewer requests. To connect to HTTP Server, viewers enter IP address of your computer and HTTP Port in the Internet browser. For example: http://192.168.1.1:8080. Use the Get Computer IP Address command from the Tools menu to define IP address of your computer.
 
Click the Additional Settings button to change extra parameters of HTTP server.
 
Image Name
Image Name is used on viewer's side to show captured images. If you change Image Name, be sure you've changed appropriate parameter in the webcam's web page. For Java applet it is the IMAGE parameter. If your Web Page doesn't use Java applet, change the SRC parameter in the <IMG;> tag.
See Creating Web Page for more info about Java applet parameters.
 
Server Folder
Type folder name where you want to place WebCam web page and java applet. Active WebCam will copy captured images to this folder.
 
To restrict or grant access for your viewers to additional folders on this computer, use the Video Files and Snapshots and Event Logs check boxes.
 
Default Web Page
Specify file name of WebCam web page. This file must exist and  must be placed into the Server Folder. If viewer do not specify a file name in the URL, the HTTP server displays the contents of the default Web Page. Use the Web Page Creation Wizard to create this web page.
 
Restrict Access to HTTP server
Access to your WebCam can be restricted by user name and password. To restrict the access click to select the Use Authorization check box and type User Name and Password. Now, when viewers point Internet browser to your webcam page they first are asked to enter valid user name and password.
This option is available in the DELUXE version only.
 
Limit Number of Viewers
Number of WebCam viewers can be limited. It can be useful, for example, in order to reduce Internet traffic. To limit number of viewers click to select the Limit Viewers check box and enter maximum number of viewers in the Max. Number of Viewers box.
This option is available in the PRO version only.
 
Save Frames to Local Folder
 
Select the Copy Captured Images method if you want Active WebCam to save captured images into a folder on your computer. You can broadcast the images using default web server (for example Microsoft WWW Server) or use it for another purposes.
 
Type the folder name, where Active WebCam saves captured images, in the Folder box.
Don't forget to copy to this folder a web page with link to Active WebCam java script, and the java script file.
 
Click the Additional Settings button to change extra parameters.
 
Image Name
Image Name is used on viewer's side to show captured images. If you change Image Name, be sure you've changed appropriate parameter in the webcam's web page. For Java applet it is the IMAGE parameter. If your Web Page doesn't use Java applet, change the SRC parameter in the <IMG;> tag.
See Creating Web Page for more info about Java applet parameters.
 
Image when WebCam is Offline
By default Active WebCam deletes the last captured image from the folder when broadcasting are going to be stopped. If you want the program to replace last captured image with your own image (for example image with text: "I'll be back"), click to select the Replace with Another Image check box and specify the image file name in the text box.
 
 
 
 
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