To create new Camera Window
- Click New Camera from the File menu.
- Camera Setting dialog box appears.
Camera Setting dialog box
Camera Setting dialog box helps you control selected video source. To open the Camera Settings dialog box, select Camera Settings from the File menu.
Set a preview rate in the Preview Frame Rate box. It indicates the number of frames per second in the camera window. The default value is 10 frames per second. This value doesn't interfere with broadcast or record frame rate.
Local Video and Audio devices
Click to select Local Camera if you want to work with video device connected to the computer or with a Network camera.
Capture Method
The Capture Method radio buttons allow you to select a method of video capture, which your camera is supported.
The type of Capture Method doesn't matter for Network cameras.
Video for Windows (VfW) was released for the Windows 3.1 operating system and was optimized for capturing movies to disk. Since then, video capture rates have risen dramatically because of the use of the PCI bus, bus mastering controllers, and direct transfer of captured video from adapter memory to disk without data copies.
DirectShow video capture was designed to resolve the problems inherent in the VfW architecture. It provides 32-bit drivers for devices with a 32-bit architecture, such as USB and IEEE 1394 conferencing cameras and supports multiple streams.
Video Device
Choose a camera to work with, from the Video Devices drop-down list. If you want to connect to Network camera, select Network Camera.
The camera control buttons set depends on type of camera. For USB cameras it is mostly the Source and Format buttons. TheSource button helps to change image characteristics, like brightness, contrast, sharpness etc. The Format button allows to set image size and color mode.
Network Cameras
Network cameras are devices in local network or in Internet that are answer with JPEG image by HTTP request.
To connect to Network Camera:
- Click to select the Network IP Camera radio button. Select the network camera type from the Camera Model drop-down list.
- In the IP Address box type the network address of your camera. Don't place the protocol prefix (like http://) in the IP address box, just four digits of IP address delimited by dots, like: 192.168.1.101. If your network camera has dynamic IP address, you can find the camera address in the DHCP table of your network router.
- If network camera requires user name and password, type these values in the User ID and Password boxes.
- Click the Connect to the Camera button.
- Click Ok.
The Camera Interface button helps to select the camera model and set up command strings, which are used for image requests.
Click the Camera Interface button.
In the String to request JPEG image box type command to read image from camera. For example:
http://{USER_ID}:{PASSWORD}@{CAMERA_IP}/cgi-bin/video.jpg
The program uses the following abbreviation to replace parameters in the interface strings:
| {CAMERA_IP} |
Replaces camera's IP address and IP port, for example: 192.168.1.101:8080 |
| {USER_ID} | Replaces user name entered in the User ID box. |
| {PASSWORD} | Replaces password entered in the Password box. |
| {<BASE64;>USER;_ID} | Encodes using "Base64" encoding and replaces user name entered in the User ID box. |
| {<BASE64;>Password;} | Encodes using "Base64" encoding and replaces password entered in the Password box. |
| {FPS} | Replaces with frame rate in frames per second |
| {FRAMEDURATION} | Replaces with frame duration in milli seconds |
Remote Cameras
Remote camera is another Active WebCam program with enabled Remote Access launched on remote computer. Both programs use UDP protocol to communicate each other. If connection with Remote camera goes through firewall, make sure that the IP address of your computer, local and remote ports are opened on the firewall, and the UDP protocol is enabled.
To connect to Remote Camera
In the Device tab click to select Remote Camera.
Specify the computer address in the IP address box. Don't place the protocol prefix (like http://) in the address, just four digits of IP address delimited by dots, like: 192.168.1.101. You can find out the remote computer IP address by clicking Get Computer IP Address from the Tools menu on the remote computer.
Type port, which is opened on remote computer for remote access in the Remote Port box. This value is specified in the Port box in the Broadcasting | Remote Access properties on the remote computer.
Specify port, which will be used to receive data from remote camera, in the Local Port box. If your network uses firewall, make sure that Local Port and computer's IP address are opened in the firewall. Use the Check the Port Availability button to make sure that this port is not used by another program.
If the remote computer requires authorization, enter user name and password in the appropriate boxes. The authorization could be set in the Broadcasting tab in the Camera Settings window in the Remote Access Additional Settings window on the remote computer.
If the Remember Password check box is checked, the user name and password will be saved among the session parameters.
Cycle through cameras
If you have multiple cameras you can set up a cycler to have the program to change cameras automatically.
To configure the Camera Cycler:
- Click Camera Settings from the File menu.
- Select Cycle through cameras to activate cycler.
- Type cycler interval in seconds.
- Select cameras to cycle.
