The editors have received many letters from readers who want to use a digital video camera as a web camera. Many users have video cameras gathering dust on their shelves most of the time, so it would be quite nice to assemble a web camera from them. And the quality of video conferencing programs, such as Yahoo Messenger or MSN Messenger, can also be improved. A simple software solution will turn your digital video camera into a high-end webcam.

For our article we used a Panasonic GS70 video camera. This is a discontinued MiniDV format model using three CCD sensors. At the same time, everything said in the article is suitable for any digital camera with USB or FireWire connection.

Advantages of a digital video camera

Some people might find it odd to use a several hundred dollar digital video camera as a webcam, but we're killing a few birds with one stone here. The optics in a digital video camera are much superior to web models. Modern MiniDV cameras allow you to shoot video with a resolution of 720x480 and a frequency of 30 frames per second. In addition, the camera lens provides accurate color reproduction. Webcams, on the other hand, only boast 640x480 and 15 frames per second.

Using a video camera instead of a web camera also allows you to save money - of course, if it is collecting dust on your shelf. Instead of paying $50-$200 for a decent webcam, you can use free USB drivers or spend $20 on OrangeWare WebcamDV to turn your device into a high-quality webcam.

Restrictions

However, this method has several limitations. Firstly, a video camera consumes more power than a web camera. You will have to connect the power supply if you plan to use the camcorder for an extended period of time.

Almost all video cameras today are equipped with a demo mode, which displays various special effects. It allows you to attract the buyer when choosing a camera. Make sure you turn this mode off - you don't want all sorts of crazy effects during a video conference?

Most video cameras have an automatic shutdown feature. It turns off the camera if you leave the tape in the compartment and are not recording anything. This feature prevents unnecessary battery drain and component wear. However, automatic shutdown will be inconvenient for us, so do not leave the tape inside the camcorder.

Webcams weigh much less than video cameras because they don't have a complicated cassette mechanism or retractable LCD screen. While it hardly makes sense for home users to worry about weight, this solution is not suitable for mobile use.

USB interface: free

Our first method of turning a video camera into a webcam is free. Some cameras, like our trusted Panasonic GS70, are equipped with a USB connector for webcam mode. Thus, connecting a video camera to a USB port will turn it into a web camera.

To do this, you need to install the USB driver that came with the camera. If you have lost the CD, you will have to look for the driver on the manufacturer's website. After installation, you need to switch the video camera to web camera mode. The process differs from one model to another and is described in the user manual.

Our Panasonic webcam was recognized as "Panasonic DVC Web Camera" in video conferencing programs like Active Webcam

Unfortunately, the picture quality was quite poor, reminiscent of Creative Webcam Live! in our previous review.

OrangeWare WebcamDV

OrangeWare releases WebcamDV, a program that turns a video camera into a web camera. The program, in essence, “deceives” Windows into believing that this is a full-fledged web camera. WITH company website You can download a trial version and then register it for $20.

How does this program differ from the free webcam drivers used by some models? WebcamDV transmits the video stream over the FireWire interface, which provides a very high-quality picture. You can judge the quality for yourself at the end of the article.

Installation is quick and easy. Then you simply plug your camcorder into the FireWire port and launch your favorite video conferencing program. As you can see below, Yahoo Messenger recognized the Panasonic camcorder without any problems. In any video conferencing program, the camera will be visible as "WebcamDV Capture".

Quality comparison

For our quality tests we used the same conditions as in webcam review. In good lighting, light was provided by two blocks of fluorescent lamps, simulating office conditions. In poor lighting, the lights were turned off, and the only sources were the laptop screen and 17" LCD monitor.

We captured footage using the program DV Rack from Serious Magic, which allowed us to obtain maximum quality. We then compared footage obtained using a free USB driver and WebcamDV.

You can easily see that the USB driver produces a terrible picture compared to the WebcamDV program. Additionally, the USB driver's maximum resolution is 352x244, while WebcamDV provides up to 640x480.

The only visible difference between pure frame capture and using WebcamDV is the resolution. When capturing frames it is 720x480 (MiniDV format), and in WebcamDV it is 640x480. We do not show the results in low light because the picture turned out to be black - the Panasonic GS70 could not cope with such conditions. The situation may be better with other video cameras.

Click on the picture to get a larger version.

Conclusion

Using a suitable software you can turn your video camera into a high-quality web camera. The OrangeWare WebcamDV program allows you to “deceive” the operating system and use a video camera connected via FireWire as a web camera. As you can see, the quality of WebcamDV is excellent.

At the same time, the free USB driver gives terrible quality. So we think WebcamDV is the best solution. At $20, WebcamDV is a great opportunity to get a webcam.

Using a camera as a web camera

To successfully implement this idea, several elements are needed:
- a program that uses video telephony – Skype;
- a TV tuner built into the computer, for example, from AverMedia, and the AverTV program;
- video stream distribution program - .

Having installed the above software on your computer, you need to make sure that it is working properly by running each of the programs in turn. In order for Skype to recognize video streamed from your digital camera perform the following actions:

We connect the camera via the AV (audio/video) cable that comes with the kit to the composite input of the TV tuner. As a rule, it is yellow, like the cable tulip, respectively. Connecting via a USB connector in this case will not give the desired result, since the Windows operating system will perceive the digital camera as a flash media;
- launch the AverTV program. In the settings, select the video source as composite input;
- turn on the digital camera. On the screen of the AverTV player we will see the picture coming from the digital camera. That is, the image will be broadcast directly from the camera;
- close the AverTV program, launch the Splitcam program. In its settings (File – Video Source) select AverMedia AverTV WDM Video Capture as the video source. Video from a digital device will also be broadcast on the program screen. You can also set the desired frame rate in the settings (File frame rate) (normally 25-30 frames per second);
- launch Skype. Important - the Splitcam program must work simultaneously with Skype! Go to Tools - Settings - General - Video Settings. From the “Select webcam” list, select Splitcam capture. A broadcast from the camera will appear in the window (which is below). Click Save.

In parallel, using the same Splitcam, you can turn on the video capture program and record conversations using the program VoiceSpy. That's all, the whole labor-intensive process is over and now you can normally use your digital camera as a web camera; the quality of the video will depend on the characteristics of your camera. Have a nice chat!

Programs that may interest you

NeoSpy- computer monitoring program.

— Checking the fidelity of spouses;
— Control of children on the Internet;
— Calculation of careless employees at work.

NeoSpy intercepts and sends you all correspondence, screenshots, visited sites and passwords by email.

PasswordSpy- a program for recovering saved passwords from browsers and email programs.

— Recovering lost passwords;
— Support for more than 100 programs (ie, chrome, opera, firefox, outlook, the bat! and others);
— The portable version can be launched from a flash drive.

Browsers, email programs, instant messaging programs store information about the passwords you use, and PasswordSpy can recover them.

Greetings to blog readers!
Today I would like to consider one interesting question that subscribers and readers of the blog have already asked about several times. So, can it be used camera as a webcam?

How to use a camera as a webcam?

The question is relevant for those who do not have a webcam on their computer, but want, for example, to chat with friends on Skype. The answer is ambiguous - maybe, but there are a number of conditions for this. Firstly, many modern models already equipped with a similar operating mode. In order to activate it, you just need to install the drivers, connect the camera with a USB cable to the computer and activate the camera mode.

But in most cases, everything is much more complicated. First of all, you need to check whether your camera has the ability to stream video. To do this, take from the kit that came with your model a cable with tulips for connecting to the TV - on one end it usually has 3 tulips, and on the other is the connector that is intended for audio-video output on the camera - this can be USB, miniJack or some other one.

As a rule, the yellow tulip is responsible for the video - we connect it to the video input on the TV and select AV input as the image source in the TV menu - the camera, of course, must be turned on. If there is no picture, then you will not be able to use this camera as a web camera, since it cannot transmit streaming video.

If a picture from the camera appears on the screen, then you can proceed to the next step and connect it to the computer.

But first you need to make sure that it has a video capture device with a tulip video input that will transfer video to the program. This could be a video card or TV tuner. If there is no tuner, and the video card is not equipped with the necessary video input, then you can purchase a separate video capture device - there are a lot of all kinds of inexpensive models in Chinese online stores.

We connect this device to the USB of the computer, and insert the tulip connector from the cable that came with the camera, which is inserted into the turned on camera.

For Canon cameras there is a separate similar special proprietary utility called PSRemote.

As you can see from the screenshot, you can also select a video file, picture, or broadcast your desktop for playback on the Internet. In addition, the program allows you to apply various cool effects to your video.

After that, in Skype or another video communication application, for example ooVoo, select our application as the outgoing video (“Tools > Settings > Video settings > Select webcam > SplitCam Capture”)

The MoneyCam program works similarly, in which there are even more various effects for overlaying online videos and detailed settings for displaying video images. To launch an image from the camera, go to the “Sources” tab and select our camera.

In Skype, as in the case of SplitCamer, go to the source selection section and activate the ManyCam application as its source.

Or, for example, you can use the program on Facebook:

That's all for today - I hope the question of how to use a camera as a webcam has become not so insoluble for you - go for it!

The same question is often asked on the Internet: “How to connect Canon camera, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus, Samsung, etc. instead of a webcam? This article may partially clarify the answer to this question, and perhaps help fix bugs associated with the “slowdown” of the video image, freezing of the Skype program or the entire OS during a video broadcast. http://oldoctober.com/

Pictures with a magnifying glass icon can be enlarged by clicking. To return to the article, you must either click on the button Close×, located in the lower right corner, or click past the picture on “dark matter”.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a DPC instead of a webcam?

The benefits depend on the camera used. With many cameras, for example, you can set white balance to a target, which is not available when using a webcam.

Modern digital cameras have higher sensitivity and a wider dynamic range than most webcams, allowing you to broadcast video with acceptable quality in almost any lighting conditions.

The picture shows a frame captured from a video stream. The room is lit only by the light from the monitor. The arrow points to the reflection of the monitor in the glass of the furniture, which is located on the opposite wall of the room. http://oldoctober.com/

The disadvantages include the relatively high power consumption of a digital camera in video broadcast mode. Additional energy will also be needed if you use constant focus mode (autofocus tracking).

All this, during prolonged operation, may require recharging the battery or connecting the camera to an external power source. The cost of a branded power supply can be comparable to the cost of a budget webcam.

Another disadvantage is the relatively low image resolution when transmitting video. In any case, it cannot exceed 720x576i pixels at 50fps for the PAL format and 720x480i at 60fps for the NTSC format. In fact, the resolution of the video stream at the output of the DSC can be two or more times lower.

Which DSC can work as a webcam.

DFCs are divided into those that have a “webcam” mode and those that do not. As for the former, there may not be any special problems with the connection, except for the usual problems that arise when connecting a webcam to Skype. You just need to connect the camera to a USB socket, and if the camera does not support the UVC protocol, then also install the driver supplied with the camera.

Next, we will talk about DPCs that do not have a “web camera” function, but transmit an analog video signal not only in slide show mode, but also in the mode of transmitting a video image received through a lens in real time.

Before you buy any video capture device, connect your camera to your TV and make sure it is capable of transmitting a video signal of the quality you are comfortable with.

All digital photo cameras have a video output that allows you to view photos or videos on your TV screen.

That is why, in addition to the USB cable, the DFC comes with a cable for connecting to a TV.

If, when connected to a TV, your camera is capable of streaming video, then it can be used as a webcam for conversations on Skype or recording video on a computer hard drive.

It’s good if the camera allows you to turn off the information board with data about shooting conditions.

Hardware video capture.

The operation of transferring streaming (live) video from a camera to a computer is called Capture Video.

You can capture video using any video capture device that has a tulip-type composite input (usually yellow). This device can be a video card or tuner with video input, as well as any built-in or external adapter for capturing video signals.

In the picture, pos. 1 and 2 are built-in and external TV tuners, and pos. 3 and 4 – built-in and external video capture adapters.

Video capture software.

Before installing video drivers on your computer, if possible, create an OS restore point, or even better, an OS backup.

It's easier to recognize some software and hardware conflicts when you can roll back and start over. This, of course, applies not only to installing video drivers. It’s just that conflicts that arise when using all kinds of video software can be a little more difficult to resolve.

Any video capture device comes with a driver program that allows you to record a video signal to a hard drive, but this program does not transmit the video signal to Internet telephony programs. To transmit this video signal directly to Skype, it needs to be intercepted and redirected. For this purpose you can use free program SplitCam.

However, the software supplied with the video capture device must be installed, since without it, the video signal cannot be captured.

The only case where you can do without installing accompanying software is when the video device supports the UVC (USB Video Class) standard. This standard does not require installing drivers in the OS starting from Windows XP SP2. Such a device, for example, could be a webcam, which, however, does not want to “cooperate” with Skype. Similar cases occur, and we will consider them below.

Installation and use of SplitCam.

Installing the program is no different from installing other applications, except that during the installation process the installer offers to install a bunch of related software that is not related to capture. I have not installed any of the proposed software and I do not recommend it to you.

The picture shows the installation process. On pages with options not related to video capture, you can safely click the “Declines” button.

The installation process itself takes only a few seconds.

So, the Split Cam program is installed, and you can start switching the signal.

Switching the video signal when using a video capture device.

If your video capture device, such as an adapter or TV tuner, is located outside of the computer, you must first connect it to the computer.

Then, in the composite input (usually yellow), you need to connect a cable connected to the same output of the digital camera.

The digital camera has an automatic shutdown timer to save battery power. Set it to the maximum time so that the camera does not turn off at the most inopportune moment.

Using an external power source will eliminate the need to frequently recharge the battery.

Before attempting to redirect a video stream using SplitCam, make sure that your camera's image is being received by the video capture device.

To do this, run the program that came with the video capture device.

Launch the SplitCam program.

In the program menu, select the signal source: File > Video Source > Your video capture device. Do this even if there is already a bird facing your device.

This is a little counterintuitive, since usually when you select again, the bird is removed. But, let’s leave this up to the conscience of the program developer, not forgetting that the program is free.

If you select the option: Options > Advertisements > Exchange ad and video windows, then the picture with the captured video will move to a larger window.

Now that you have verified that the video signal has been successfully intercepted, you can launch Skype.

The latest versions of Skype themselves offer to check the quality of the video image. But, if this does not happen, you will have to select the signal source manually.

In the Skype main menu, select Tools > Settings > Video Settings > Select Webcam. Select from the drop-down menu SplitCam Capture.

Possible problems with video signal transmission.

The appearance of a video image in the Skype settings window is not a guarantee that you will be able to successfully transmit this video signal to your subscribers.

The first obstacle on this path is the Skype program itself.

If the video signal successfully passed Skype and went to your interlocutor, then we cannot significantly influence his further travels via the P2P (Peer To Peer) protocol. Here, a lot will depend on a number of circumstances, such as the transmission speed between individual computers on the network (of which there can be many), the magnitude of pings, the number of lost packets, etc.

But it’s even worse if, some time after establishing a connection with the subscriber, the video signal “jams” in the Skype program itself. The cause may be a software conflict due to a specific hardware configuration. This manifests itself as freezing of the picture or even freezing of the Skype program itself. In the worst case scenario, this conflict can cause the OS to freeze and require a computer restart.

Manufacturers are aware of existing problems and are trying to solve them, but huge variety The hardware used and its configurations makes this process difficult.

On one of the tested computers, I encountered a similar conflict, which manifested itself in video freezing and Skype freezing. I followed all the manufacturer’s recommendations, from installing the latest drivers for all computer hardware to flashing the BIOS firmware with the latest software version, but nothing changed at all.

If such a conflict occurs, then you can use another program that can also redirect the video stream - ManyCam.

Installing and using ManyCam.

The ManyCam program is a multifunctional software that allows you not only to redirect the video stream in the same way as SplitCam does, but also provides a lot of other equally interesting functions.

For example, using this program, you can show your friends a video recording located on your computer’s hard drive.

The desktop display function has been expanded compared to the similar Skype function, which allows you to adapt the image transmission to the capabilities of the existing communication channel.

Simply put, you can determine not only the size of the transmitted image, but also the resolution of the video image.

With a narrow communication channel, image legibility can be significantly increased by moving the selected area following the movement of the cursor.

Well, for lovers of various baubles, ManyCam was taught to intercept streaming video and add all sorts of effects, like those that allow you to add proprietary software that comes with regular web cameras.

What I liked most was the ability to change the background directly during the video broadcast. Moreover, the background can be not only static, but also dynamic. In the program this effect is located under the button Background.

It works like this. First, ManyCam remembers the background behind you * , and then replaces it with its own static or dynamic background. Of course, upon careful examination of the picture, you can notice artifacts characteristic of mediocre performance of Chroma key technology. But, if you try and match the real and virtual backgrounds by tone, then you can easily.

In general, if you are an active Skype user, then this program may be useful to you, even if everything is already working well for you.

Installing the ManyCam program takes 10 – 20 seconds.

When, during the installation process of the program, you are prompted to install additional software, you can safely click Declines.

* When you try to use the background replacement effect, a pop-up window will appear and you will be asked to capture a photo of your background without you. Clicking the button Take snapshot(Capture photo), you need to leave the field of view of the webcam within 3 seconds.

The background, in this case, must be stationary and the lighting conditions unchanged. For example, if you sit down at a table and even slightly change the flow of light falling on the background, this can cause additional Chroma key artifacts. Naturally, all settings (Focus, WB, Exposure) of the webcam should be in manual mode.