Newbie question: how to set up an IP camera as a VLC input

[JoshKorn]

What I've got (it arrived yesterday) is a Hawking HNC290G IP Camera. It definitely outputs MJPEG, and may output MPEG4. Like most other IP cameras, it has an address and a port number (default:5000).

I didn't know anything about videolan until I downloaded it this morning, and I'm in a hurry to get something to work (it's for a project with a very short timeline).

What's not clear to me is which protocol I need to use, and in particular what address/setting/etc syntax I need to use to get it to work.

Thanks in advance
Josh

p.s. I'll post the working link here as soon as I can get it to work. I guarantee that the results will be well worthwhile.

[marcuschan]

if u have HNC290G, I don't think u need videolan ...

The HNC290G features a built-in web server and utilizes its own IP address, thereby eliminating the need to be attached to a PC. The camera connects directly to an existing network, allowing users to view live video both from within their local area network (LAN) or from outside the network via the Internet.

HNC290G = a cheap webcam + videolan + PC + ...

could u tell us what u really want to do ??

[JoshKorn]

could u tell us what u really want to do ??

Sure: host the video control (which is actually a Java applet) in a page of my own. Hawking's docs aren't clear on how to do this, but I did finally figure it out, and it does actually work.

Trouble is, of course, that it's not particularly good at being a server for several viewers. That's what I was hoping VideoLAN could do.

[marcuschan]

HNC290G = webcam + videolan + PC + web server

HNC290G is just like the 3-in-1 coffee instant (coffee + sugar + milk powder already mixed) ..

What I can tell u is :

1. u may setup VLC and a cheap USB webcam on a WinXP,
set source = webcam capture (dshow), and stream out in "http" format
this is your source

assuming the PC and your viewers are already on the LAN

2a. if your viewers have VLC, then they may use VLC to receive the http video. Since VLC can handle all format output from VLC, so, you can use any codec your like in step a.

2b. if your viewers want to use a browser to watch the output, you will have to resolve 2 issues ...

A. you need a "web server" and a simple web page to embed the video output. You may use IIS, Apache, Jetty as the web server.

B. select a Video player for your web page. You may use the VLC ActiveX for IE or Mozilla plugin for FireFox. In these cases, any codec will be fine.

If you use WMP as the video player in the web page, select MPEG2 will be fine.

if you use QuickTime, select ASF as the packing formet will be fine.

...good luck ...

[JoshKorn]

Marcus, I appreciate your help, but I already know all of that, and have already solved all the issues except the one with which I started this thread:

What do I have to do to get VLC to use this camera's streaming video feed as input? In other words, what is the syntax of the MRL that I need to do this?
(The camera is an MJPEG camera which has a streaming video output at port 5000).

I don't want to have VLC do web captures of the camera since that would make it just as bad as using what the camera does now.

Am I making sense?

[Asim]

well however u view the camera thru the network... e.g. by typing http://YourIP:Port

then simply open a network stream in videolan... and when ur in the open dialog... under the advanced tab... click "stream/save"... click on settings... and modify it according to your requirements.. and voila.

- Asim

[marcuschan]

Marcus, I appreciate your help, but I already know all of that, and have already solved all the issues except the one with which I started this thread:

What do I have to do to get VLC to use this camera's streaming video feed as input? In other words, what is the syntax of the MRL that I need to do this?
(The camera is an MJPEG camera which has a streaming video output at port 5000).

I don't want to have VLC do web captures of the camera since that would make it just as bad as using what the camera does now.

Am I making sense?

since I don't have a HNC290G, I can't answer your question.

but, if u can get the html page, I may help u to use the ouput of HNC290G as a of source of vlc for u.

when your receiver, use a browser, link to a web page, to view the capture of your HNC290G, there should be a "embed" video object to display the video ouput in the web page. U may use "view -> source" in your browser to get the html source.

if u don't have a technical doc telling u the video format and streaming portocol used by HNC290G, that may be a way for u to get the info u needed.

[JoshKorn]

if u don't have a technical doc telling u the video format and streaming portocol ...

That technical doc doesn't seem to be on the horizon anytime soon, but what narrows down the possibilities is the documented Media Resource Locator, which looks like:

access/demux://URL ...

I know that the demux is mjpeg (that's documented), but access isn't so clear: from the documented options, it might be one of:
dv: Digital Video/FireWire, rtp: RTP, rtsp: RTSP, tcp: TCP, udp: UDP

I don't really know what rtp and rtsp are, so I'm guessing some ... any clues?

[marcuschan]

if u can see the captured video in a WEB page, then u can find out the format used ....

u can open the source of the WEB page in your browser, and see how the video is embedded ....

[r3volution11]

Not necessarily.

I have a Sony SNC-P1 and am trying to overcome the same feat.

The webcam's own web page uses an activex control to play the stream so figuring out the actual codec/format it's using is a pain.

It took me a few days just to find out the path where it was storing the stream (gotta love Sony).

Hope you get an answer to this JoshKorn as I might be able to benefit from it myself.