Multiple webcams on Ubuntu Fedora and Win XP

Hey,

I need to connect 3 webcams to a labtop running Linux (Ubuntu or
Fedora9) and periodically capture and save image frames from those 3
webcams as fast as it can be.

Later on I also repeat the same operation on a Windows XP machine
belongs to someone else.

I have limited budget and I want to use the same 3 webcams on two
trials. I want my image frames in 640x480 or better resolution.

Questions:
* Which webcams (brand name, model name) are known to be running
both on Linux and on Win XP without any problem?
* Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?
* Is there any ready to use utility software that can capture image
frames from 3 cameras simultaneously?
* Is there any open source code doing this in Linux?

Thx,

miemchan at gmail dot com

On 2008-08-27, Miem <MiemChan@gmail.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> I have limited budget and I want to use the same 3 webcams on two
> trials. I want my image frames in 640x480 or better resolution.
>
> Questions:
> * Which webcams (brand name, model name) are known to be running
> both on Linux and on Win XP without any problem?[/color]

Find a model that runs under Linux. You won't have problems finding a driver
for Windows.

[color=blue]
> * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?[/color]

Of course not. Not if they're USB.

[color=blue]
> * Is there any ready to use utility software that can capture image
> frames from 3 cameras simultaneously?[/color]

I can only speek for Linux. In Windows, I don't think you'll find a utility.
The last cam I used had an entire suit of applications, all graphical (not
very usefull if you want to run the using schedule)

You forgot about multitasking. Just set up a script to capture one, and copy
that with modified webcam parameters. Run the 3 scripts at the same time,
with a simple cron job.

[color=blue]
> * Is there any open source code doing this in Linux?[/color]

Yes. But it's been a while since I did it first, and I haven't gotten to do
it on this machine yet.


--
Hanlon's Razor:
Never attribute to malice that which is
adequately explained by stupidity.

Miem wrote:[color=blue]
> Hey,
>
> I need to connect 3 webcams to a labtop running Linux (Ubuntu or
> Fedora9) and periodically capture and save image frames from those 3
> webcams as fast as it can be.
> (...)
>
> Questions:
> * Which webcams (brand name, model name) are known to be running
> both on Linux and on Win XP without any problem?
>[/color]
I'm searching for similar hardware, but I want 4 webcam....
I found this:
[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-5M-WEBCAM-Camera-Mic-6-Infrared-LED-PC-Mac-UVC_W0QQitemZ200249115412QQihZ010QQcategoryZ4616QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

(or similar - most webcams witch "UVC compatibile" should work well
under WinXP/Vista/Mac/Linux)
there is list of known cameras
[url]http://linux-uvc.berlios.de/[/url]

see also this lists
[url]http://alpha.dyndns.org/ov511/cameras.html[/url]
[url]http://mxhaard.free.fr/spca5xx.html[/url]

I search for camera that could work under ARM9 arch.
I think that I could port driver myself, but maybe it is done already?
[color=blue]
> * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?
>[/color]
No. I have in another computer (Gentoo linux) connected 12 cameras and
all works well,
- 8 analog CCTV camera connected do 2 video capture cards bt878 chipset
(4 inputs each) & 4 USB UVC cameras
( but fps isn't high)[color=blue]
> * Is there any ready to use utility software that can capture image
> frames from 3 cameras simultaneously?
> * Is there any open source code doing this in Linux?
>
>[/color]
Yes, there are several programs, ask google "Linux video recording"

I'm using
[url]http://www.zoneminder.com/[/url]
bu also
[url]http://www.cadsoft.de/vdr/[/url]
is quite good

Mariusz Koniarz

Miem wrote:
....[color=blue]
> * Is there any ready to use utility software that can capture image
> frames from 3 cameras simultaneously?
> * Is there any open source code doing this in Linux?[/color]

Not sure what your application for the cams is but you might check
out [url]www.zoneminder.org[/url] if you're interested in surveillance.

In article <09fgo5-80f.ln1@whisper.very.softly>,
Rikishi 42 <skunkworks@rikishi42.net> wrote:[color=blue]
> On 2008-08-27, Miem <MiemChan@gmail.com> wrote:
>[color=green]
> > * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?[/color]
>
> Of course not. Not if they're USB.[/color]

Eh, not so fast. The driver for my Intel "Create and Share" cam, "gspca",
reserves USB bandwidth. If you have two of them hanging off a hub, the
first one gets the bandwidth, and the second one chokes. At least
that's how I think it works; I only have one.

--
-eben [email]QebWenE01R@vTerYizUonI.nOet[/email]P [url]http://royalty.mine.nu:81[/url]
AQUARIUS: There's travel in your future when your tongue freezes to the
back of a speeding bus. Fill the void in your pathetic life by playing
Whack-a-Mole 17 hours a day. -- Weird Al, _Your Horoscope for Today_

On 2008-08-27, Hactar <ebenZEROONE@verizon.net> wrote:[color=blue]
>
>
> In article <09fgo5-80f.ln1@whisper.very.softly>,
> Rikishi 42 <skunkworks@rikishi42.net> wrote:[color=green]
>> On 2008-08-27, Miem <MiemChan@gmail.com> wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>> > * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?[/color]
>>
>> Of course not. Not if they're USB.[/color]
>
> Eh, not so fast. The driver for my Intel "Create and Share" cam, "gspca",
> reserves USB bandwidth. If you have two of them hanging off a hub, the
> first one gets the bandwidth, and the second one chokes. At least
> that's how I think it works; I only have one.[/color]

Possible, but that would Really Bad Design[tm].
Have you tested that, say by monitoring the transfer speed to/from an USB
disk?

They're not supposed to reserve bandwidth on a shared resource. Not until
they need it. And even then only the strict minimum. Which is nothing, in
this case: a single snapshot from time to time.


But thanks for the info, I'll watch out for that, in my upcomming purchase.

(note to self: stay away from Intel cams)


--
Hanlon's Razor:
Never attribute to malice that which is
adequately explained by stupidity.

In article <ol4ho5-rkj.ln1@whisper.very.softly>,
Rikishi 42 <skunkworks@rikishi42.net> wrote:[color=blue]
> On 2008-08-27, Hactar <ebenZEROONE@verizon.net> wrote:[color=green]
> >
> >
> > In article <09fgo5-80f.ln1@whisper.very.softly>,
> > Rikishi 42 <skunkworks@rikishi42.net> wrote:[color=darkred]
> >> On 2008-08-27, Miem <MiemChan@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> > * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?
> >>
> >> Of course not. Not if they're USB.[/color]
> >
> > Eh, not so fast. The driver for my Intel "Create and Share" cam, "gspca",
> > reserves USB bandwidth. If you have two of them hanging off a hub, the
> > first one gets the bandwidth, and the second one chokes. At least
> > that's how I think it works; I only have one.[/color]
>
> Possible, but that would Really Bad Design[tm].[/color]

Yes it would.
[color=blue]
> Have you tested that, say by monitoring the transfer speed to/from an USB
> disk?[/color]

On the driver's web site (?) there was a troubleshooting entry for "if you
have this on a hub with some other stuff and it doesn't work" where they
discussed the reservation of bandwidth and offered a workaround.
[color=blue]
> But thanks for the info, I'll watch out for that, in my upcomming purchase.
>
> (note to self: stay away from Intel cams)[/color]

Shouldn't be a worry; I don't think they make this one any more.
Probably haven't for a while.

--
-eben [email]QebWenE01R@vTerYizUonI.nOet[/email]P royalty.mine.nu:81
If you need someone to blame
Throw a rock in the air
You'll hit someone guilty -- U2, _Zooropa_, "Dirty Day"

On Aug 27, 6:12*am, Miem <MiemC...@gmail.com> wrote:[color=blue]
> Hey,
>
> I need to connect 3 webcams to a labtop running Linux (Ubuntu or
> Fedora9) and periodically capture and save image frames from those 3
> webcams as fast as it can be.
>
> Later on I also repeat the same operation on a Windows XP machine
> belongs to someone else.
>
> I have limited budget and I want to use the same 3 webcams on two
> trials. I want my image frames in 640x480 or better resolution.
>
> Questions:
> * * Which webcams (brand name, model name) are known to be running
> both on Linux and on Win XP without any problem?
> * * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?
> * * Is there any ready to use utility software that can capture image
> frames from 3 cameras simultaneously?
> * * Is there any open source code doing this in Linux?
>
> Thx,
>
> miemchan at gmail dot com[/color]

How simultaneously you want to capture images? If you want to build a
high level of sync between cameras, it is a problem. Few years back I
didn't find any problem for similar setup, but my cameras were on
different IP addresses and I didn't required sync between them
Alex