Images on this site were compressed using e-Vue MPEG4 technology in 2001, which was groundbreaking at the time for its DRM component and higher compression than JPG, however e-Vue is no more — we are transitioning these images to JPEG for 2004.
You will need to know where the images go, because the WebCam software is going to "log-in" as you, and then put images online for you, and you will need to tell the software where that is exactly. You may also need to build an HTML page that loads that image.
Getting Started Your first task will vary, depending on whether you have an existing PC/Mac laying about. For my WebCam system, I chose a semi-retired Mac 9500/150 (a 6100 or 7200 would work just fine) with 32MB RAM, an Apple 13-inch color display, and a refurbished Logitech Color QuickCam. I could have as easily used my old PC166, an old 13-inch PC monitor, and a USB QuickCam for Windows. Once you know what system you’re using, choose your camera. Pick a good camera that allows 640x480-pixel resolution or better, with lens focus ability. Fixed focus cameras won’t work too well past six feet or so.
Once you have your computer, monitor, and camera, you need to install the software that comes with your camera. This is important, because the camera will need a driver of some kind. Once properly installed, you should be able to view video on your monitor. This is your dry run: if you can see video on your monitor, make adjustments to the incoming signal, set the physical focus on the camera lens.
Essentially, what you see on the monitor, such as a 320x240-pixel image, is what you will see on the Web. The difference is that while you can walk past your camera, and it looks pretty much like real life, the actual images served to the Web will be fewer frames per second (fps). Normal video is about 30fps, whereas streaming media is usually 15fps or less. Typical WebCams, such as we’re discussing, serve one frame per second, at best, at a fairly small size.
Example of typical controls for WebCams, showing CoolCam 1.7, with upload path to Web server, and image/capture options.
Some cameras may
even include some kind of "WebCam" software, which is
why you want to get all the hardware working first. You might
not need to buy additional software.
If your camera works with your PC hardware, you need to get the
computer connected to the Internet. This means using the second
connection you’ve ordered through your ISP, or using a hub/router.
At this point, you need to make sure your WebCam PC can connect
to a Web site over the Internet. If you can surf the Web on this
PC, then it will be able to work with WebCam software.
If you can afford it, look for a newer WebCam that has a CMOS
sensor instead of a CCD, because it will be less sensitive to
brightness "washouts," particularly if the image is
an outside view. A tripod mount is also a good idea.
Finding The Software
Luckily most of the shareware WebCam applications have trial periods
of some kind that let you try out different options until you
are happy with the results. The typical process involves installing
the chosen software, then using the customize options to set the
upload path (the place where your images and HTML live on the
Web) via FTP and your log-in username/password, image size and
quality, upload frequency, and other options like date-stamp or
captioning, if available.
AC Webcam Uploader 2000 is a $15 product for Windows 95/98/Me
that uses JPEG compression, allows uploading images at time intervals,
features a timestamp option, offers the ability to save images
to your hard drive (archive), and captures movie files in .avi
format.
WebCam32 6.0 is the latest version of one of the most popular
WebCam applications for Windows. Price is $40 via online download,
and it’s compatible with most cameras, including the Kodak
DC200/210 models. It supports captions and logo overlays, and
has an "autocam" feature that automatically creates
an HTML page to view the image (very cool!). Advanced options
include text-chat, and audio message. A test drive is available,
with a one-hour timeout.
For my Mac-based WebCam, I started out using StripCam, a free
control strip module, for any Mac (even pre-PowerPC models). It
was very easy to set up, and pretty much just worked the first
time. StripCam works with a video cam like the QuickCam, or with
any built-in video source. You could even hook up an old VHS video
camera to any AV Mac and that would work, too. Although this software
worked well enough, I had occasional problems with the image compressor
and my particular QuickCam (an old Connectix model).
