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From: Miem on 27 Aug 2008 09:12
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
From: Rikishi 42 on 27 Aug 2008 13:25
On 2008-08-27, Miem <MiemChan(a)gmail.com> wrote:

> 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?

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


> * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?

Of course not. Not if they're USB.


> * Is there any ready to use utility software that can capture image
> frames from 3 cameras simultaneously?

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.


> * Is there any open source code doing this in Linux?

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.
From: Joe Beanfish on 27 Aug 2008 13:43
Miem wrote:
....
> * 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?

Not sure what your application for the cams is but you might check
out www.zoneminder.org if you're interested in surveillance.
From: Hactar on 27 Aug 2008 15:17
In article <09fgo5-80f.ln1(a)whisper.very.softly>,
Rikishi 42 <skunkworks(a)rikishi42.net> wrote:
> On 2008-08-27, Miem <MiemChan(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?
>
> Of course not. Not if they're USB.

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 QebWenE01R(a)vTerYizUonI.nOetP http://royalty.mine.nu:81
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_
From: Rikishi 42 on 27 Aug 2008 19:30
On 2008-08-27, Hactar <ebenZEROONE(a)verizon.net> wrote:
>
>
> In article <09fgo5-80f.ln1(a)whisper.very.softly>,
> Rikishi 42 <skunkworks(a)rikishi42.net> wrote:
>> On 2008-08-27, Miem <MiemChan(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > * Would it be a problem using 3 webcams on one PC?
>>
>> Of course not. Not if they're USB.
>
> 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.

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.
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