Linux Webcam and TV【Linux 摄像头 和 电视】

 HowTo WebCam On Linux

 

 

Five fun ways to use a Linux webcam

http://www.linux.com/archive/articles/126186

 

 

 

The Webcam HOWTO

http://tldp.org/HOWTO/html_single/Webcam-HOWTO/

 

 

WebCam under Linux

http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/linux/webcam.html

 

 

 

‘Webcams in Linux, Part 1

http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/tutorials/6463/1/

 

 

 

 http://www.linuxdiyf.com/bbs/thread-69684-1-1.html

 livna上已有摄像头驱动了，
“yum -y install gspca"
用Fedora7以来，摄像头一直闲置着。今天给它装了驱动，把它利用起来。
首先打开一个终端窗口输入：lsusb      查看摄像头是否被识别，我的是中星微301PL芯片被识别为301b，如图

到http://mxhaard.free.fr下载驱动gspcav1-20070508.tar.gz，这网站（网站上好像是有摄像头支持列表的）今天一直没能连接上。所以会在附件里添加该驱动（我以前下载的），这个驱动是给2.6.11以上内核用的。
终端窗口输入：yum install kernel-devel kernel-headers         如果已经安装了就不需要这一步了。
终端窗口输入：cd /home/download                       这是我的下载文件存放处，各位根据自己的下载文件存放处修改
终端窗口输入：tar xvfz gspcav1-20070508.tar.gz
终端窗口输入：cd /gspcav1-20070508
终端窗口输入：make
终端窗口输入：make install
驱动就安装好了（注：我在安装系统的时候，开发库就是完全安装的，系统安装好以后又YUM添加了好多包，如gcc,rpm,make等相关包，所以安装摄像头驱动是没碰到错误的）。
还有摄像头应用程序spcaview，需要SDL库
终端窗口输入：yum install SDL SDL-devel          如果已经安装了就不需要这一步了
附件里给的是已经编译好的spcaview，解压后直接可以用。 

 

 

 

HOWTO Install a webcam

 

 http://en.gentoo-wiki.com/wiki/HOWTO_Install_a_webcam

 

Webcam

From Gentoo Linux Wiki

(Redirected from HOWTO Install a webcam)

Jump to: navigation, search

Webcams are live video capturing devices. They are usually connected using USB. If it is an ethernet or wifi webcam, you won't need any drivers, but just a browser.

Fix me: Add information for non-USB webcams.

[edit] Kernel configuration

[edit] USB support

Before continuing, make sure you've got USB up and running.

[edit] Webcam support

Video devices are connected using the Video4Linux and Video4Linux2 frameworks. Enable support in your kernel:

Linux Kernel Configuration: v4l and v4l2 support

Device Drivers ---> Multimedia devices ---> <*> Video For Linux [ ] Enable Video For Linux API 1 (DEPRECATED) [*] Enable Video For Linux API 1 compatible Layer

[edit] Webcam driver

Now we'll need to identify your webcam's chipset and configure in-kernel support, or find an external module. Install sys-apps/usbutils:

emerge -av usbutils

And list the connected devices using lsusb.

# lsusb

Bus 001 Device 002: ID 046d:08da Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Messanger

The above output line will be just one of many, and is an example webcam. You may have a completely different line. If your webcam doesn't show up, run

update-usbids

Also make sure you have booted with a kernel which supports your USB chipset. If you have, check dmesg's output while plugging in a webcam and see if anything happens.

Now that you (hopefully) know your webcam's chipset, open up your kernel configuration and see if there's in-kernel support for it. If there is, you can just go ahead and enable it, recompile and install your kernel.

Note: Some drivers support more than one chipset, so it may not be clear from the config's title whether or not yours is supported. Read the options' help to be sure.

[edit] Generic

Most webcams on the market today are supported by the two generic drivers below. Also, if you can't identify the make or model or your webcam, the following kernel drivers may help you out after all:

Linux Kernel Configuration: USB_GSPCA

Device Drivers ---> Multimedia devices ---> [*] Video capture adapters ---> [*] V4L USB devices ---> <*> USB GSPCA driver

Or, for the Linux kernel >=2.6.29:

Linux Kernel Configuration: USB_GSPCA

Device Drivers ---> Multimedia devices ---> [*] Video capture adapters ---> [*] V4L USB devices ---> <*> GSPCA based webcams ---> [Select your device from the list]

If your web camera is aggregated with microphone, you will need the USB sound device:

Linux Kernel Configuration: SND_USB_AUDIO

Device Drivers ---> <*> Sound card support ---> <M> Advanced Linux Sound Architecture ---> [*] USB sound devices ---> <M> USB Audio/MIDI driver

(install media-video/gspcav1 for <2.6.27 kernels): supports many webcams based on various chipsets. List of supported devices at http://mxhaard.free.fr/spca5xx.html

Linux Kernel Configuration: USB_VIDEO_CLASS

Device Drivers ---> Multimedia devices ---> [*] Video capture adapters ---> [*] V4L USB devices ---> <*> USB Video Class (UVC)

(install media-video/linux-uvc for <2.6.26 kernels): supports many webcams following the UVC specification. List of supported devices at http://linux-uvc.berlios.de

[edit] Konica, OV511, SE401, SN9C10x, STV680, W996[87]CF, some Philips webcams

Drivers for cameras based on these chip-sets can be found in the kernel.

[edit] Philips

Drivers for some Philips ToUcam webcams can be found in media-video/usb-pwc-re and media-video/usb-pwcx.

[edit] Logitech

Some drivers are available in-kernel, but there are also some packages. A few drivers are available. Each supports a different set of webcams. Try them all until you find the one that works best:

• media-video/qc-usb
• media-video/qc-usb-messenger
• media-video/gspcav1
• media-video/spca5xx
• media-video/linux-uvc - for new logitech webcams

Note: Some old Logitech webcams only work with the Philips driver (e.g. Logitech QuickCam 4000 Pro, Logitech QuickCam Notebook Pro).

[edit] Tweaks

If using the qc-cam driver, you can improve the speed of the camera using the qcset utility. You can enable double-buffering using:

# qcset compat=dblbuf

The qcset utility is full of interesting settings. With qcset keepsettings=1, the settings will be stored into the webcam and you will be able to control brightness, contrast, etc. You can check that your settings have been restored correctly by runing:

# qcset -i

[edit] OV51X (Sony EyeToy)

For this webcam chipset, there's media-video/ov51x-jpeg in sunrise. The modules included in this are:

• ov51x
• ov519_decomp

[edit] Ricoh R5U870

For this webcam chipset, there's media-video/ov51x-jpeg in sunrise.

[edit] SN9C1XX

There are a couple of sn9c1xx webcams around, like the sweex minicam. There is general support in the kernel for these, but there is a more up-to-date driver called media-video/sn9c1xx in the sunrise overlay.

[edit] Syntek

This webcam can be found in some ASUS laptops. It is not yet available in any tree, so go to the Web site and install it manually.

[edit] Loading a driver

Note: You can skip this section if you built the drivers into the kernel.

You should now have your camera's module installed. To find the module's name of the module use the equery tool from gentoolkit with the name of the driver's package:

$ equery f <package name>

And insert the module for your camera.

# modprobe <module_name>

You can also add it to /etc/modules.autoload.d/linux-2.6 (if using <baselayout-2)

File: /etc/modules.autoload.d/linux-2.6

...
<module_name>
...

or /etc/conf.d/modules (if using >=baselayout-2)

File: /etc/conf.d/modules

...
modules="${modules} <module_name>"
...

[edit] Libraries

Sometimes additional libraries may be needed for the correct work of the camera.

• media-libs/libv4l fixes the compatibility issue between v4l and v4l2, and also converts from different pixel formats used by cameras to a standard understood by most applications. If the driver recognizes your camera but the picture appears as noise or seriously distorted (while the resolution setting are alright) then you should try to emerge this library and follow the instructions given in ebuild messages.

[edit] Using your webcam

If you are using udev there should now be a device file in /dev/v4l/ called video0 (or video1, video2 or video3, for that matter). If the device is not created, check dmesg for errors and useful messages.

[edit] Testing

Some applications require the v4l and/or v4l2 use-flags to take advantage of your webcam. Some applications can't detect the camera's resolution. You can use the v4l-info tool from the media-tv/xawtv package to find out what resolution your device supports, and also detect if it's working at all:

$ v4l-info

This produces a lot of output. Scroll through the list to find the resolution.

[edit] Viewing

[edit] Mplayer

Versatile media player. Can play from many sources, including video devices. Specify the width and height manually, depending on what your camera supports. For example, for a v4l1 driven webcam with resolution of 352x288:

$ mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l:width=352:height=288:device=/dev/video0 $ mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l:width=352:height=288:outfmt=rgb24:device=/dev/video0:noaudio -flip

A v4l2 driven webcam with a resolution of 640x480 and 15 frames per second:

$ mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:width=640:height=480:device=/dev/video0 -fps 15

Anononymous note: Remember to have mplayer compiled with dvb and v4l and/or v4l2. This can be done by adding media-video/mplayer dvb v4l v4l2 on /etc/portage/package.use.

[edit] Other packages

• media-video/camorama - Simple and effective.
• media-video/spcaview - Viewer for use with the spca5xx or gspcav1 driver.
• media-video/xawtv - One of the oldest video viewers for linux. Relatively old graphical interface. Gets the job done.
• media-video/came - Rewrite of xawtv with added features.
• media-video/cheese - Gnome webcam application

You might need to install media-libs/libv4l and run "LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so application" in order to make some programs which only work with v4l1 work on v4l2. Remember also to emerge those applications with the v4l v4l2 flag.

[edit] Recording

[edit] mplayer

Make sure mplayer's encode use-flag is enabled. Example usage for recording continuous video:

$ mencoder tv:// -tv driver=v4l:width=<width>:height=<height>:device=/dev/video0 -nosound -ovc lavc -o <filename>.avi

Recording with sound, one channel 64kbit mp3:

$ mencoder tv:// -tv driver=v4l:width=<width>:height=<height>:device=/dev/video0:forceaudio:adevice=/dev/dsp -ovc lavc -oac mp3lame -lameopts cbr:br=64:mode=3 -o <filename>.avi

unmute ALSA capture

$ alsamixer

and press F4

List all soundcards and digital audio devices

$ arecord -l

**** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
card 0: Intel [HDA Intel], device 0... 
.... 

card 1: U0x46d0x9c1 [USB Device 0x46d:0x9c1], device 0: USB Audio [USB Audio]
  Subdevices: 1/1
  Subdevice #0: subdevice #0

change "adevice=/dev/dsp"

mencoder tv:// ... adevice=hw.1:alsa

[edit] Other packages

• media-video/w3cam - Able to capture single frames to image files. You could use this to make photos.

[edit] Streaming

You can also publish the video stream via ethernet.

[edit] vlc

Install with the stream, httpd and v4l use-flags. Run the GUI client and open a capture device. Make sure the correct device file is selected, and turn on streaming at the bottom of the dialog. In the stream settings, enable http and select at least a video codec. In the preferences window you may also set a user and password for accessing the stream. The "open capture dialog" and "stream settings" will also show you the options you need to perform all this from the command line.

[edit] camserv

Streaming video server.

Note: If you know the following settings aren't needed, or can minimize this list, please do.

Specific setup for cameras based on PAC207* chipset:

File: Pixart camserv setup

....
[video_v4l_qcam]
path            /usr/lib64/camserv/libvideo_v4l.so.0
device_path     /dev/video0
port            0
color           30000
hue             30000
contrast        30000
brightness      30000
whiteness       30000
autobright      0
...

[video]
video_section           video_v4l_qcam
width                   320
height                  240
maxfps                  0
memhack                 1
...

[edit] Other packages

• UVC Streamer - Streaming video server for Linux UVC compatible webcams with very low CPU and RAM usage.

[edit] Monitoring

Even though this is not a good idea due to usb bandwidth, this is possible with 1 or 2 cameras, or with multiple usb bus cards.

• media-video/motion - Motion detector.
• www-misc/zoneminder - Allows you to capture, analyze, record and monitor any cameras attached to your system through a web interface.
• media-video/motiontrack - Not strictly a webcam application, but can be used in combination with a frame grabber to compare images and check for motion.

[edit] Troubleshooting

[edit] "Input/output error" or "No space left on device"

This can be due to USB bandwidth being exceeded. Try connecting the device to a different USB port, preferably on another bus (usually not the connector right next to it). Also see this post on the Gentoo forums.

[edit] Black screen

If you only see a black screen using xawtv or gqcam and then the application crashes and the kernel log gives you something like this:

May 18 14:47:37 [kernel] ohci_hcd 0000:00:03.1: leak ed ef3340c0 (#81) state 2
May 18 14:48:00 [kernel] quickcam: Control URB error -2
May 18 14:48:00 [kernel] Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address 02000040
...
May 18 14:48:00 [kernel]  <1>Fixing recursive fault but reboot is needed!

Then you have to make sure the webcam is connected to a usb-hub (BUS) that does not have any other devices attached to it. You can investigate that by issuing lsusb as root:

# lsusb

Bus 004 Device 002: ID 0a12:0001 Cambridge Silicon Radio, Ltd Bluetooth Dongle (HCI mode)
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 046d:c50e Logitech, Inc. MX-1000 Cordless Mouse Receiver
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 046d:0870 Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Express
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000

If lsusb hangs you need to reboot first (look at the line reboot is needed! in the kernel log). Here you see that Bus 002 only has the Logitech webcam connected to it. Before that it was connected to Bus 003 where there is already an optical mouse and that would make it crash, so you may have to reboot the system. More about this issue can be found at Gentoo-forum and qc-usb mailing list.

[edit] Odd colors

Known to occur on logitech quickcam messenger 046d:08da. If using the gspca driver, try adding the parameter force_rgb=1. Either using modprobe manually, or add a file in /etc/modules.d:

File: /etc/modules.d/gspca

options gspca force_rgb=1

Run "update-modules force" before inserting the module.

[edit] Mplayer refuses to work with your webcamera or shows some kind of a green noise

Emerge media-libs/libv4l and try running:

$ LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l:device=/dev/video0

If that works, you will probably want to go back and read section Webcam#Libraries

 

 

 

 

HowTo TV On Linux

 

http://linux-redhat.net/Wiley-Fedora.6.and.Red.Hat.Enterprise.Linux.Bible/final/BBL0073.html

Viewing TV and Webcams

Getting TV cards, Webcams, and other video devices to play in Linux is still a bit of an adventure. Most manufacturers of TV cards and Webcams are not losing sleep to produce Linux drivers. As a result, most of the drivers that bring video to your Linux desktop have been reverse-engineered (that is, they were created by software engineers who watched what the video device sent and received, rather than seeing the actual code that runs the device).

The first, and probably biggest, trick is to get a TV card or Webcam that is supported in Linux. Once you are getting video output from that device (typically available from /dev/video0), you can try out a couple of applications to begin using it. This section describes the tvtime program for watching television and the Ekiga program for video conferencing.

Watching TV with tvtime

The tvtime program (tvtime command) lets you display video output, in particular television channels, on your desktop. You can change the channels, adjust volume, and fine-tune your picture. In addition, tvtime sports a slick on-screen display and support for a widescreen display.

Tvtime will display, by default, any device producing video on the /dev/video0 device. Therefore, you can use tvtime to view Webcams as well as receive television channels. The following sections describe how to choose a TV capture card and use tvtime to watch television on your desktop.

Note

Tvtime will not display output from some low-quality Webcams. To use your Webcam, consider obtaining the xawtv package, which is available from the ATrpms.net Fedora software repository. A description of xawtv is available from the Web site that accompanies this book at www.wiley.com/go/fedora6bible.

Getting a Supported TV Card

Video4Linux is the video interface included with Fedora and RHEL. It supports a variety of TV capture cards and cameras.

To see a list of supported TV cards that you can use with tvtime, refer to the CARDLIST and Cards files. To view these files, you need to have the kernel-doc package installed. You'll find the CARDLIST.tuner file in the following location on your Linux system:

/usr/share/doc/kernel-doc*/Documentation/video4linux/

The CARDLIST.bttv file applies to the Video4Linux bttv driver, which lists many TV capture cards by card number, name, and sometimes by chip set. Also, the CARDLIST.tuner lists tuner types that might be associated with different TV cards.

Video4Linux is designed to auto-detect your TV capture card and load the proper modules to activate it. So, physically install the TVcard hardware (with the appropriate connection to your TV reception), boot Fedora or RHEL, and run the tvtime command as described in the next section. You should be able to see video displayed on your tvtime window.

If your card appears not to be working, here are a few things you can try:

• To see if your TV card was properly seated in its slot and detected by Linux, type the following:

  $ /sbin/lspci | less
  

  This will show you a list of all valid PCI cards on your computer. If nothing shows up for the card that says something like "Multimedia video controller," you probably have a hardware problem. My Hauppauge WinTV Go card appears as:

  Multimedia video controller: Brooktree Corporation Bt878 Video Capture
  

• It is possible that the card is there, but the right card type is not being detected. Improper detection is most likely if you have a card for which there are several revisions, with each requiring a different driver. If you think your card is not being properly detected, find your card in the CARDLIST files. Then add the appropriate line to the /etc/modprobe.conf file. For example, to add a Prolink PV-BT878P, revision 9B card, add the following line to /etc/modprobe.conf:

  options bttv card=72
  

You can also add other options listed in the Insmod-options file for the bttv driver. If you are still having problems getting your card to work, a mailing list is available on which you can ask questions about Video4Linux issues. The location is:

• http://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/video4linux-list

One possible reason that you don't see any video when you try to run tvtime or other video applications is that some other person or video application already has the video driver open. Only one application can use the video driver at a time in Fedora or RHEL. Another quirk of Video4Linux is that the first person to open the device on your system becomes the owner. So you might need to open the permissions of the device file (such as /dev/video0) to allow people other than the first person to use it to access the video4linux driver (for example, chmod 666 /dev/video0).

Starting tvtime

To start up the tvtime viewer, simply select the TVtime Television Viewer choice from the Sound & Video menu. Or, type the following from a Terminal window on your desktop:

$ tvtime &

A video screen should appear in a window on the desktop. Click the left mouse button on the window to see the current channel number, current time, and current video source (Television, Composite1, and so on). Click the right mouse button to see the on-screen Setup menu.

If your card seems to have been detected and the needed modules were properly loaded, but you don't see any video, try using the keyboard arrow keys to step forward until you find a valid channel. If that doesn't work, try going through the following adjustments (most important, the video source and television standard), to get tvtime working properly:

• Configure input - This choice allows you to change the video source, choose the television standard (which defaults to NTSC for the USA), and change the resolution of the input. To change the video source to Composite1, S-Video, Television, or other input source, right-click the TVtime window, select Input configuration à Change video Source. To change Television standard, select Television standard and choose NTSC (U.S.), PAL (Europe), or other available settings.

• Set up the picture - Adjust the brightness, contrast, color, and hue. Right-click the TVtime window, select Picture settings, and then choose Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, or Hue to adjust those attributes.

• Adjust the video processing - You can control the attempted frame rate, configure the deinterlacer, or add an input filter. Right-click the TVtime window, select Video processing, and then choose Attempted framerate (to slow the frame rate) or a Deinterlacer option (to change other processing features). You can also try Input filters to do some fun things like invert color, flip the video as though in a mirror image, or put the video in black and white (using Chroma killer).

If you view television often from your computer, consider adding an icon to your panel (right-click the panel and select Add to Panel à Application Launcher à Sound & Video à TVtime). With TVtime running, you can put it on top by right-clicking the title bar and selecting On Top.

Selecting Channels in tvtime

With video input working and the picture adjusted to your liking, you should set up your channels. Right-click the TVtime window, select Channel management à Scan channels for signal. Tvtime will scan for all available channels and note which ones have active signals. Once channels have been scanned, you can use your mouse wheel to change among the active channels. If tvtime missed an active channel, use your keyboard arrow keys to go to the missed channel and select Channel management à Current channel active in list.

Tip

The xmltv project provides a means of identifying and downloading TV listings for your area. TVtime includes support for xmltv listing files, allowing you to display current television shows and station names while you go through tvtime channels. It can be tricky getting xmltv going. If you are interested, I suggest you start at the XMLTV project site (http://membled.com/work/apps/xmltv).

Video Conferencing and VOIP with Ekiga

The Ekiga application (formerly called GnomeMeeting) lets you communicate with other people over a network through video, audio, and typed messages. Because Ekiga supports the H323 protocol, you can use it to communicate with people using other video-conferencing clients, such as Microsoft NetMeeting, Cu-SeeMe, and Intel VideoPhone. Besides video conferencing, Ekiga also supports VOIP and IP telephony, to make telephone calls over the Internet.

To be able to send video, you need a Webcam that is supported in Linux. Although not all Webcams are supported in Linux, you still have a few dozen models to choose from. The following sections show you how to set up your Webcam and use Ekiga for video conferencing.

Getting a Supported Webcam

As with support for TV capture cards, Webcam support is provided through the Video4Linux interface. Some of the supported cameras have a parallel-port interface, although most Webcams currently supported in Linux require a USB port.

Finding a Webcam to work in Linux is a bit of an adventure. Few (if any) Webcams come with Linux drivers or specs to allow open source developers to create those drivers. Webcam drivers that have been created often have limited features and sometimes break with new kernel releases. Also, Webcam vendors sometimes switch the chip sets they are using without changing the Webcam's name. And there are times when the same Webcam is marketed under different names.

So, instead of just telling you what Webcam to buy, I'll tell you what Webcams are supported by drivers that come with Fedora and RHEL. I suggest you use this information as a starting point. Combining that information with some sites where you can do further research should help you make the best choice before purchasing a Webcam.

• IBM C-it USB Webcams (ibmcam driver) - Webcams that work with this driver have been sold under the names Xirlink C-It, IBM PC Camera, Veo Stingray, and Envision 123 Digital Camera. Before purchasing one of these Webcams, refer to the Web site for this driver (www.linux-usb.org/ibmcam) for further information on supported cameras, tips for getting different models to work properly, and insights on how these cameras work.

• Konica Webcams (konicawc driver) - This driver should work with the Intel YC76 or any USB Webcams that have the following vendor or product codes: 0x04c8 or 0x0720. This includes the Intel Create and Share Camera Pack. Information about the driver is available from www.si.org/konica.

• OmniVision Webcams (ov511 driver) - Webcams supported by this driver include USB Webcams based on OmniVision camera chips (www.ovt.com). Webcams include Creative WebCam 3, MediaForte MV300, AVERmedia Webcam, and D-Link DSB-C300.

• Philips USB Webcams (pwc driver) - This driver supports a varietyof Philips USB Webcams, including PCA645, PCA646, PCVC675, PCVC680, PCVC690, PCVC730, PCVC740, and Askey VC010. These include a several inexpensive Logitech Webcams, including the QuickCam Pro 3000.

• EndPoints Webcams (se401 driver) - Supports Webcams that contain the EndPoints SE401 chip sets. These include the Kensington VideoCam PC cameras (67014, 67015, 67016, and 67017) and the Aox se401 camera (se401).

• SONiX PC Cameras (sn9c102 driver) - USB cameras based on the SONiX PC camera controllers are supported by this driver. These include the Sweex 100K, X-Eye, and Chicony Twinklecam Webcam. The sn9c10x driver is maintained by Linux Projects (www.linux-projects.org).

• STMicroelectronics Webcams (stv680 driver) - Webcams containing the USB version of STV0680B chips from STMicroelectronics (www.st.com) are supported by this driver. Cameras include the Aiptec Pencam and Nisis Quickpix 2 (Vendor/product ID 0553/0202). For information on the driver, refer to the Linux STV0680 USP Support page (http://stv0680-usb.sourceforge.net).

• Ultracam Webcams (ultracam driver) - Supports Webcams such as the IBM UltraPort Camera II. See the ultracam driver page (www.gutwin.org/cam/source) for information about the driver.

• Vicam Webcams (vicam driver) - The 3Com HomeConnect USB Webcam is supported by this driver. Refer to the driver's project page for further information (http://homeconnectusb.sourceforge.net).

• Winbond Webcams (w9968cf driver) - Supports the W9668cf JPEG USB dual mode camera chip from Winbond Electronics. Webcams that use that chip include the ADG-5000 Aroma Digi Pen, Ezonics EZ-802 EZMega Cam, and the Pretec DigiPen-480. Refer to the Linux Projects site (www.linux-projects.org) for further information.

Check out the following Web sites for a more complete list of Webcams that are and are not supported in Linux. Keep in mind, however, that not all of the drivers for these Webcams will work in the latest kernels in Fedora or RHEL.

• Kamerstöd i Linux (www.cs.umu.se/~c00ahs/exjobb/linuxcams.html)

• Linux USB Device Drivers (www.linux-usb.org/devices.html)

The Logitech QuickCam Pro 300 Webcam that I used for examples in this chapter works well with the pwc driver that comes with Fedora Core 6.To check that it was working, I ran the lsmod command to see that the pwc driver was loaded and associated with the videodev module:

# lsmod
pwc                    43392     0
compat_ioctl32          5569     1 pwc
videodev                5120     1 pwc

To see information about the pwc module (which is specific to this Webcam), I typed the following modinfo command:

# modinfo -p pwc
size:Initial image size. One of sqcif, qsif, qcif, sif, cif, vga
fps:Initial frames per second. Varies with model, useful range 5-30
fbufs:Number of internal frame buffers to reserve
mbufs:Number of external (mmap()ed) image buffers
trace:For debugging purposes
power_save:Turn power save feature in camera on or off
compression:Preferred compression quality. Range 0 (uncompressed) to 3
     (high compression)
leds:LED on,off time in milliseconds
dev_hint:Device node hints

Running Ekiga

To start Ekiga, select Applications à Internet à IP Telephone, VOIP and Video Conferencing. To start Ekiga from a Terminal window, type ekiga &. If it is not installed, you can install the ekiga package from the DVD that comes with this book. The first time you run Ekiga, the Ekiga Configuration Assistant starts. The assistant lets you enter the following information:

• Personal Data - Your first name, last name, e-mail address, comment, and location. You can also select whether or not you want to be listed in the Ekiga ILS directory.

• Connection Type - Indicate the speed of your Internet connection (56K modem, ISDN, DSL/Cable, T1/LAN, or Custom).

• Audio Manager - Typically you would choose ALSA as your audio manager.

• Video Manager and Devices - Typically you would choose Video4Linux as the video manager and your Webcam as the input device.

Note

If you want to reconfigure Ekiga later, run the following command to clean out the old settings: ekiga-config-tool --clean. Make sure all instances of Ekiga are stopped before running that configuration tool. Run ekiga again to re-enter your settings.

Figure 8-11 shows the Ekiga window with the history log to the right.

Figure 8-11: Connect to ILS servers to video-conference with Ekiga.

In the Ekiga window that opens, you can click the rolodex icon to open an address book. From the address book, select Ekiga White Pages. By typing a name into the search filter, you can search for people who might be connected to Ekiga server by first name, last name, e-mail address, or location. Select a person from the list that appears and, if he or she accepts your call, you can begin video-conferencing.

By selecting View à Control Panel, you can select to have tabs appear beneath the video window to adjust your audio levels and video appearance. The History tab shows a log of your activities.