View video stream 1

[MasterRacker]

I am trying to find a way to view and capture the output of some security cam systems we have. I have a notebook running XP Pro and I've purchased one of these USB video capture widgets:

http://www.cdwg.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1214572

which comes with a copy of Ulead VideoStudio 6 SE. One function I don't see in that program is a way to view the video stream without actually capturing it. I also don't see a way in WMP 11 to connect to this device.

Can someone suggest a program (preferably free) to simply view the stream without capturing? (Among other things, I don't need to fill my hard disk when I fumbling around in the security systems setup menus.)



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Jeff
[small][purple]It's never too early to begin preparing for [/purple]International Talk Like a Pirate Day
"The software I buy sucks, The software I write sucks. It's time to give up and have a beer..." - Me[/small]

 

[linney]

What brand is the video camera, web cam, or whatever you are trying to observe live? Are the drivers and software for the video camera equipment installed on your machine? I am guessing that the only way you can view live pictures is with that piece of software that runs the camera?

WMP will only play files, saved in a format that it understands, such as .avi, .wmv etc.

 

[MasterRacker]

I'm trying to observe the device listed in my link above. It is an external piece of hardware that takes in a NTSC video signal via a RCA connector and feeds it into the PC via USB. The driver for that is installed on the PC. The driver shows in Device Mangler under "Imaging Devices" as "Hi-Speed USB DVD Creator". The copy of Ulead VideoStudio does not appear to be customized for Belkin so I'm assuming it interfaces with the Imaging Device in some "standard" way.

I have managed to find this

http://www.avs4you.com/AVS-TV-Box.aspx

which may work.

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Jeff
[small][purple]It's never too early to begin preparing for [/purple]International Talk Like a Pirate Day
"The software I buy sucks, The software I write sucks. It's time to give up and have a beer..." - Me[/small]

 

[Nelviticus]

I use a little app called TVViewer. It's not free but it is cheap - $10. Although that page talks about using a VCR, it can work with any video input which has a WDM (Windows Driver Model) or VfW (Video for Windows) driver.

I haven't used it for a while but it looks as though it was updated last week for the first time in years, so thanks for reminding me of it!

Nelviticus

 

[MasterRacker]

OK, I was testing with a video source that was modulated onto a channel instead of being a simple video signal. Ulead VideoStudio actually can monitor without recording. TVViewer also works and allows me to scale the picture,which will come in handy when I'm trying to read the security system's menus. AVS-TV box still reports no capture source available.

As far as using the wrong video signal goes - for you youngsters out there, this is the kind of thing that happens when you spend too many years in IT.

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Jeff
[small][purple]It's never too early to begin preparing for [/purple]International Talk Like a Pirate Day
"The software I buy sucks, The software I write sucks. It's time to give up and have a beer..." - Me[/small]

 

[BadBigBen]

Also worth a look: VLC

VLC media player

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."