Live Streaming from an IP Camera

@zzx999
Could you please explain how it can be done using VLC. ? I once went through this tool and got stuck on the way.

Anyone with help using Wowza  ?

--Raj

File -> Wizard.
Self explaining.
Just download recent version.

I downloaded & installed VLC. In 'Media' -> 'Open Network Stream' -> 'Network' tab -> I selected HTTP and gave the camera's IP and click on 'Play' button -- Nothing happens.

Also tried other protocal available there. Not working.

Am I in right direction. Can you guide me to stream IP Cam Video ?

Thanks
~Raj

What stream format your Ip camera provides? Can you see stream on other players?

It is a H.264 stream enabled IP Camera.

We recorded the stream in ASF container file. Once we installed the IP Camera's SKD & setups, we can play this ASF file on 'Windows Media Player'. If we try to play this ASF file in VCL Player, it fails with an error message like

"No suitable decoder module:
VLC does not support the audio or video format "HISI". Unfortunately there is no way for you to fix this.
No suitable decoder module:
VLC does not support the audio or video format "undf". Unfortunately there is no way for you to fix this."
popups up.

Thanks for your attention.
Hope this make sense.

Thanks
~Raj

Ok Thanks.

But I am afraid we are diverting from the main question.

>>  Can you see stream on other players?
As an answer to your question, I mentioned about this error with VLC.

Currently I am looking for just viewing IP Camera's live streaming video in a web page. That's enough. Not bothering about recording right now...

Thanks
~Raj

Useful links. Thanks.

I think we are approaching the solution...

In the script of windows media player plugin,
<OPTION value="Stream URL or Full File Path Goes Here">My Video File </OPTION>

HOW TO CREATE/SETUP A URL LINK FOR IP CAMERA ? like for eg:- rtmp://<x.x.x.x>:1935/myApp
It can be using RTMP or RTSP.
I am struggling to find out a solution here. Once this is done, remaining work will be easier.

Checked FMS, but it detects only directly connected cameras. (we need multiple cameras connected back to server)
Checked Wowza, If I understood right, it will do the remaining stuff once we setup the RTMP/RTSP URL.

Thanks for guiding me...
~Raj

i had the same issue could not figure out how to do it with the ethernet cable over a network BUT

i used this device

http://us.kworld-global.com/main/prod_in.aspx?mnuid=1306&modid=10&pcid=73&ifid=17&prodid=104

and connected it to the coax port of my ip camera and i was able to do the stream. The security camera is detected as a webcam .

I also use multiple cameras . I have 5 of the above devices. I use webcammax to switch between the cameras. If not u can buy a QUAD qhich is a manual switch u can use to switch between cameras .

On the Mac, I would use EvoCam or SecuritySpy (Check them out on macupdate or versiontracker)

They should both be able to relay via their own internal webserver, and has support for a Lot of different IP cameraes..

smjaleel, Thanks for sharing your experience.

I will explain you our requirement in detail.

Our client provides a service which will listen to the IP Cameras they sold to their customers. When our client sell the IP Camera to their customer, they will set certain settings in the camera, so that when their customer switch on the camera from anywhere in the world, it will automatically establish connection with our client's server service through internet and starts recoding or just viewing based on the plan their customer choose.

We have achieved almost on developing the server service in VC++, which is tested against one IP Camera that can establish connection to the server and server will take snapshot every second. This was enough for the first phase of our development.

Our headache started on next phase, which requires live streaming video viewing and recording, instead of taking snapshots. In the SDK of IP Camera, there is a setting 'Multicast', which have 3 main settings - Local Port, Multicast Address (IP) and Multicast Port. We believe, these settings can do something to setup and rstp/rtmp url link for the camera, that will help us to view in a webpage anywhere.

#1:- We need help regarding setup a URL link as mentioned above for each IP Camera so that we can watch in anywhere

smjaleel, I checked the link to kworld. But our client is not ready to provide an additional device along with the IP Camera. We believe, we can achieve without any additional hardware.
As I mentioned above, we have progressed much. But stuck on setting up the URL link for the camera. If this is done, remaining part may be easily achieved using 'Wowza Media Server'.

I think I have provided much information, so that you can feel the real pain we are facing and come up with any more useful suggestions.

If you require any more clarification, please ask me

Thanks again
»Raj

if you know your cameras IP, you can experiment with settings and scan every time what ports camera responds to. Maybe it already has that option you mentioned.
What cameras manual says about it?

We are setting camera's IP and the local port to which camera has to send connection request to server. The application we developed scans that port and successfully establishes connection with camera. In our application, we can view the streaming video from IP camera, once connection is established. Upto this part is working fine.

FMS (Flash Media Server) helps to setup what I required. But it will detect only directly connected devices. So not working for IP Camera. Also it is seems manual process, which need to set through their GUI for each ip camera. We need programmatic approach.

In short, if we could setup a URL for IP Camera, this question can be closed by awarding points.

I searched in EE itself, but not found any similar post.

Check this one
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/23507457/Stream-IP-Camera-through-Windows-Media-Player.html

The asker says about a link to this camera. I would like to create that.
Any Idea regarding this ?

Thanks
»Raj

So you can try to redirect  stream to file or pipe and then let that file to be streamed by any app you want. (stream recoding may be needed).  In that way you can use any server.

We have already achieved these
Recording the live video stream (H.264) in ASF container - Successful
Converting the recorded ASF file to FLV file - Successful

We done this conversion as client wants flash playback.

We have been researching on this for last many months are acheived the recording. But the problem with recording and playing them back is that we cannot provide live video. We tried recording the video upto 1 minute and playing it. This caused 1 minute of delay in live scenary with the recorded playback.

So we are looking for playing the live video stream itself.

Thanks
»Raj

Here is a live video stream.
http://www.usrelay.com/products/eLiveStream/demo_cam.php

We are trying to setup flash playback of live video stream.

»Raj

well, you will have to convert stream to FLV , that's only way to make flash work, but have you tried to write converter that streams video after encoding directly ,  without any writing to files.  just use pipes.
 

I have also a vague idea like that. But scatching my head as I don't know, ho to work it out... :)

I believe I have explained my requirement in detail.

Can you please come up any links / tools that will help me. ?

Thanks to keep on assisting me...

»Raj

What OS you do use? I asume windows.
So there is couple  links you should start from:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365590%28VS.85%29.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd407351%28VS.85%29.aspx

If you use other OS , just tell.

Yes. we are working on Windows Platform.

Let me check those links. Thanks

»Raj

Thanks

Regarding the first link you provided about Pipes.
Bear with me as I am a beginner in VC++ and IP Camera related project.
If you are sure this will help me, please explain the steps that need to do with Pipes to setup my camera's live broadcast.

Regarding the second link, it is fine.
If I understood right, this would be helpful if I am streaming a recorded video file. Is n't so ?
Any VC++ code to stream directly from an IP Camera ?

As I explained before, we are looking to play live streaming video from an IP Camera, not the recorded file. The record and play is another phaze.

Currently I am researching on
http://www.umediaserver.net/umediaserver/download.html
to setup a Media Server.

»Raj

If you understand what pipes is, then :
instead of recording to file you  write to pipe , from this pipe converter reads stream and recodes to FLV, and result may be directed straigt as output stream or to second pipe to open with streaming server.

Theory about Pipes is somewhat ok.

>> instead of recording to file you  write to pipe , from this pipe converter reads stream and recodes to FLV, and result may be directed straigt as output stream or to second pipe to open with streaming server  <<

How can I achieve this ? Do you mean by VC++ coding or using any other tool ?

»Raj

I think coding will be needed, as I don't know any programs under windows that do this directly  to be  used in shell with pipes directly.

Well

I have various ideas now, but don't know how to work it out practically. :(

Anyway I will try to work on your suggestion with pipes by any tools or programatically.

Thanks
»Raj

Hope all this helps.

I am really frustated spending much time in my research to achieve this and not yet got a solution.


Can you please provide any tool... for eg: I was checking Ulead Media Server.
http://www.umediaserver.net/umediaserver/download.html

But it cannot establish connection with Camera. File streaming worked

Hope you get what I am looking for.

Thanks
»Raj

I would like to point out that this forum is NOT a place to get 'free' tools/code/resources, even if you paid for the ability to ask for support here. Remember that none of the people helping you get closer to a solution, is paid for it - we ALL do it in our spare time, and are only kind enough to offer our advice.

If you need to make a solution, it's time to dig down in the programming guies and start to learn some low-level code! YOU need to make the solution - not us - we can only point you in the direction...

If you can't put it together in practice, hire someone to do it! (or buy a solution..)

Welcome marook.

>> I would like to point out that this forum is NOT a place to get 'free' tools/code/resources

Thanks to point out me this information. But I really dare to ask for a suggestion in finding a good tool, because I have seen many questions asked free free tools, when I searched in EE. Like
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/23916079/Tool-to-record-streaming-video.html?sfQueryTermInfo=1+stream+tool+video
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/24430041/Windows-server-monitoring-tool.html?sfQueryTermInfo=1+free+tool
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/20915080/Free-partitioning-tool.html?sfQueryTermInfo=1+free+tool
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/20013129/Free-Tools-for-NT4.html?sfQueryTermInfo=1+free+tool

>> we ALL do it in our spare time, and are only kind enough to offer our advice
As an expert in SQL Server 2005, I really know that and enjoying it. :)

>> If you need to make a solution, it's time to dig down in the programming guies and start to learn some low-level code!
You said right. I am a ASP.Net Programmer with C# & VB.Net. I was totally zero in VC++. I took the challenge to learn VC++ for this project and learned the language and successfully implemented the first phaze of our project as I mentioned here. Happy with the appreciation from boss & client for the same :)
But it is in the next phaze, I faced hard time to find a solution to click it. As I searched in net for a solution, it is understood that I can achieve this by tools commonly known as Media Servers (eg: Flash Media Server (It doesn't works for us), VLC Media Server, Ulead Media Server, which are dedicated for this purpose.
I am looking for a guidance to work it out with any of these Media Servers. Some of them may not support our camera or may not have features we are looking for...

>> If you can't put it together in practice, hire someone to do it! (or buy a solution..)
Right. It is upto my company to decide that. Their belief in me is driving me.

Thanks
»Raj

Thanks zzx999,

I am going to escavate deeply into VLC. Will let you know.

»Raj

Just for your information

IP Camera Information (From the box of IP Camera)
-------------------------------
H.264 IP Camera
Internet Digital Surveillance System

Infrared, D/N, colour, B/W, CCD, COMS, AWB, BLC

The IP Camera is connected through router/cable/xDSL modem to the internet.
This is the most common network settings where a router is used. The router port forwarding has to be set to allow external access to the IP Camera.

Thanks
»Raj

zzx999,

I didn't mention anywhere about the word "FREE".

If we need to buy the solution that proves to be working with our requirement, our company is ready to buy it.

Thanks
»Raj

I understand that, but I don't know any comercial solution already available to this problem either. Sorry.
And now when you knwo what you want and direction how it may be achieved, I hope you will create apropriate program that fits your needs exactly.
Happy coding ! and good luck!


 

Thanks. Will be back.

»Raj

I'm having a similar challenge with using Flash Media Server to connect to an IP camera.  The problem is that the software requires the computer to recognize the camera as a device.  I would like to know if you were able to find  a solution?

Hi bzumwalt,

Check this question, I posted regarding the same
https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/24954385/How-to-encode-IP-Camera-Signals-using-Adobe-Media-Live-Encoder.html

»Raj

I worked on VLC last month and succeeded much till I disappointed as not getting the live stream from Camera. All commands seems to be ok in VLC command window, else some error in fetching live stream.

I was happy as one guy having good experience in multimedia joined with me. Finally he came into a conclusion that the IP Camera on which we are experimenting does not support RTMP. This camera is cheapest in the market and so client selected it and send to us.

We suggested client to replace this Camera with another make. Client agreed and it is in progress. So hope with new Camera, things will be much easy as now I have necessary knowledge.

If I am in trouble again with the new camera, will post question explaining the trouble at that time.

Since it is not good to keep this question open, I like to divide points for those suggestions that seems to be helpful.

Thanks to all experts keep on assisting me...
Raj

zzx999's suggestion seems to be right solution for my specific requirement.

Thanks to all
Raj