Are you familiar with the following terms webcam streaming system, streaming webcam, USB Webcam
If not, then don’t worry because I will describe to you what a webcam is and how it can be used for video chatting in this article. In addition to this, I will also explain what a streaming webcam system is and how it works. Also, I will discuss different hardware components required in a USB webcam streaming system to stream live video from a camera or any other capture device over the internet in real-time.
What do we mean by “Webcam”?
The term webcam has come from the combination of two words: web and camera. A webcam is nothing but an internet-connected video camera. Usually, a webcam has an in-built microphone that provides audio transmission and image or video data. A webcam can be used for transferring live pictures through the internet.
For this purpose, it is required that their software be installed on both sending and receiving end devices involved in the transmission process. If you want to stream live video, you need an additional software named streaming server that gets the live data from the sender’s webcam streaming device and then encodes this data to send it over the internet without losing its quality. Finally, the receiver will decode the incoming video at the other end using suitable decoding software to view or record it on the local computer or any other device.
How does “streaming webcam” work?
To stream live video from the camera, we need some extra components along with the webcam device. Some of these components are:
Broadband internet connection (for sending and receiving) Sender’s Device Receiver’s Device Software for encoding and decoding video streaming server.
If you want to transfer data over the internet, then usually no hardware is required. But suppose you want to transmit audio or video data through the internet, then for this purpose. In that case, hardware components like modem, router, switch, etc., are used which connect sender and receiver devices directly through WAN (vast area network). As a result of this, direct connection quality and latency of transmission can be affected badly.
How does the USB System work?
Suppose we use a USB webcam instead of a standard webcam. In that case, it is possible to transfer data from the camera directly through a computer without using any other hardware components. For this purpose, driver software is required that can be installed in both sending and receiving end computers. If you want to send live video from the USB Webcam or a capture device, you need an extra layer called a streaming server for encoding and decoding purposes.
Now let’s discuss each point above one by one:
Broadband internet connection: To stream live video from a webcam, we need, as mentioned earlier, an “internet” connection between sender and receiver devices involved in the transmission process. This connection may be wifi, 3G/4G, etc. For sending live data from a webcam, it is required that the receiver should be “online” at the receiving end.
Sender’s device: In a USB webcam streaming system, the camera or capture device is the sender’s device from where data is sent.
Receiver’s Device: At the receiving end from where the video will be viewed or recorded, a software component is required to decode incoming data, which in this case is known as the receiver’s device.
Video streaming server: To encode and decode incoming data, we need an extra layer of the server program. This application is called a “video streaming server.”
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