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This page explains how to use FireWire cameras with Linux and
If you find this page inadequate, please edit it by clicking the "Edit" link above. (Old version of this page is here. Using FireWire cameras on Linux was once very difficult, but became easy as described below and lengthy explanation is no longer necessary. I thank contributions in the open source community.) Advantages over USB webcams †Standardized Software Interface †USB webcams have no standard software interface, and a user is not sure whether his/her webcam can be used with Linux. Moreover, new webcams are usually unusable with Linux because of lack of device drivers. Highspeed video transmission †USB 1.1 webcams cannot send uncomprressed 320x240 video at 30 frames/second, but FireWire digital cameras can. Compression usually decreases the quality of video. A more detailed discussion on advantages can be found here. There are two types of FireWire video cameras †One is called DV camcorder, which usually has recording tape or disk inside, and another is called digital camera, which has no storage device inside. They use totally different software interface and you have to choose appropriate library (software interface) to use your camera. Applications †Gnomemeeting †There are two plugins for FireWire cameras. If you have a DV camcorder, download avc-plugin from the GnomeMeeting download page, and if you have a FireWire digital camera, download dc-plugin. FFmpeg †The following description applies to FFmpeg as of Feb. 2005. DV camcorder †You can use your camcorder by specifying the video format as dv1394, i.e., "-f dv1394". Digital camera †You can use your camcorder by specifying the video format as dc1394, i.e., "-f dc1394". List of FireWire Digital Cameras †A comprehensive list of digital cameras (not DV camcorders) can be found here. The following is a list of inexpensive FireWire webcams Ryutaroh Matsumoto Email: |
