Using webcams in SL

Hi,

Now that webpages can be displayed on prims in SL I suppose webcam feeds, video chat etc can also be similarly displayed.

If anyone has any experience of setting up a video chat (using MeBeam for example, as do not have my own webserver), on a prim in SL, I would be pleased to hear from them.

I am currently near the North Pole, and I have my webcam, laptop and internet connection set up, and my friends in SL want to see some video. It would be really cool to set that up on a prim in SL rather than send them onto the web to a video chat room.

Any tips or how-tos?

Regards

Rock

mmm why dont just use Skype or any messenger with option of webcam? why all have to be inside SL?

Just wondering about that...

HTML-on-a-prim will not help you with this. It renders a static snapshot of the web page, and use that as texture. (And it is actually rather limited, since it is keyed to the "parcel media texture".

In fact, the existing parcel media options are what you need to feed live streams into SL, just like you can stream music into a parcel.

-That said, I second the opinion to use other tools. It doesn't make much sense to create an avatar and meet in a specific place in a virtual world to do a RL video conference.

way too much rl in sl for me.

Definitely. If all the rl stuff comes in why have sl?

I experimented with web pages on a prim. As mentioned above, you can only display an image of the page - links etc. don't work.

Hi Tali,

I don't think that is correct. I have set up a prim with the BBC news page as the url, and all the scrolling of news headlines across the top and updates to the stories are quite clearly seen. It is not static at all.

Rock

Hi Arkantos.

We do not use Skype simply because several of my SL firiends do not have it, so why download yet another piece of software when we can do it with what we all already have, i.e SL.

Besides, this is a function that we want to explore.

Rock

Hi Conifer,

It is true that you cannot select links or press web-page buttons, as yet, but if you set up the web-page in advance, with the streaming webcam feed, in the centre of the page, there should be no need for any buttons or links to be used. That is what I am trying to achieve.

Rock

Actually scrolling at normal speed? Then that's a major update to the functionality since I last played with it. Which version are you running?

1.19.1 (4)

Yes, scrolling at normal speed. I can show you in world if you wish.

Front

Yeah, lets just put some more load on LL's servers so you don't have to load up your computer anymore. We can always point at someone elses ARC score for the reason that you are lagging.

I'm with Arkantos and others........you want to cam with someone in SL, go ahead. But don't take more precious bandwidth from everyone else for your fun.

you can use the web tab in your profile as well. this will actually be able to click, opening a browser..

You could always capture video from the webcam and stream it as something QuickTime will play.

did a few tests, yes it will show scrolling text, but for some reason would not play a flash movie (news clip)

animated textures also show up in SL on the webpage on a prim thing

(animated gifs)

Using the parcel media for broadcasting Video isnt a problem, the problem is the software. Currently quicktime video works best, I dont know what others works, Apple does offer a software the broadcasts in quicktime but its expensive and only usable on a MAC, which most people use PC

I think live video broadcast in SL is simple evolution, it will come, and it will be good. think of it this way you have a remote for your TV a remote for your dvd player a remote for your sound system, a universal remote works quite well and is handy to have. Same principle with video chat in SL, yes you can use other software outside SL , but to have it integrated is better. Just a while back the only voice in SL was outside SL, now I wonder how many people use 3rd party voice software in SL

I can see where you're coming from but streaming music and video is already here, eventually it's surely going to happen that people will be able to cam, it's how they do it that will be the issue.

Streaming a webcam into SL is not as easy as it probably should be. (Esp. compared to the current voice options.) You basically need to create a streaming server, and plug it into SL.

It depends heavily on OS, hardware and available bandwidth etc. if and how this should be done.

Here's a quick guide (not personally tested):
http://www.ethermagus.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=9

Remember, you need the bandwidth to provide the stream to every single client connecting to your computer. (It's not running over the SL servers), so you need quite a bit of upstream bandwidth.
If you don't have this bandwidth, it's possible to lease/rent a streaming server for a specific time period, but this is probably more costly than it's worth.

Live Streaming Webcams would be great!!

Then folks can watch me sit around in my underwear, getting drunk, smoking cigs, and picking my nose!

Damn.. entertainment has reached an all time low.

I'd be the next rung down XD

They'd see me type..and stare at my laptop for a bit.. and then type some more.

Occasionally naked, but couldn't see anything exciting.

Why the need to bring so much RL into SL? For this I use either Skype or MSN, I already have a sort of "teleconference" when I am with my friends in my house in SL, the avatars are there and we're chatting (either voice or text) so...why use PC resources and bandwidth and clog the SL servers even more?

Funny how a lot of people seem to feel the need to express their opinion instead of answering the question. Even more funny is that I am doing the same here to make my point.

The OP does not ask wether we find it a good plan that he wants to stream video, he is asking who has experience. To answer that question: I have not.

The answer: I do not like too much RL coming into SL, does not make much sense in that. As for me, I make no secret of who I am, but I do see SL on its own. When I meet people, I do like to know which country they are from, but if they do not want to tell that, I would not care. So for me, the connection RL-SL is not important.
But for those who find it more important, like the OP wanting to show his environment to his LS friends, I can perfectly understand that. And since it is just another tool that LL provides us with, why not use it?

The reason I write this down, is that lately I get the idea that more and more postings are getting judgemental. They don't answer, they don't add arguments to a discussion, they just judge the behaviour of other people. And that does bother me. Might even be one of the reasons I am cutting down my time on the forums.

The hookers use it, don't they? Or do they also use skype?

I'm wondering what sort of connection 'near the north pole' will let you actually access SL without trouble, never mind running video.

From 50 miles north of here there's pretty much nothing but dial-up until you hit the North Pole (except for satellite)

Peggy, Arkantos and others..

You obviously have not got a clue what you are moaning about. First of all, streaming media in Sl does NOT go through the SL servers, it is handled in a completely different way, and the same goes for the web-on-a-prim media that was recently introduced. It cause no lag whatsoever to the SL population, zero, zip, na-na, how can I put this this - NONE! The ONLY person that can be possibly affected by media is the person viewing it, ie MY FRIENDS, not you, not Arkantos, not the guy next door, or the guy across in the opposite forum.

This is Resident Answers. Where was yours exactly? When they start a Resident Trolling, or a Resident Complaining about Others' Questions, I will let you know.

If you really want to know about lag, and what causes it, I suggest you read about it first (try this one for example: http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/05/01/who-me-yes-you-couldnt-be-then-who-introducing-avatar-rendering-cost/#more-1960) then go picket those stores that sell bling or flexi-hair, then at least your ramblings will not be so ill-informed.

Front

anyone who insists on more "real life" in their second life is truly unclear on the concept. there are other programs out there that will allow you to use your webcams to do as you wish while in SL. but for heavens sake. don't give the lindens anymore ideas, that how we ended up with voice. and you see how well thats working, when it works.