How to record to HD a streaming audio/webcam??

[ShyWriter]

I've been researching the net most of the day for a free program that will record to my Hard Drive a LEGAL, UN-copy-protected, audio/video streaming webcam.

I tried the easy way with putting the URL into Windows Media Player but no dice (got a low memory error - I have plenty of free disk space and RAM . The same URL plays fine in Firefox..

Any words-to-the-wise from our forum technical experts? The solution MUST be LEGAL.. No gray areas.. no warez programs.

The bar cam (URL=http://www.hogsbreath.com/hogcam/) is always ON and streaming.. the stagecam is OFF when a band isn't playing. So the bar cam is perfect for testing as it has realtime audio/video streaming.

Thanks in advance,

~Shy

[AdvancedSetup]

The free part will help ensure you find some good Malware during your research.

Maybe something like this? http://sourceforge.net/projects/webcamrecorder/

[ShyWriter]

The free part will help ensure you find some good Malware during your research.

Maybe something like this? http://sourceforge.net/projects/webcamrecorder/

I don't have a clue of what to do with 961 bytes of source code?? And I know that FREE is a source of MALWARE.. but I've used a few FREE programs (begware or shareware) that I've eventually PAID for as well. (Besides; that's what I have Vipre, SASpro and MBAMpro for; to be a safer surfer.

I find it hard to believe that the Window's Media Player wouldn't work - why else would it have a place to put a source URL?

EDIT: Come to think of it, the friend I'm doing this for is mostly interested in the AUDIO portion of the stream so a Streaming Audio Recorder would work for my purpose.

Puzzled :)

~Shy

Edited October 1, 2010 by ShyWriter

[CWB]

not 100% sure here ...

you might have a look at VLC :

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

(there are a couple of questionable results in a google search , i like to go right to the source wherever possible)

how are you going to patch the band audio into the streamer ?

barcams ... heh ... yeah , i have seen a couple of good fights from the start until the cops drug the guys (and women too) off to the crossbar motel .

[Haider]

Hi Steve:

Please try tweaking following settings, maybe it would help:

[ShyWriter]

Hi guys..

Well I installed the open-sourced VLC Media Player and matched it to the following test stream (has video and audio) http://hogsbreath.com/hogcam/hogsbreathrawbar.asx and it plays the stream, no problem, at about 232K but I haven't figure out exactly how to "capture" it. I put directories and a file name where VLC asked but am having NO joy beyond actually PLAYING the real-time stream.

I am NOT a very sharp pencil in the cup when it comes to audio/video. I've never played with it much, one way or another, even though I've been on the internet since '93.. The above URL is always streaming with bar picture and music (so there's video/audio source). Anyone that can help me figure out how to actually capture it, save it, and later replay it, I'm all ears. You'll have to talk down to me as I am not proficient in audio/video things on the net.

I guess what I'm hoping is someone with more smarts than me will actually set up VLC to that stream and actually record and then play back something and then tell me how you did it. At age 67 I'm not too quick on the uptake on "trying" things to see if they work. *chagrin*

Thanks in advance, in real time and in the past, for any and all info.

~Shy

[CWB]

you will have to save the file by opening : preferences... select "show all" ... click on "stream output" ...

once there look for "muxers" ... click on it ... select "ASF" ... type in any information you need/feel like putting in .

close it all .

start receiving your stream ... click record ... go for about 10 seconds .

stop the recording/player .

go to "my documents" ... "videos" ...

you should see the video file there .

this should get you going ... you can play with the other settings later on .

every time you stop recording and start (not pause) a new video file will be created .

you can delete these as needed .

is this for entertainment or surveillance ?

[ShyWriter]

you will have to save the file by opening : preferences... select "show all" ... click on "stream output" ...

once there look for "muxers" ... click on it ... select "ASF" ... type in any information you need/feel like putting in .

close it all .

start receiving your stream ... click record ... go for about 10 seconds .

stop the recording/player .

go to "my documents" ... "videos" ...

you should see the video file there .

this should get you going ... you can play with the other settings later on .

every time you stop recording and start (not pause) a new video file will be created .

you can delete these as needed .

is this for entertainment or surveillance ?

Thank you CWB! It took me a bit to follow your simple instructions (The elevator goes all the way up; just slower than normal ).. BUT;

- -

She worked like a champ. Is one meg of disk space for about 30 seconds of recording a fair compression rate? I don't know how to thank you for helping so much. It definitely works as advertised and hopefully I can understand enough of what is going on to be able to explain to the person that needs it. *wink* I'm not too good at 'splaining stuff especially when I'm not 100% in understanding but you did me a solid, my friend..

EDIT: IS "my documents" ... "videos" ... the default if one doesn't screw around and name a different one (like I did)?

Entertainment; not surveillance.. LOL I'm too old to do any detective work..

Once again; THANK YOU..

~Shy

Edited October 3, 2010 by ShyWriter

[CWB]

happy to help out .

maybe one of these days i can bring up the link and you all can wave at me .

the default folder is my documents/my videos ... "as installed" .

but you can tell it to save to any folder ... i create special folders on a second hard drive just for this purpose ... keep the big chunks of data elsewhere .

as for file size/compression ... it pretty much depends on what is needed , this is largely based on the required resolution .

the next thing is how much video do you need to save ... the HD space is the limit here (and why a second drive is cool) .

how many files do you need to save and can they be moved off the machine and be stashed elsewhere or burnt to disc .

i would get rid of/not use windows media player wherever possible .

[ShyWriter]

happy to help out .

maybe one of these days i can bring up the link and you all can wave at me .

the default folder is my documents/my videos ... "as installed" .

but you can tell it to save to any folder ... i create special folders on a second hard drive just for this purpose ... keep the big chunks of data elsewhere .

as for file size/compression ... it pretty much depends on what is needed , this is largely based on the required resolution .

the next thing is how much video do you need to save ... the HD space is the limit here (and why a second drive is cool) .

how many files do you need to save and can they be moved off the machine and be stashed elsewhere or burnt to disc .

i would get rid of/not use windows media player wherever possible .

Will do; thanks.. I could not have done this without you.

Many thanks again, my friend,

take care,

~Shy

[DarkSnakeKobra]

I don't have a clue of what to do with 961 bytes of source code??

Puzzled :)

~Shy

I do! Got Visual Studio and know a bit of VB.NET.

@CWB

VLC is an awesome free program. One of the best I've seen.

[AdvancedSetup]

KMPlayer is pretty good as well. Between Windows Media Player, VLC Player, and KMPlayer there isn't too much that can't be played by one of them.

Give this one a try Steve and let us know if it can do the job as well if you have time. Just curious is all.

[CWB]

interesting ... when i checked google for some information , this is what came up in the very first listing :

"Compare KMPlayer with BS.Player ..." .

i looked around and found this article at wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-Multimedia_Player

of particular interest was the portion of the article that indicated some "foul play" (as it were) :

"Claims of unlicensed use of GNU General Public License code"

there are several reference links that mention violators .

some of the dates on these are rather old .

either the issues are as they stand or have been resolved and the article/links sites (the list at ffmpeg for example : http://ffmpeg.org/shame.html) have not been updated .

does anyone have the latest skinny on KMP ?

i want to give it a try ... but ... if it is embroiled in legal/software mumbo-jumbo , no thanks .