Use webcam for background of full-screen rapid fire page
If a PWS has a webcam associated with it, consider an option to utilize the webcam image as the background image for the full-screen rapid fire page.
N9PBY
shared this idea
9 comments
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Gluepack
commented
Perhaps we should be able to use any (pre-approved by WU) image or fill. Or, transparent even.
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Syzygy2
commented
Thank you Kemma. I will check it out. I appreciate your taking the time to offer me some help.
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Kemma
commented
Hi I just got mine set up, and found this site to be VERY helpful http://meteo.milliflora.com/MET_Page_Welcome.aspx
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Syzygy2
commented
I have an IP camera that I would like to use to upload a "live" upload to my WU website. Is anyone willing to help me learn how to do it? Or, does anyone know of a site or document which provides step by step instructions on how to do it? Thank you all. I am obviously a newbie at all of this and I need all the help I can find. Thank you for your time and patience.
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N9PBY
commented
You CAN use a CCTV camera as a source, provided that you can tap the video signal. Keep in mind that the image may not be as sharp as a camera that captures the image digitally, without the analog conversion.
There are various capture cards, USB devices that will turn a video signal into a webcam, from that point, various software that will grab a frame and FTP it to a web site, such as WU.
I personally can't make a recommendation on an adapter, but go some place like Amazon and search on "USB video capture" for possible options. Keep in mind that for a comparable cost, you can pick up a reasonable web cam, USB, or even Ethernet/WiFi enabled webcam.
A couple of determining factors you should consider: If your CCTV camera is outdoor hardened (actually mounted outside) and has good low light performance, then this is a viable option to consider. If your CCTV camera is a standard definition, 360 lines resolution and doesn't offer the previous benefits, then consider a webcam instead.
Webcams...I can't recommend an IP-enabled one, as I haven't found one with the features I'd want (high resolution, exceptional low light, long expsoure performance) within my price range. If using a USB webcam, I'd recommend a Microsoft LifeCam HD. It seems to take sharp pictures, even has a tripod stud on the mounting bracket. Here's a sample (down converted to half resolution to meet WU size limitation):
http://icons.wunderground.com/webcamarchive/n/9/N9PBY/1/2012/09/1348430524-20120923150204CDT.jpg
The best webcams that I have seen actually utilize an older Olympus Camedia digital camera with special software. Not only is it higher resolution, but the cameras do exceptionally well at night, taking long exposures.
Hope that helps.
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Brottworks
commented
sorry to sound like a newbie....
I have a dvr recording 8 cctv cameras, about to add 8 more as i have a new dvr.
is there an easy way to link one of these to my PWS for veiw on WU?
If not, or it;s just easier to get a solo IP camera, any suggestion on something low rez and inexpensive that pairs easy with WU? -
N9PBY
commented
I'm currently using a Microsoft Lifecam, which offers up to a true 1920 x 1080 resolution (not interpolated higher resolutions like a lot of web cameras). I currently downsize it to 1280 x 720, with modest compression. This seems to keep the file size under 150k, and WU seems to accept it. I'd like to go with the full resolution, but even at the reduced resolution, the image full screen is acceptable.
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glv
commented
Agreed on the resolution. Sounds like we need another idea posted to allow higher-res images to be uploaded.
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miraculon
commented
This is a great idea, but it should be less compressed than the web cam images are currently. If the WU version of my web cam was expanded to fill the rapid fire display it would lose too much resolution.
