Jan Drugowitsch <jdrugo <at> gmail.com> writes: > I've been looking around online, but I haven't found any good summary > and comparison page about the use of recently priced webcams for the > use with linux (and in particular Gentoo). Could anyone recommend > webcams that are properly supported in linux and are not too expensive > but have a good quality/price ratio? Tips on which ones to avoid would > also be welcome!
Well, video on a 2.6 based linux kernel, is in flux right now, in my opinion. Much of what worked on a 2.4 based kernel has not been uplifted to 2.6 kernels. You might want to peruse the kernel sources to look for device drivers that are actually present in the 2.6 kernel you are using. Also, the term 'webcam' is a bit too generic. Are you after cameras to be used with your web_whatever that are based on usb (usb1.1 or usb 2.0)? Or are your after cameras that output video right over ethernet, or output ntsc(pal) into a frame grabber board? Also, you have to look at the output format i.e. mjpeg, which is jerky and low quality in general or something new and fantastic, such as H.264. Camera technology that works over ethernet with TCP/ip is in flux right now, due to a wide variety of issues. You may want a camera that supports open standards for video, such as Ogg-theora. My suggestions is you read for a few weeks/months to decide what you are doing, what work with the kernel version(s) you intend to use, and what new technologies are applicable to your needs. Much with network base video is in flux..... For a cool viewing package, check out Zoneminder. Xawtv and Came and mplayer. In their documentation, or any other package you are going to use to view the video, usually they list cameras that are know to work. One important caveat. Vendors often change the chipsets used in cameras but keep the name of the camera the same. So one particular make and model of a camera may work and yet another does not, because the ass_hole vendor switched the chipsets used in the camera. When they switch chipsets you usually need to use a different device driver to get it working under linux. USBVIEW and USBUTILS are great tools for discovering details of usb based cameras. PCI based cards can be discerned by lscpi lshw commands. Test before you purchase is my recommendation. James -- gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list
