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Streaming live webcam video to 3G

S

shizat63

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 11, 2008
7
0
I want to broadcast a webcam feed so I can watch it on my iPhone.

On my WM6 Blackjack I used Windows Media Encoder + Windows Media Services on Server 2003. It worked like a charm, I could watch my German Shephard puppy from work or on my WM phone. But the iPhone can't view the WMV stream.

My source is WinXP. I don't have a Mac.

What's the best way to broadcast a webcam feed?
 
shizat63 said:
I want to broadcast a webcam feed so I can watch it on my iPhone.

On my WM6 Blackjack I used Windows Media Encoder + Windows Media Services on Server 2003. It worked like a charm, I could watch my German Shephard puppy from work or on my WM phone. But the iPhone can't view the WMV stream.

My source is WinXP. I don't have a Mac.

What's the best way to broadcast a webcam feed?
Click to expand...
Not quite what you are asking for but I just purchased one of these cameras. It's easy to setup and will stream to the iPhone at about 2-3 frames per second. It even works with EDGE:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EXVTJY
 
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Seems like the iPhone video capabilities are limited. Advantage WM, again.
 
This is can be done...if you jailbreak. Since that's not a option for the vast majority of people it's a gap for the non-jailbreak crowd.
 
I was just able to get my EvoCam feed to behave as if it's a live stream. My custom page on my iPhone pulls a new JPG from my server every second, so it's like a live feed. While it's far from elegant, it works for my purposes until something better comes along.
 
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Wile-E said:
I have two Panasonic webcams:

Wired: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BL-C111A-Network-Camera-Wired/dp/B000NVSPQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219629133&sr=1-2

Wireless: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BL-C131A-Network-Camera-Wireless/dp/B000NVR9SM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219629133&sr=1-1

Not only do I receive streaming video, I can pan and tilt both cameras using the mobile browser. Highly recommended.
Click to expand...
Agree. The Panasonic webcams are the ticket for streaming video to the iPhone.
 
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I had everything working perfectly with my BlackJack and a $20 webcam. I didn't spend a dime to set everything up. Now I have to buy a new camera?

Add that to the long list of iPhone drawbacks :rolleyes:
 
shizat63 said:
I had everything working perfectly with my BlackJack and a $20 webcam. I didn't spend a dime to set everything up. Now I have to buy a new camera?

Add that to the long list of iPhone drawbacks :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
The beauty of the Panasonic webcams is that they are stand-alone. You don't need a computer. Just a internet connection and a web browser.

I got the wired version for $83 through amazon.
 
Wile-E said:
I have two Panasonic webcams:

Wired: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BL-C111A-Network-Camera-Wired/dp/B000NVSPQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219629133&sr=1-2

Wireless: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BL-C131A-Network-Camera-Wireless/dp/B000NVR9SM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219629133&sr=1-1

Not only do I receive streaming video, I can pan and tilt both cameras using the mobile browser. Highly recommended.
Click to expand...



I am very interested in the wireless version of this camera. But what does it mean by "Installation and recording software compatible with Windows based PCs only"? I copied this from the specs of the camera.
Thanks, Gary

Platform Compatibility

Windows compatibility: No
Mac compatibility: Can be viewed on Apple Macintosh systems. Installation and recording software compatible with Windows based PCs only
Linux compatibility: Can be viewed on Linux systems. Installation and recording software compatible with Windows based PCs only
Mobile viewing support: Dedicated live view page for mobile users
 
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Wile-E said:
I have two Panasonic webcams:

Wired: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BL-C111A-Network-Camera-Wired/dp/B000NVSPQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219629133&sr=1-2

Wireless: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-BL-C131A-Network-Camera-Wireless/dp/B000NVR9SM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1219629133&sr=1-1

Not only do I receive streaming video, I can pan and tilt both cameras using the mobile browser. Highly recommended.
Click to expand...

I've posted this question several times on here. I'm glad to see I've finally gotten an answer. I must have one of these...
 
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You could us an app like Teleport although I think the streaming would be poor. If the video is kept open on your computer at home then you can log into your desktop and view the video.

I believe Windows has its own version but I am not sure what it is called.
 
ogdogg said:
I've posted this question several times on here. I'm glad to see I've finally gotten an answer. I must have one of these...
Click to expand...
The problem is that the Panasonic cameras working with the iPhone is not widely known. I accidently stumbled upon it when I logged into a friends webcam just to see what would happen. As soon as I saw the video streaming to my iPhone, I immediately purchased a couple of cameras for myself.
 
Sorry, I should have been more involved in this thread but I didn't realize I actually have some useful experience.

1) Recording video streams can only be done to a PC using Panny's software (free for one camera). Please note, if you have more than one video camera, the software is only available for a fee and is VERY costly. In lieu of this, as a no-cost, non-PC option, you set the motion sensor to take a series of photos and send them to an email account (recommend using Gmail for this - previews the photos and has 5GB+).

2) The interface on the iphone looks just like it does on the computer. Your preset buttons (for panning left/right/up/down) work perfectly and you can pan and tilt the camera easily. Note: the zoom does not work through the iphone (it blows anyway, so no biggie). Also, there is no sound when accessing using the iphone.

3) The camera is accessible through your personal password enabled webpage on Panny's "homenetcam" website. The site is free for life and is rock solid (I have had my cameras for more than a year and the site has never been down).

4) Initial setup can be a bit of a pain but is not difficult. If you run into problems, Panny's tech support for the cameras is first rate.

Overall, highly recommended. I have both the wired and wireless cameras. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I owe this board a solid for all the useful advice that has been posted here.
 
shizat63 said:
I had everything working perfectly with my BlackJack and a $20 webcam. I didn't spend a dime to set everything up. Now I have to buy a new camera?

Add that to the long list of iPhone drawbacks :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

have you tried returning the phone?:confused:
 
I have attached two screenshots of the Panny camera over iphone. The one on the right is what the page looks like as a whole (see my dog off to the right). On the left hand side is the panning and tilting control bar. I have zoomed that in the picture on the left.
 

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Chris Blount said:
As soon as I saw the video streaming to my iPhone, I immediately purchased a couple of cameras for myself.
Click to expand...

I am now forced to go out and spend $275 so that I can watch my dog sleep while I'm at work. On the plus side though, yelling at him over the answering machine for getting into the trash will never be more fun. :D
 
Actually, mine have paid off for me. A few times, my dog has gotten sick while I was at work and I was able to leave early to take her to my normal vet (much cheaper than the emergency vet).

The best was when my camera caught one of my landlord's maintenance guys entering my apartment without permission or reason. I have a series of photos showing the guy entering my apartment, looking around, noticing the camera and slowly backing out. I tore the landlord a new one over that. :D

BTW, the cameras go on sale at Amazon all the time (look at it a few times w/o putting it in your cart, and you will suddenly see that it is a Gold Box offer for you a week later). I think I got my wireless for $180, but don't quote me.
 
For those using Panasonic web cameras (BLC1A)

Have you set it up w/ an Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS) or Time Capsule (TC)?

Most of the directions tell you how to do so for a UPnP router, but there's no write up on how to set up an Apple router and the NAT settings.
 
Any chance Panasonic will release an iPhone app to work with these cameras? Or should we be begging developers to write one? Automatic logins, audio, snapshots & the ability to change the settings would be pretty awesome...
 
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