Simply display camera input on screen

Question

Simply display camera input on screen

Hi There,

I'm sorry if all my searching hasn't found a previous answer to this question, but I'll ask it anyways...

I'm putting together a make-shift "document viewer" for my wife who is a teacher and regularly has to present material via a projector. So basically, the requirement is using a webcam (which is mounted on a flexible arm) as input, simply show the video on screen. She then has her laptop connected to a LCD projector to show it on a large screen.

Seems simple enough. My first thought was to use QuickTime (I'm using Snow Leopard), but QuickTime Player won't let me use an external webcam as input. So I installed the older QuickTime Pro. This allows me to see the video stream just fine and use the external cam as input, but won't let me stretch the view to fill the screen.

I also downloaded Quicktime Broadcaster, but I'm having trouble getting that to work (haven't spent much time on it yet).

Am I totally on the wrong track here? Surely the built-in tools must allow something so simple.

Thanks in advance.

MacBook Pro x 2, iPhone 3G, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Dec 26, 2009 8:02 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Dec 26, 2009 11:50 PM in response to Dwayne K King

QuickTime X has a full screen capture option (New Screen Recording).
iChat can "Share My Screen" with users on your Buddies list.

Reply

Answer 2

Dec 27, 2009 5:46 AM in response to QuickTimeKirk

Thanks for your reply. The problem with QuickTime X is that it does not allow you to use an external webcam (this seems to be a well known issue based on the number of postings I found about it)

Just to clarify - I'm not sure I explained it very well - there is no requirement to transmit, record, or share the screen with anyone else. I simply want to show what the webcam is seeing full screen, so that it can be projected via an LCD projector.

Reply

Answer 3

Dec 27, 2009 7:32 AM in response to Dwayne K King

Quicktime needs a camera that hooks up by way of Firewire, not USB. This also holds true with Quicktime Broadcaster. It's not a know issue it's the way the software works.

From Quicktime Help Menu:

Recording Video and Audio
With a video camera and a Macintosh computer you can use QuickTime Pro to record a movie. QuickTime Pro can capture video from most FireWire-equipped sources, including the Apple iSight, DV cameras, and some webcams. With a Macintosh or Windows computer, you can also record audio using a built-in or external microphone.

Reply

Answer 4

Dec 27, 2009 8:03 AM in response to David M Brewer

OK - maybe we're getting too caught up in trying to make this "fit" with Quicktime. Is there a better solution? i.e. since I don't really need record capability or anything like that, is there a more straightforward way to do this?

As always, thanks for your feedback.

Reply

Answer 5

Dec 27, 2009 9:32 AM in response to Dwayne K King

Why not plug the camera's video out to the projectors video in. Some projectors have n A/B (in) so you can have both the computer and camera hooked up. Just switch between the two inputs.

Reply

Answer 6

Dec 27, 2009 7:23 PM in response to David M Brewer

Well, the cameras output would be via USB, and I haven't ever seen a projector with a USB input (or a firewire input)

Am I understanding you properly?

Reply

Answer 7

Dec 27, 2009 7:55 PM in response to Dwayne K King

Some tv monitors and projector can use firewire or USB as a video input. InFocus projectors uses USB for video input.

You might need to use a video camera instead of a web camera. That's why I said to use the video output of a video camera.

Reply

Answer 8

Jan 2, 2010 12:18 PM in response to David M Brewer

{quote:title=David M Brewer wrote:}
Quicktime needs a camera that hooks up by way of Firewire, not USB. This also holds true with Quicktime Broadcaster. It's not a known issue it's the way the software works.
{quote}
This seems to be contradicted by the fact that my Apple external display has an iSight but no Firewire port. Unplugging the monitor's USB connection to my laptop deactivates the camera, so it is not using the video cable for incoming signal to Quicktime.

I understand that third party external cameras would likely not have the same support at the present time, but clearly the limitation is now by design, and future hardware and software should also be able to use USB unless Apple keeps it locked down.

Reply

Answer 9

Jan 2, 2010 5:24 PM in response to Brackynews

Thanks for your feedback Brackynews.

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. Sure, it should support FW cameras, but they can't ignore the fact that virtually every webcam I'm seen out there is USB.

I still can't believe this is a convoluted as it is, but I'll be sure to update the discussion when I find an easy solution. Hopefully I don't have to resort to whipping up an application on my own (always an option I guess)

Reply