Feature Request: stop capturing or close video device when there's nothing to do with the data
Description
when only http streaming is used and there are no active clients, it is wasteful to keep grabbing images, even at 2 per second - every cpu-second counts when laptop is on battery. further, device could even be outright closed in such case, reducing power draw even more.
so my suggestion is: add idleness detection and close device when there are no active "consumers" - i.e. no jpeg, no movie output configured and no active http clients.
safeguards may need to be built in to prevent frequent "flapping" of the device - i.e. when client comes and goes. to tackle that, some hysteresis interval will need to be incorporated into inactivity detection logic.
also, opening the device may take noticeable time which will introduce delay before actual pictures are served when device is first turned on. this may be unacceptable for some users, so provide an option for them to disable this logic and keep camera always on no matter what.
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DeomidRyabkov - 19 Jul 2009
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