Feature Request: Camera type option/tag in config file and clear places for code hooks/insertion

Description

Some netcams do not use HTTP handshaking (Linksys's WVC54G /img/mjpeg.cgi), a clear/easy place to plug in a function would make it easier for people to add custom code for some network devices as well as keep 3rd party patches hopefully more compatible with each other.

An optional config option (netcam_type) would also be of use as a flag for customized hooks to act upon. This will keep such (customized) code contained in the netcam.c thus keeping possible modification to other files to a minimum.

-- EvilPete - 13 May 2005

Follow up

You are of course right. As you may have noticed the past months - actually half a year - several people have been fighting to get the new netcam code stable. And there are still some problems with it.

So we need to get the code stable first.

You are welcome to forward patches of any kind to improve stability of the netcam including refactoring the existing code if necessary.

I will accept this one right away and adding a netcam_type option is also OK with me since auto detecting will not always be possible.

-- KennethLavrsen - 14 May 2005

Comments

for simplicity a quick hack would be a hook to call a external program that feeds images to the caller program via stdout. while it may not be as efficient as inline code this will simplify the writing and testing of hook apps. Once one works, and if there is a need, the tested & stable code can perhaps be integrated into the main app.

-- EvilPete - 15 May 2005

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This feature will be implemented in some form. It is now on the roadmap for Motion 4.0. We will create a plugin interface for Motion which is well documented and will allow people to code anything related to inputs and outputs and probably also event.

Kenneth

-- KennethLavrsen - 04 Sep 2005

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Hi, I'm changing read_next_header function to make it able to parse special headers sent by a SONY SNC-M net camera. Reading is okay and I can retrive image size and assign it to netcam->receiving->content_length It would be nice to have a conf field to specify camera type to use in netcam_handler_loop thread I'm glad to send you Sony specs or source code if you want to integrate it Gerard

-- GerardSoldevila - 28 Sep 2005

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But for the implementation I am sure the netcam code can relatively easily detect and act upon special headers.

We should not throw in new config parameters (Motion has too many of them already) when the same can be done automatically using some extra minutes making the code.

-- KennethLavrsen - 28 Sep 2005

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Not sure that this can be done easily, this aren't standard http headers, sony uses itself-defined headers and they put some special software on the client to parse this headers and show image/video data. As far as I know, netcam code relies on netcam_wget code that has a function called "header_get" which can parse standard http headers

-- GerardSoldevila - 30 Sep 2005

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I need support for this kind of netcams so I'm thinking on a small software that would connect to netcam and use V4L devices to feed motion internally. Is there something done this way? Where can I get info/support to develop this sw? Thanks in advance

-- GerardSoldevila - 30 Sep 2005

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