Motion - Mjpeg Frame Grab PHP
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Mjpeg Frame Grabber PHP scripts

Introduction

This topic is actually a refactoring of some good inputs from MjpegProxyGrab topic.

It is for the moment two scripts in PHP that can grab a simple frame from the Motion mjpeg stream.

Detailed Description

All the mjpeg frame grabbers do this

  • Browser connects to the PHP script on Apache server. The PHP program is made to it appears to be a graphics file.
  • The PHP program connects to the Motion webcam port
  • Motion starts streaming by sending an mjpeg header followed by the picture frames. Mjpeg is simply a stream of jpegs seperated by a boundary string and short header.
  • The PHP program receives the first picture frame of the mjpeg stream and disconnects right after.
  • The PHP program send the jpeg picture only to the client browser with headers like it was a jpeg file that was fetched from the Apache server.
  • The PHP program terminates.

Program 1

Oviously having a C program (like nph-proxygrab from MjpegProxyGrab) is good for performance reasons, but here is a 10 line php script that amounts to the same thing:

<?
set_time_limit(0);
$fp = fsockopen ("127.0.0.1", 8080, $errno, $errstr, 30);
if (!$fp) {
    echo "$errstr ($errno)<br>\n";
} else {
    fputs ($fp, "GET / HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n");
    while ($str = trim(fgets($fp, 4096)))
       header($str);
    fpassthru($fp);
    fclose($fp);
}
?>
You may need to change the port 8080 to one for your system.

-- MikeLees - 09 Oct 2004

Program 2

mjgrab-php

grabs one picture from mjpeg stream

<?

$camurl="http://127.0.0.1:8080/";

$boundary="\n--";

$f = fopen($camurl,"r") ;

   if(!$f)
   {
        //**** cannot open
        echo "error";
   }
    else
  {
        //**** URL OK
         while (substr_count($r,"Content-Length") != 2) $r.=fread($f,512);

         $start = strpos($r,'ÿ');
         $end   = strpos($r,$boundary,$start)-1;
         $frame = substr("$r",$start,$end - $start);

         header("Content-type: image/jpeg");
         echo $frame;

   }


fclose($f);

?>

You may need to change the port and ip to one for your system.

-- TWikiGuest - 25 Apr 2005

Program 3

This might be a more useful image grabber than the one listed above: it can use GD. Be sure to check your /etc/php.ini file. I've found that if you have display_errors = On you may have problems which the code attempts to handle nicely. Some systems default to display_errors = On while some (Fedora) do not, be sure to check yours first. Otherwise you will receive errors like this Warning: fopen(): php_hostconnect:.

Peter's PHP alternative below is interesting. It shows an alternative picture (could be an unavailable picture) when the Motion stream is not available -- KennethLavrsen - 21 May 2005

<?

$camurl="http://127.0.0.1:8080/";

$boundary="\n--";

$f = fopen($camurl,"r");

if( ! $f ) {
 //**** Failed opening the socket
 if( function_exists( 'imagecreatetruecolor' ) && $img = imagecreatetruecolor( 320, 200 ) ) {
  // Display an image if we have GD
  $logo = imagecreatefromgif( "http://domain/not-available-screen.gif" );
  $font = 1;

  header( "Content-type: image/jpeg" );

  imagealphablending( $img, 1 );
  imagealphablending( $logo, 1 );

  $img_w = imagesx( $img );
  $img_h = imagesy( $img );
  $logo_w = imagesx( $logo );
  $logo_h = imagesy( $logo );

  $bgc = imagecolorallocate( $img, 255, 255, 255 );
  $tc = imagecolorallocate( $img, 0, 0, 0 );
  $dc = imagecolorallocate( $img, 255, 0, 0 );

  imagefill( $img, 0, 0, $bgc );

  imagerectangle( $img, 0, 0, $img_w-1, $img_h-1, $dc );
  imageline( $img, 0, 0, $img_w-1, $img_h-1, $dc );
  imageline( $img, 0, $img_h-1, $img_w-1, 0, $dc );

  imagecopy( $img, $logo, 0, 0, 0, 0, $logo_w, $logo_h );
  imagestring( $img, $font, 5, $logo_h, "Error accessing $camurl", $tc );

  $date = time();
  $date = date( 'Ymd-His (O T)', $date );
  imagestring( $img, $font, 5, $logo_h + imagefontheight( $font ) + 1, $date, $tc );

  imagejpeg( $img );

  imagedestroy( $img );
  imagedestroy( $logo );
 } else {
  // Display an error if we do not have GD
  header( "Content-type: text/html" );
  echo "<html><body><h1>Error</h1>Error accessing $camurl";
  echo "</body></html>";
 }
} else {
 //**** URL OK
 // Transfer the image...
 while (substr_count($r,"Content-Length") != 2) $r.=fread($f,512);

 $start = strpos($r,'ÿ');
 $end   = strpos($r,$boundary,$start)-1;
 $frame = substr("$r",$start,$end - $start);

 header("Content-type: image/jpeg");
 echo $frame;
}

fclose($f);

?>

-- PeterS - 20 May 2005

Installation and Users Guide

You need Apache with PHP support to use the programs. From your webpage you call the program inside an <IMG src="blabla.php"> HTML tag.

Comments and Bug Reports


Feel free to add more PHP scripts that grabs an image from the Motion mjpeg stream.

-- KennethLavrsen - 21 Dec 2005

Program 2 isn't working correctly - I get something, but it's not a valid jpeg image frown, sad smile

-- RomanGaufman - 23 Jul 2008

Nor does Program 3 actually - only Program 1 is working correctly but of course not too helpful as firefox doesn't seem to open the stream if you close it and open it again -- only if firefox is restarted frown, sad smile

-- RomanGaufman - 23 Jul 2008

To get program 2 to work, replace the line: $start = strpos($r,'ÿ'); with $start = strpos($r,"\xff");

and it will work.

if you are using php-cgi, don't use Program 1, it will stay in the process forever...

-- CalvinTee - 24 Aug 2008

Program 2 + Socket from Program 1

<?

$ip=127.0.0.1;

$port=8081;

$timeout=1; //sec

$fp = fsockopen ($ip, $port, $errno, $errstr, $timeout);

if (!$fp) { echo "$errstr ($errno)\n"; } else {

fputs ($fp, "GET / HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n"); // delete?

while (substr_count($r,"Content-Length") = 2) $r.=fgets($fp,512);

$start = strpos($r,"\xff");

$end = strpos($r,"\n--",$start)-1;

$frame = substr($r,$start,$end-$start);

header('Content-type: image/jpeg');

echo $frame;

fclose($fp);

?>
 

-- OstroukhovZamir - 03 Mar 2009

Note that some camera's use different boundary strings and that not all camera's send the Content-length string. If this is the case the Content-type can also be used to detect the frame start/end.

This website lists a few boundary strings: http://www.jpegcameras.com

-- Ded3D44 - 09 Oct 2009

<? $camurl = "http://127.0.0.1:8081/"; $boundary = "\n--"; $r=""; $fpr = ""; $fp = fopen($camurl, "r"); $start_jpg = 0xFFD8; $counter = 0; if(!$fp) { //**** cannot open echo "error"; } else { //**** URL OK while ($counter = 2) { if (substr_count($r,"Content-Length") == 1) { $counter ++; } $r = fread($fp,512); $fpr = $fpr.$r; } $start = strpos($fpr,$start_jpg)-1; $end = strpos($fpr,$boundary,$start); $frame = substr("$fpr",$start,$end - $start); header("Content-type: image/jpeg"); echo $frame; } fclose($fp); ?>

//Raspberry Pi + apache2 + php5 + motion

//Regards //Maciek

-- MaciejS - 20 May 2014

<? $camurl = "http://127.0.0.1:8081/"; $boundary = "\n--"; $r=""; $fpr = ""; $counter = 0; $start_jpg = 0xFFD8; $fp = fopen($camurl, "r"); if(!$fp) { //**** cannot open echo "error"; } else { //**** URL OK while ($counter = 2) { if (substr_count($r,"Content-Length") == 1) { $counter ++; } $r = fread($fp,512); $fpr = $fpr.$r; } $start = strpos($fpr,$start_jpg)-1; $end = strpos($fpr,$boundary,$start); $frame = substr("$fpr",$start,$end - $start); header("Content-type: image/jpeg"); echo $frame; } fclose($fp); ?>

-- MaciejS - 20 May 2014

RelatedProjectsForm edit

ProjectSummary PHP scrips for grabbing a single image from a Motion mjpeg stream
ProjectStatus Stable
ReleaseVersion N/A
ProjectSubmitter KennethLavrsen
Topic revision: r6 - 20 May 2014, MaciejS
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