Viewing a V4L webcam with mplayer…

This took me a few minutes, but I figured it out, and archived it here so I wouldn’t need to spend that time again.

mplayer -cache 128 -tv driver=v4l:width=640:height=480:outfmt=i420 -vc rawi420 -vo xv tv://

It works.

Me, via a Logitech Communicate STX webcam

[tags]My Projects,Webcam,Mplayer[/tags]

Addendum: You can specify which video device by adding it to the tv options:

mplayer -cache 128 -tv driver=v4l:width=640:height=480:outfmt=i420:device=/dev/video1 -vc rawi420 -vo xv tv://

21 thoughts on “Viewing a V4L webcam with mplayer…

  1. Pingback: USB OTG goes webcam : Location-aware mobility

  2. Ashish

    I am hoping this will save a lot of time…………Thanks in Anticipation

  3. Gabriel

    Mine needs the frame rate. This works:

    mplayer -fps 30 -tv driver=v4l:width=640:height=480:device=/dev/video1 tv://

  4. Richard

    Has anyone get this working with a Logitech Quickcam on N800? If yes, where can I find the kernel module?

  5. Matt R.

    Worked first time, thanks! (Using it with a Logitech Communicate STX USB webcam and the gspca driver for it, which provides a v4l interface.)

  6. Brett

    Need to use ‘v4l2’ driver on Hardy 8.04 (Linux thor 2.6.27-7-generic #1 SMP Fri Oct 24 06:42:44 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux):

    mplayer -fps 30 -cache 128 -tv driver=v4l2:width=640:height=480:device=/dev/video0 tv://

    This is rockin!! Long live mplayer!
    Still one of my fav apps for almost a decade. 🙂

    Cheers

  7. Greg

    Brett’s line works with Debian Etch (4.0) as well with the backports kernel (Linux scratchy 2.6.26-bpo.1-686 #1 SMP Thu Dec 18 23:55:11 UTC 2008 i686 GNU/Linux)
    http://backports.org/

  8. Wendell Archibald

    Your command line works fine with Centos 5.2 – Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000 Webcam
    Mplayer installed from rpmforge using yum

  9. Martin O'loughlin

    Brett’s command line
    mplayer -fps 30 -cache 128 -tv driver=v4l2:width=640:height=480:device=/dev/video0 tv://
    works beautifully on my aspireone running ubuntu 8.10
    thanks:)

  10. Alex

    Brett’s suggested command line works great with the built-in HP Webcam on HP DV5Z configure to buy systems. Slackware 12.2 (Linux version 2.6.27.7-smp) detects it automagically and loads all necessary modules. In low light a lower frame rate and smaller frame scale seems to reduce choppiness. Awesome!
    Thanks!!

  11. Linulin

    Some web-cams (at least ID 046d:092f Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Express Plus) might also requires setting brightness and contrast parameters or manually changing them using 3/4 and 1/2 keys respectively. Otherwise, with default parameters, just black windows is displayed.

  12. Dody

    This is something I was looking for for a long time. Would be possible to see video stream from USB-AV/DV converter? Basicly I use 1.3ghz analog video downlink from my RC plane to Receiver witch is connected to notebook through USB video converter. I would love to see this stream on my nokia N800.
    What software needs to by installed to nokia?
    Can anybody advice me please?

  13. Chris

    For me, on Ubuntu 9.04 with a” Logitech Webcam C200″ (recognized as “UVC camera”) I need to run:

    mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:width=640:height=480:device=/dev/video0 -fps 30

    and it works great!

  14. someguy

    Same as Chris.
    Toshiba L355 laptop built-in Chicony CNF7051 cam/ Debian Sid:
    mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:width=320:height=240:device=/dev/video0 -fps 30

  15. marcelo

    This work on my HP Webcam 101 (notebook) on Suse 11.2 (Linux suse112 2.6.31.12-0.2-default #1 SMP 2010-03-16 21:25:39 +0100 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux)
    But i must use v4l2, not v4l.
    Linux Rocks!!

  16. magwas

    Thank you. Mine actually works simply with
    mplayer tv://
    it is a Plantronics Plantronics Blackwire C220 M

  17. edoc

    I was able to get my Philips Pixel Plus SPC900NC to work on the first try using a slightly modified version of magwas’s command.

    The problem was that there was a continuous stream of complaints about being unable to set the volume, so I tried this:

    # gnome-mplayer tv:// –softvol

    Then the problem was that the first case had captured the device.

    How do I force the release of the device so that I may resume testing — without having to reboot the computer each time, please?

    Thanks!

  18. wp

    mplayer -vo caca tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:width=960:height=720:device=/dev/video0 -fps 30

  19. anmol rana

    i have cm-t3530 (omap3530 based) kit from compulab. it works on linux kernel 2.6.32 and has an angstrom linux image installed over it. i need to play my logitech quickcam messenger webcam.

    how shall i install mplayer on my arm kit.

    i am new to this. please elaborate details.

    thanks.

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