Providing pseudo Webcam

**H@CK3R** · 09-23-2010, 05:22 PM

Hi All,

I am new here so please bear with me.
I want to know how an application like Skype determines the presence of webcam in a system and how can I fake it using my java application or is this even possible or not.For example: suppose there is a webcam attached to my system what I want is read the data from the cam and supply it to applications like skype with some modifications or in other words my application will act as camera for the system.

Thanks in advance

**travishein** · 09-24-2010, 02:13 AM

there is an open source project for this Home - LTI-CIVIL

**H@CK3R** · 09-24-2010, 10:07 AM

Thanks for the info but capturing data is not my problem,moreover this project, as far as I understood, is used to save the video as images,which is not required in my case.My problem is kinda streaming the video captured to say video chat apps and the major point being the system should think that the video is provided by the web cam and not my application or I can replace the input given by web cam to chat applications by my application's output.

**Eranga** · 09-24-2010, 10:17 AM

Means that you want to capture the screen and display it on your application?

**H@CK3R** · 09-25-2010, 04:49 PM

No, I want to provide data to video chat app(eg. skype) through my application and not my web cam.

**H@CK3R** · 09-25-2010, 04:51 PM

last post contd...

such that my video chat apps should work even if my webcam is not connected to the system

**Eranga** · 09-25-2010, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by H@CK3R

No, I want to provide data to video chat app(eg. skype) through my application and not my web cam.

From where the video take into your application?

**Eranga** · 09-25-2010, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by H@CK3R

last post contd...

such that my video chat apps should work even if my webcam is not connected to the system

Again, without a web cam (or such a device) how can you capture the video?

**H@CK3R** · 09-25-2010, 05:12 PM

capturing the video is not an issue,it can be anything, say a video flie on my hard disk or any other thing the point I am wonder about is how will I do the later part (the point in my last post)

**Eranga** · 09-25-2010, 05:24 PM

That means pass the video into an application like Skype from your Java application. Am I correct?

If so, you cannot do that, because there is no API provide by Skype to do that from outside.

**H@CK3R** · 09-25-2010, 05:41 PM

Originally Posted by Eranga

That means pass the video into an application like Skype from your Java application. Am I correct?

If so, you cannot do that, because there is no API provide by Skype to do that from outside.

Exactly,I want to do this only but not specifically to skype. Skype is an example of application that uses the system web cam.

Is there no way by which I can fake the presence of web cam.So that when Skype or gmail video chat, checks for the presence of web cam in my system it detects my application and I can provide the input.I dont want any support from Skype,it should work normally.

There will some kind of polling that the Skype does to detect the webcam...ryt?
cant I connect the port or whatever the webcam connects to, to replace the webcam

**H@CK3R** · 09-25-2010, 05:46 PM

One more thing...

How does the webcam tells the system that Ok now I am present, send any request that comes to you for video chat, to me,i will provide the video for it.

**Eranga** · 09-25-2010, 05:46 PM

In high level, what the application does is search the device pool for a webcam and utilize that device to stream the video. It's a functionality of the application.

If you want to bypass that and use your own video in any format, in any location, what you have to do is streaming the existing to the other party. If you want to connect it to another app (I refer the Skype to point that too), it should provide an interface to link with it. But unfortunately most of the applications wont do that.

**Eranga** · 09-25-2010, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by H@CK3R

One more thing...

How does the webcam tells the system that Ok now I am present, send any request that comes to you for video chat, to me,i will provide the video for it.

As I told you earlier, this is not initiate from the device, it's from the application it self. Basically it search for the device and notify it to start work on. And it's waiting for a video streaming, which is cam provide as an output. Then the incoming stream controlling accordingly by the application.

**H@CK3R** · 09-25-2010, 05:55 PM

Ok I got your point...
That means if somehow I can make an entry of my application to device list as webcam it might work.

See this smartcam ..This guy is also doing something similar to what I want to do..He is using his mobile to chat on skype and other video chat..

The later part is same what I have asked.

**H@CK3R** · 09-25-2010, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Eranga

As I told you earlier, this is not initiate from the device, it's from the application it self. Basically it search for the device and notify it to start work on. And it's waiting for a video streaming, which is cam provide as an output. Then the incoming stream controlling accordingly by the application.

'And it's waiting for a video streaming, which is cam provide as an output.'

Here is what I wanted,where is this cam giving output to, from where the application is reading this streaming video...If I also stream my video to same stream or location I suppse my task will be done..??

**H@CK3R** · 09-25-2010, 06:16 PM

Hey I got the same software problem that I am asking. Can you help me understand how this stuff can be done in java

**Eranga** · 09-26-2010, 07:09 PM

If you could ask it specifically I can help you.

**imorio** · 09-26-2010, 09:07 PM

Originally Posted by H@CK3R

Hey I got the same software problem that I am asking. Can you help me understand how this stuff can be done in java

I get it. You want disguise a streaming video of any source as a webcam feed.

If you want to do that, you're in the wrong place. As far as I know, there is no api supplied that does this. So if you want to write an application that does this, you will need a lot of knowledge about how your operating system works. If you spent a few hours a day on this learning to program etc. it will take between a few months (when you're extremly lucky) and a few years.

Short answer: just buy the dam program.

**DarrylBurke** · 09-27-2010, 01:13 AM

Also, if you really feel you must do this yourself, Java is just about the worst choice of development platform. You will need something like C/C++ which works closer to the hardware.

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