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Webcam Program Reviews

Edited by Earl on Feb-16-2011

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I looked for a webcam program that meets these specifications:

1. Motion Detection triggers video recording.

   This feature is good for security applications. When a person walks in front of the camera, they trigger the motion detector, automatically starting the video recorder.

2. Sends text message to my cell phone when motion is detected.

3. Uploads video to a web server by FTP.

   This feature allows remote monitoring. It also acts as a backup. Without this option, if a burglar breaks into your house and steals the computer that you recorded your video to, you'll lose the video with the computer. However, if you back up your video to a remote location, you can download it from another location, even if your surveillance computer is gone.

4. Non-proprietary format for video recording.

   The videos should be viewable on any operating system, including Linux, Windows, and Macs. The videos should be in a format that can be edited years from now using freely available tools. Acceptable video formats include: AVI, MPG, MPG4, OGM.

Programs are sorted from favorite to least favorite.

1.  Blue Iris
2.  VisionGS BE
3.  Webcam Monitor
4.  Active Webcam
5.  WheresJames free
6.  Yawcam free

#1  Blue Iris

review updated Mar-01-2010
Price: $50 for full version
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, or Windows 7

Downloaded from: blueirissoftware.com

This was the best program that I tested, but not the cheapest.

Pros

• Can connect multiple cameras at the same time. The cameras can be camcorders, webcams, network IP cams, analog cards, or your PC desktop.

  I was able to successfully connect 2 camcorders to the program at the same time. According to the documentation, you can connect up to 25 cameras. However, you would need a powerful computer to be able to handle that much input at one time. My test computer maxed out on the CPU cycles (100% CPU usage) for just 2 cameras when they recorded video. The test PC has a Pentium 4 2.5 GHz CPU with 1 GB RAM.  My test computer is probably an average one, so the average user might find it difficult to add more than a couple cameras.  

• Program detects motion.  When motion is detected, Blue Iris can trigger an alarm. Instead of an alarm, you can choose for the program to send you an email, or start up another program or script. I set up my installation to send me a text message on my cell phone whenever the program detects motion. It has worked reliably, with no false alarms so far.

• Records video in a non-proprietary format. I like that I can record videos to AVI format. I can edit those videos using the software of my choice.

• There are frequent updates.  This shows that the software is actively maintained and improved.

Cons

• Must get online to validate your software license.  This limits the number of computers you can run this software on with a single license.  If you want to use this program on more than one computer at the same address, you might run into problems.


• Worked only with Windows. I would like to see this program on Linux.

Getting PTZ function to work

My PTZ webcam, one that has the capability to move itself, could not be moved with Blue Iris when I first got started. The Blue Iris website indicates that it supports the PTZ control for other camera models, but not mine, which I feel is a popular model. I have the Logitech Quickcam Orbit/Sphere MP.



This webcam worked fine with the program for everything else, but Blue Iris could not access the PTZ movement control.

I sent an email to Blue Iris and received a prompt reply from Ken.  He gave me two points which solved this issue.

First, he said to choose the DirectShow option in the PTZ settings.  

Second, the Logitech Quickcam Orbit/Sphere MP requires an update to the Logitech software, which allows the camera's PTZ to work with 3rd party software, like Blue Iris.

I downloaded new software from Logitech.com .  I was running version 10.4.  This update brought me to 11.5.

Now I can access the PTZ function of my webcam using Blue Iris.  It's pretty cool to be able to  remotely move the camera from another computer on the web.

Updating might disable your program

Edited on Mar-01-2010, by Earl

Blue Iris popped up a notice saying there was a new update that required that the old version of Blue Iris be uninstalled.  Blue Iris uninstalled itself and loaded back up in demo mode and put a watermark on my video stating that my version of the program was not registered.  I actually paid for the full version of the program, so I knew this was some mistake.  

I sent Blue Iris an email and received a prompt response.  It looks like during my testing on multiple computers, I activated the license key too many times.  After explaining my issue, Blue Iris reset my key and now the program is again working as it should (and on only one computer).

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COMMENTS

Hi, good information, thanks.
i'm using blueiris and the orbit MP and can't get the ptz to work. very frustrating. Ken told me the same things to try but they didn't work for me. i can not figure out why. i'm running 11.4 and can only choose directshow anyway.

i wish it would work, i like blueiris a lot and i've tried many myself.

thanks,
michael
 

You are running version 11.4 of the Logitech Quickcam software?  I am running 11.5.  It might be worth a shot to download the latest version.  Personally, I would uninstall the Quickcam software first, then install the latest version.  What OS are you running it on?  I have the PTZ functions working on XP.


Excellent reviews on various webcam programs. My home was burglarized so I am looking for some webcam software that allows me to watch my home when I am away. I have bought the Dlink network camera and when I look at the reviews at Newegg, people complained about Dlink own software and people there recommended either Iris or Active Webcam. Your review steers me toward Iris. But I am a little bit concerned about your statement that Iris uses up a lot of CPU power with more than 2 cameras recorded. I plan to use 3 cameras but my original idea of using a netbook such as the EEE PC to conserve energy is shot now because the eee pc doesn't have a lot of horsepower.  So I am wondering if I set the recording only when motion is detected - and can I do this per webcam - will this require less CPU power?



Yes, Blue Iris records video on just those cameras that detected motion.  The computer will not start recording video for all camcorders attached to your computer unless they all detected motion.  The less recording your computer is doing, the less CPU usage your computer will consume.



It may be the Logitech drivers that are actually eating up the CPU power, not Blue Iris. Most USB cameras do the majority of the image processing in the driver software on the PC, to avoid having expensive dedicated video processing circuitry inside the camera. This image processing takes CPU cycles.

I use Blue Iris with a multi-cam PCI board (4 cameras) that does the image processing on the board. Running all four cameras at once, Blue Iris rarely moves my CPU more than 5%. The only time it starts using any significant CPU is when it records video. Recording all four cameras at once will use about 75% CPU.



Thank you for that informative feedback.  I guess if I want to add more cameras to my computer, I should look for a camera with its own video processing.



Great review, thanks a lot. I have been using BlueIris for years and love it. also had the same problem with the Logitech cam. Ken has always been fast with replies. love that.
it's my understanding that the CPU usage shoots up with Motion Detection. it has to compare every image against the next etc... motion detecting on more then one camera sucks up more CPU.
my old single-core pentium struggles with 4 cams motion detecting, but it works. if your netbook is dedicated to this purpose i bet it would be fine for four cams.


The CPU usage depends on various things. Like resolution, FPS, video mode (mjpeg jpeg push, h246 etc.), motion detection configuration.


Reading this forum I am unsure if the term "webcam" is referring to a USB camera connected to a computer, or if it is, in fact, a Network or IP camera connected to a router, switch, or hub on a network? I have 1 Trendnet TV-IP410 network (IP)camera connected to a switch and 1 Foscam FI8918W wireless network (IP) camera connected wirelessly to a router. I plan to purchase additional network cameras as well and am looking to view all makes and models on one software program with tiles where I can click on one tile to enlarge it, should I wish to view only one camera briefly. I would also need to do pan and tilt on the models with that option. Can you tell me if the Blue Iris software is capable of my needs? Or another program? Thanks...

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#2  VisionGS BE

Review updated Feb-04-2011
Price $30
Operating System:  Microsoft Windows
Bought online from visiongs.de



This program has lots of cool features for its modest price.

VisionGS successfully sends me text messages on my cell phone when it detects motion.  It also successfully sends pictures in emails, which I could view on a Blackberry cell phone.  It was successful in uploading pictures to my FTP server every 30 seconds.

The main disadvantage I see with VisionGS compared to Blue Iris regards the video recording feature when motion is detected.  With VisionGS, there is no video recorded  before motion is detected.  You want to know what triggered the motion, right?  VisionGS only shows what happened after the motion occurred.  The video might not show you what triggered the alarm.

VisionGS will take still images before the motion trigger.  But I would rather have this information included in the video.

The menus are not intuitive to use.  Seems like I had to add the same information in multiple locations to get the program to function.

Pros

• Price.  The main advantage of VisionGS compared to the #1 program reviewed here is the cost... a full $20 less than Blue Iris.  There are quite a few good features included with this program considering its price.
• Works with camcorders on Firewire or USB.  This is an advantage to free programs, like WheresJames, which crashed when connected to camcorders.

• Program detects motion.  When motion is detected, VisionGS can send you an email, or start up another program or script.  I set up my installation to send me a text message on my cell phone whenever the program detects motion. It also archives images to my FTP server.

• Executes programs automatically.  When motion is detected, it can execute a program.  I wrote a test script that opens a movie on the computer and begins playing it.  Unfortunately, VisionGS opens the program every time is detects motion.  So every few seconds, another copy of the same movie began playing.  There were multiple instances of the same movie playing at the same time, resulting in an echo and a bogged down CPU.  I had to edit my script to only start if it was not already running.  The average user may not be into writing their own scripts, so this part of VisionGS is not quite right.  There should be an option within VisionGS to execute a script just one time.  So this could be a con.  For me, I can edit my scripts to get around this.

Cons

• FTP uploads.  Could not automatically upload video to my FTP server.  VisionGS will upload images, but not videos.  The videos get saved to your local hard drive.  If someone steals your computer, you lose the videos.
• Motion Detection.  Videos recorded do not include footage of what triggered the motion detection.
• No Audio.  VisionGS does not record sound.
• Interface lacks control.  There is no fast way to turn on or off the program without being caught by the motion detection as you leave your computer running the program.  Program should be more intuitive to use.  

The user interface can be tough to navigate.  Here are some tips.

How to set up VisionGS to upload a photo by FTP every 30 seconds

If you want your webcam to send a photo to your server automatically, regardless of whether there is motion...

Click on the device settings icon.



Click on Capture/Upload...



Then make sure the check box is marked for "Capture/Upload automatically".
You can choose any time interval you want.  In the above example, I chose one picture to be uploaded every 30 seconds.

What is the blue bar that moves at the bottom of the program?

Sometimes the bar is black...



This black bar means that the program is not connecting to the internet.  It's in offline mode.

And sometimes the bar is moving and blue...



If the progress bar is blue, that means the program is set up to upload images to the internet.

So, if you want your webcam to be offline, be sure that the progress bar is black.  If you want your webcam to upload photos to the internet, it should be blue.

...

More examples and tools available from the VisionGS Workshops.

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#3  Webcam Monitor

Version v4.24 tested Jan-22-2008
Price $70
Operating System:  Windows 7 / 2008 / Vista / 2003 / XP
Comments edited Feb-2-2011

Downloaded from: deskshare.com

This program has been updated since I tested it.  As of March 1, 2010, the program is now up to version 5.24.  Just looking at their website, I don't see any compelling reason to choose this program over the other ones tested above.  See the cons (below).

Pros

• It takes pictures and video when it detects motion
• Worked with a high-definition camcorder using firewire. (I could monitor video in high-def but I did not test recording in high-def.)
• Program emailed me a JPG image when it sensed motion.
  

Cons

• Can only monitor one webcam at a time. Must pay extra for multiple cameras. They have a $90 version of the program, called Security Monitor Pro that allows motion detection and recording from multiple cameras at the same time.  But why pay $90 for this when you could use one of the less expensive programs shown above?
• Records video only to the .WMV format. There is no choice to change the video to any other format, like AVI or MPG.  This is a deal-breaker for me.  I don't want to be stuck with WMV files that require specific software to edit and play back.
• Could only record video at a maximum resolution of 320 x 240 in our test setup. (Sony Handyman Mini-DV camcorder, model DCR-HC21, connected via USB).  It's possible another setup could get a higher resolution, though... I don't know.

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#4  Active Webcam

tested Jan-15-2008
Price: $49 for Active WebCam Pro (which has motion detection capability)

As of March 7, 2009, I see that the product name may have changed.  It now appears to be called Argus DVR.

Pros

Works really well with motion detection

Can capture video using a firewire connection, meaning the resolution of the video is higher than that achieved with a streaming USB connection.

Recorded audio and video using a USB connection with an old Digital8 camcorder.

Successfully uploaded snapshots (still images) to my FTP server once every 10 seconds.

Cons

Video is saved in their proprietary format: AWlive. It's difficult, if not impossible, to edit the video or convert it to different formats, like MPG or AVI. Our computers crashed when Active Webcam tried to save videos in AVI format using many codecs, including the Xvid codec.

We were not able to stream video by FTP using either ActiveX or a Java Applet. Our only success with FTP was to upload still photos to our website, about one image per second.

The program automatically deleted images, preventing us from archiving images on our FTP server.

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#5  WheresJames Webcam Publisher

Webcam Publisher 2.0015

Price: free
Operating System:  Windows
Tested again on Jan-31-2011.
Comments edited Feb-02-2011.

Downloaded from sourceforge.net

Before you install, please read.  

Privacy Concerns

Before installing, I suggest that you disconnect your computer from the Internet.  Here's why...

1.  The program connects to the WhereJames server the first time you start it up, revealing your IP to the site owner. You can disable this in the settings.  Uncheck the box shown below.

2. The program has the default setting to allow guest access. I assume the site owner, now knowing your IP, could connect to your webcams as a guest. I suggest you disable this in the settings.

In Vista, I could not get my Sony Handyman DCR-HC21 camcorder to work with WheresJames. The exact same computer and camcorder worked fine with another program: VisionGS, but that is a paid product.

Pros

• Free!
• Works with webcams. I finally got this program to work when I connected webcams instead of camcorders.

Cons

• Does not work with camcorders plugged in by Firewire or USB.  (It does work with USB webcams, though.)
• Crashes when connected to camcorder.  Crashed on first attempt to minimize program to taskbar. We could not get program running again after the crash. Even re-installing the program would not restore the function of the program.  Installed the program on another computer. Worked great until we closed the program. Next time we tried to load the program, it would not load up without crashing.  Video resoltution was horrible with serious blocking effects.  Programs above gave much better resolution.  Solution:  use a webcam instead of a camcorder - or use a different program.
• Does not record audio.

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#6 Yawcam

http://www.yawcam.com/index.php

Price: Free!

Operating System:  Windows NT or newer.  Does not work with Windows 98.
Tested on Jan-31-2011.
Comments edited Feb-03-2011.

Pros

• Free!
• Worked great when tested with Windows XP and three different USB webcams.
• Records images fast, which could be assembled later into a low frame-rate video.
• Motion detection works.
• Can use multiple webcams.  The trick is to open the program more than once, one instance for each webcam you want to monitor.  For my test, I opened the program two times to monitor two different webcams.  The CPU usage got up to about 65% on a 3-year-old Dell notebook.

Cons

• Does not record audio.
• Does not record to video files.  Only records images.

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Comments

Have you considered WebcamXP?  I've used it for a few years and it is robust for my monitoring needs, with the ability to connect multiple different types of cameras at once.



I see that WebcamXP is free for personal use.  I have not tried it.



I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for software that can recognize objects (you would think that faces would be HARDER to do from a programmers perspective than, say, vehicles (make and model) but nothing is out there other than Matlab which has a silly learning curve and technical prerequisites up the wazoo.
Same goes for audio apps. I have found the usual speech recognition, song recognition,even bird-call recognition apps. But I have yet to find an app that can be trained for any kind of sound or image and has sliders for narrowing or widening the swath of possible matches along various applicable criteria.
For instance say you want your computer to inform you when it "sees"; via a web cam or video feed, a car pull into your driveway, a person walking up the path to the front door, or a child near the swimming pool.  You could use simple motion capture, but it will also alert you when a dog is near the pool, and butterflies flying in front of the lens, bird shadows, blown leaves, so you'd be very busy with false alarms. Today's PCs are capable of being taught the difference between species, or even to tell the make and model of a vehicle, but today's software won't touch it. Why?



Very good points and interesting question.  I'm too busy to address this, though, as I am preparing for the return of Jesus.  I hope you seriously consider what I just said.

Test setup

Operating Systems used: 

1. Windows XP Pro 

2. Vista Ultimate

Video capture devices used:
1. Sony Handyman Mini-DV camcorder, DCR-HC21, connected two different ways: firewire and USB
2. Sony Digital Handyman, DCR-TRV740, connected via USB
3. Logitech Orbit/Sphere MP connected via USB.

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