How to Hook Up a Video Camera for a Live Internet Broadcast
When streaming video in chat programs or on the Internet, most people think of standard webcams made specifically for these tasks. After all, webcams are relatively inexpensive and install quickly with most desktop or laptop computers. Some laptops even ship with webcams already built into the display screen. Although easy to install and configure, most webcams do not support HD resolutions needed to stream professional quality broadcasts on the Web. To deliver high-quality streaming to broadcast viewers, use a video camera, or camcorder, that offers better resolution.
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Things You'll Need
- USB video capture device
- USB data cable
- RCA A/V, Composite or Firewire cable (optional)
Instructions
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Connect the USB cable to the PC or Computer port on the video capture box. Connect the other end to a free USB port on the computer.
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Connect the AC adapter to the USB video capture device if the unit has one. Power on the USB video capture device. Note that some capture devices that do not have AC adapters also usually have no power button or switch. These type capture devices power on as soon as you plug the unit into the USB port of the computer.
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Insert the installation disc into the CD/DVD drive of your computer after Windows detects the device and prompts you for a driver. Click the “OK” button when prompted to install the driver for the USB video capture box. If prompted to do so, restart the computer. Leave the installation disc for the USB capture device in the optical drive.
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Click “Start,” then “Computer.” Double-click the drive letter of the CD/DVD drive in Windows Explorer. If the AutoPlay window appears, click the “Install” or “Setup link. If the AutoPlay window does not appear, click the “Install” or “Setup” file in the CD/DVD drive folder window within Windows Explorer. The video capture utility setup wizard appears on the screen.
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Accept the License Agreement if prompted, and click the “Continue” or “Next” button. Follow the remaining prompts to install the video capture application on your computer. Reboot the PC if prompted.
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Power on the camcorder or video camera. If the camera has a selector switch, set it to “Standby” or “PC Mode.” Connect the small end of the USB data cable to the miniB USB port on the camera. Connect the other end of the cable to the “USB In” or “USB Video” port on the video capture box. If the camcorder does not have a USB connection, connect use RCA, Firewire or composite video cables to connect to the video capture box as needed. Most video capture boxes include several types of video input ports to accommodate a wide range of video input devices.
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Launch the video capture application on your computer. Click the “Input” or “Video Source” button on the program’s menu bar or toolbar. Select the detected video camera as the input source and click “Initialize” or “OK.” The video capture utility displays the captured stream image from the camcorder in the preview window. Minimize the video capture application to the Windows task bar, but do not close it.
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Launch the webcam software on your computer or navigate to a site that allows you to stream live video. Follow the directions in the program or on the website to setup your webcam. When prompted to select a video device, click the “Detected USB Video Device,” “USB Webcam” or “Unknown USB Camera” option. Use the camcorder to stream video as you would with a regular webcam.
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