VidWatch

VidWatch for Windows 95

Version V1.02

VidWatch is a powerful tool used to build AVI files from your video camera.  VidWatch will capture individual frames from your camera and only save those frames when the picture differs from the previous frame by a configurable amount.  By using this technique, VidWatch will create a viewable  AVI file which is singnificantly smaller than if the video were continuously being captured.  This means that you can use VidWatch to capture video over a period of time but only capture the  changes in the scene.

VidWatch is shareware.  This copy of the program will run for 30 minutes after which you it will end and must be restarted.  You may register the software for a cost  of only $15 which will get you a version which never times out.

Some typical uses of VidWatch ...

o Security - leave VidWatch running over your house or buisness.  It will silently record all movement such as intruders.

o Surveilance - allow VidWatch to monitor the events in your house and capture who is using your PC or in your home when you are not.

o Amusement - point your camera into the street and see who is coming or going in the small hours.

VidWatch has been developed and tested with the Connectix Quickcam greyscale camera.  It is believed that other cameras which support Video For Windows will also work.


Using

Using VidWatch

To utilize VidWatch, you must have MicroSoft video for windows installed (default with Windows 95) and have a compatible video capture camera such as Connectix's QuickCam.  Once started, you will see a  video picture of the scene to be captured by VidWatch.  You may change the settings such as image size, brightness, contrast and output file compression.  You may then change the controls for VidWatch

controls

Capture Threshold
Each frame captured by VidWatch is compared against the previous frame.  The difference between the frames can be exprssed as a percentage of change.  Zero percent meaning the two pictures are identical and one hundred percent meaning that they are comletely different.  The capture threshold is a  percentage value used to decide if a newly captured frame should be saved.  If the newly captured frame differs from the previous frame by more than the capture threshold, it will be saved else it will be discarded.

Frame Interval
The frame interval is the amount of time, specified in 1/10ths of a second, between frames examined and displayed by VidWatch.  If the frame interval is too high, when the scene changes, it is likely that you will be saving too many frames, if it is too low, you might miss something you are interested in.  The lower the value of the frame interval, the more work your computer will spend in frame comparsion.

Sample Frames
VidWatch does not compare each frame with the last.  The sample frames control allows you to specify how many frames to skip between comparsion.  This control is usefull when you wish to display on the screen faster updates but do not wish to include additional saved data.  Setting this value to one means that each frame will be compared with the previous frame.

Pixel Difference
The amount of change in a picture is calculated by determining how much change takes place between pixels in the picture.  This control specifies how much of a difference is allowed between an old pixel and a new pixel before that pixel is considered changed.


Menus

The menus for VidWatch may be accessed from the menubar or from the toolbar buttons at the top of the application.  The following describe the menubar options ...

File

Save As...	- Specify the output AVI file.  By default this is called "capture.avi"

Exit	- Exit VidWatch

Settings

Image size and quality

- Control’s size of video image

Camera adjustments

- Control’s camrea brightness, contrast ...

Compression	- Set the video compression for the AVI file

Controls	- Set the controls for capture

Scale	-  Auto scale capture window

Capture

Start	- Start the video capture

End	- End the video capture

Help

Help	- Help on VidWatch (this help)

Register	- Registering informaton for VidWatch

About	- About this release of VidWatch


Register

Registering VidWatch

VidWatch represents many months of programming effort in the hope that it may be of value to users like yourself.  New versions of VidWatch will become available over time and these will also be distributed as shareware.  Registering your copy of VidWatch will remove the 30 minute  usage restriction,  entitle you to E-Mail support and ensure that you get the latest version of VidWatch as soon as it is available.

Please send a check or money order for $15 to:

Neil Kolban
719 Edgestone Place #250
Arlington, TX, 76006
USA

Please also enclose your name, address and Internet E-Mail address (if you have one). If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to send E-Mail to kolban@onramp.net or visit the VidWatch home page on the World Wide Web at http://rampages.onramp.net/~kolban/vidwatch