Encodings for streaming camera to VLC

[zharvey]

I'm trying to build my own web camera from scratch (so not interested in buying a COTS camera like a Logitech, etc.) for a hobby project. The first decision I have to make is which encoding to use, and since I've never dealt with streaming media before, I'm unsure of how to proceed.

My only requirements are:

• The encoding needs to be fairly mainstream/standard and well documented
• The encoding needs to work with both audio and video (or integrated/muxed A/V)
• The encoding needs to be compatible with the VLC media player's list of supported encodings

VLC's supported Video and Audio encodings can be found by going to the following page and selecting the Audio/Video tabs respectively:

• http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.html

Since I'm unsure of the difference between "encoding" and "format", I'm a little confused as to which of those supported technologies are applicable given my constraints. Can anyone take a look at that list and help make a recommendation as to which encoding(s) I could use?


Ultimately I plan on streaming integrated audio and video inside the same signal to the VLC player if that helps at all. If I've been unclear about anything please feel free to ask for clarification, and thanks in advance.

[Baldrick]

You can use any encoding that vlc can convert to. But I would go for rtp h264 streaming. It will also work in flash.

Go to http://forum.videolan.org/viewforum.php?f=4 and search or ask for more information.