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Stream camera output to a Linux machine

An HDMI capture card and an HDMI cable is all you need to stream the video output of a camera to a Linux machine running the VLC media player. This can come in useful when you need to take screenshots of the camera's interface or record the camera activity.

Here are the parts you need:

On the Linux machine, install VLC using the default package manager. Connect the camera to the machine using the HDMI cable and the capture card as show on the diagram below.

Connection diagram

Run the ls /dev/video* command. You should see a new entry in a list of connected devices. Assuming that there is only one video device (that is, the camera) connected to the machine, it will be shown as /dev/video0.

Now, turn on the camera, and enable HDMI output if necessary. Run the following command to stream the video feed to VLC:

vlc v4l2:///dev/video0

Camera output in VLC

Important
If you use the described setup with a DSLR, you need to switch to Live Mode to stream the feed to the Linux machine.

To take a screenshot of a menu, switch to the menu system in your camera, and choose Video > Take Snapshot in VLC.


Published: 2024-11-07Reads: 1619
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dmpop

Linux user, amateur photographer, aviation enthusiast, clueless developer of ADS-B station, Pellicola and Tinble, author of a bunch of books. I can mix a decent Negroni, too. You can reach me at me@dmpop.xyz