How to Capture Live Video Stream from an IP Camera Using Python

This Python tutorial demonstrates capturing and displaying a live video feed from an IP camera. We'll leverage requests, OpenCV, and imutils to fetch, process, and display images. The script continuously retrieves and displays the video stream until the user exits.

Objective:

This tutorial shows how to:

• Retrieve video frames from an IP camera via HTTP.
• Use OpenCV to process and display frames.
• Continuously capture and display images in real-time.
• Implement a loop to display the stream, exiting on key press.

The final output is a live video stream, terminable by pressing the Esc key.

Prerequisites:

Install these libraries:

<code class="language-bash">pip3 install requests opencv-python imutils</code>

You'll also need an IP camera or a device streaming video via HTTP (e.g., a webcam using MJPEG on port 8080).

Using IP Webcam App (Mobile Device):

1. Install the IP Webcam app on your phone.
2. Connect your PC and phone to the same network.
3. Start the IP Webcam app's server. A URL (e.g., http://192.168.0.101:8080/video) will be displayed. Use this URL in your Python script. Select "Javascript" under Video Renderer in the app.
4. Verify the camera feed works by opening the URL in your browser.

Python Code:

<code class="language-python">import requests
import cv2
import numpy as np
import imutils

# Replace with your IP camera URL.  Ensure "/shot.jpg" is appended.
url = "http://192.168.0.101:8080/shot.jpg"  # Example URL

while True:
    img_resp = requests.get(url)
    img_arr = np.array(bytearray(img_resp.content), dtype=np.uint8)
    img = cv2.imdecode(img_arr, -1)
    img = imutils.resize(img, width=1000, height=1800) #Optional Resizing
    cv2.imshow("IP Camera Feed", img)
    if cv2.waitKey(1) == 27: # Esc key to exit
        break

cv2.destroyAllWindows()</code>

Step-by-Step Explanation:

1. Import Libraries: Imports necessary libraries for HTTP requests, image processing, array handling, and OpenCV utility functions.

2. Camera URL: Sets the URL for the IP camera's stream. Replace the placeholder IP address with your camera's IP address.

3. Image Retrieval: A while loop continuously fetches images from the URL.

4. Decoding and Resizing: The raw image data is converted to a NumPy array, decoded using OpenCV, and optionally resized for better display.

5. Display: The image is displayed in a window titled "IP Camera Feed."

6. Exit Condition: cv2.waitKey(1) waits for a key press. Pressing Esc (27) breaks the loop.

7. Cleanup: cv2.destroyAllWindows() closes all OpenCV windows.

Running the Script:

1. Start your IP camera.
2. Update the url variable with your camera's correct URL.
3. Save the script (e.g., as ipcam_viewer.py).
4. Run: python ipcam_viewer.py

The video stream should appear. Press Esc to close.

Conclusion:

This script provides a basic framework for viewing IP camera feeds. It can be expanded to include features like motion detection or video recording. Remember to replace the placeholder URL with your camera's actual stream address.

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