Hi,

I've been using Flash and ASP.Net/C# for a while now. While I enjoy writing C# more, I needed Flash to include webcam/mic support for my web applications. Flash, in combination with Flash Media Server 2, allows a really easy way to enable multiple website users to interact using their webcam and headset.

I always wondered why Microsoft did not have a Flash-like environment for websites. Since Flash is more of a designer tool with some scripting capabilities (ActionScript), I was hoping Microsoft would soon come up with a Flash-equivalent which would enable me to use .Net/C# instead of ActionScript.

When I first read about WPF/e / Silverlight, I was happy to see Microsoft was finally working on what I was hoping for.

The only thing I really miss in all the Silverlight documentation/sites/examples is how to include webcam/headset support. Since it is to be the "Flash killer", I expected it to have (at least) the same key features as Flash does. From what I've seen, Silverlight is more about recorded video streams than realtime webcam streams.

Since Silverlight 1.1 is an Alpha release, I assume the webcam support is to be included at a later stage.

Finally my question: Does anyone know if and when Silverlight will support "realtime" webcam and audio streams? Or does it already support it?

Thanks in advance!

Maybe you use the nifty new MS Expression Media Encoder?  It should have live encoding for webcam but this feature is not in the current Preview (beta) that can be downloaded from Microsoft. Encoder works with Silverlight according to the website-

 http://www.microsoft.com/Expression

Delivering a Web-ready Silverlight experience is easy. Easily import WMV, WMA, AVI, QuickTime, and additional media formats into Expression Media Encoder, fine-tune your VC-1 settings, and choose your favorite Silverlight template.

 Reinforcing the previous question, is there any possibility that Silverlight will have the same Flash functionality that allows us to use the webcam installed in the user's computer just using an ActionScript in a SWF file.

Like, is it possible to build an application like Ustream.tv using SilverLight 1.0?

If not, is that in the plans for future releases? Will this functionality be Windows Only?

 

I'm very intereted in this webcam streaming feature. (e.g. Flex )
Could you tell us Silverlight plan about supporting webcam?

Its already possible, infact we will demonstrate the functionality in our final presentation booth for the imagine cup (NL).

Note: this is not done with pure silverlight

Hello World!

That's cool, great news Tomh, can you explain to us if will some kind of web page where you have a Silverlight app embedded that uses the webcam directly or is it a desktop app?

  Hi Tomh, any update on this? What technology did you use in addition to Silverlight?

Anyone got a way to capture microphone audio within silverlight?

How is it that this post remains unanswered?

This makes me wonder if Microsoft is really listening.

Could somebody please enlighten the community about this?

 Thanks,

I'm the original poster of this question. 

I still haven't found the answer I'm looking for. Maybe the question is too long. Although the main question just is "Will SilverLight support webcams and microphones (realtime, not recorded)".

 I've read about the solution with the remark "not pure silverlight". Ofcourse.. I can make a silverlight app which communicates with something else which is capable of capturing and publishing webcam streams. But I want to know if it's possible with pure Silverlight.

I'm interested in this matter both personally and professionally. I hope anyone in the community or at Microsoft can shed a certain coloured light on the matter.

Thanks for all replies thusfar.

 I would like to stream from Akamai but was told the following directly from an Akamai support rep:

"Akamai can already deliver any XAML and media file over HTTP. When the Silverlight plug-in will support RTSP, then we'll be able to stream on-demand     and live media content from our Windows Media Streaming platform. There's not much we need to do on our platforms to support Silverlight. This is not specific to Akamai, our main competitors will also be compatible."

Apparently the lack of support for live streaming (MMS or RTSP) exists on Silverlight's end.

MICROSOFT - Please throw us a bone here.  When will this type of functionality be available?

 

Hi,

I can already use web cam and make a live streaming in silverlight. Using windows media server and the final release of the expression encoder. It's easy.

 In the encoder you can publish to an endpoint and in silverlight you can catch that endpoint. Whether from a file, camara, webcam, etc.

I dont't know if there is any restrictions about the server because I've only tried the windows media server. But in here I manage to configure it so it could support http on some port as well mms (though today that seems like a wrapper of rstp)

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Luis.

Cheers, Luís.

Can you use this from both ends i.e. a video conference in realtime?

Hello,

 I have the same problem..
I want to capture video+audio in the client computer and transfer it to another client or server.

Does anyone knows a way to do it?

Thanks,

Alex Vr

 jagsoft: Maybe you could see this link: http://www.webservertalk.com/archive218-2004-8-371298.html

 Windows media services are not appropriate for a two way protocol. Live streaming has delays at least of 10 seconds. If you don't care about the delays you could make one live conference application but, maybe, with a limited set of users (??) I've never made this approach with Windows Media Services.

Of course it's possible to capture media from a client and publishing it to a server so it can be accessible to other clients but for the other clients to receive this streaming from a server and at the same time publish his/her own media for others to see he/she will need another channel (publishing point) to do this. That's why I said it could be done (with delays) to a limited set of users, because it is needed a channel for each one of them.

 P.S - On the other hand...I've never tried this approach so try it. First you can try to make a one way approach and then transforming it into a two way.
 

Cheers, Luís.

Well MS has enough time to implement such functionality, and I hope they will do it. Cause capturing audio or video feature can be one more killing feature of silverlight :)

Andrey Baskov

we're streaming live content here:

http://www.vbrick.net/silverlight/

Greg
www.GJHDigital.com

Doesn't look like video conferencing or realtime to me, but what do I know

Doesn't look like realtime for me, too. I think this is an example of the confusion of realtime with live streaming. Of course I can encode video streams "live" with the Expression Encoder. But there is the delay mentioned in an earlier post. And 10 to 30 seconds delay certainly not meets the requirements for a conferencing application.

We had this misunderstanding, too. And it looks like Silverlight just doesn't have what if takes for realtime streaming. At least not at the moment.

What I cannot understand is why there is absolutely no statement from anyone from the Silverlight team regarding the support for realtime streaming and webcams/microphones for conferencing applications. Obviously there is a great demand for this functioanlity!

It is real time, its coming off a Windows Media Server via an mms: url
Go here and change the text to see for yourself, it takes about 15 seconds to update the text (which is currently part of the video not silverlight).
http://www.textthefish.com/ and then go here to see it in Silverlight: http://www.vbrick.net/silverlight/

You'll need a webhost that offers streaming capabilities which most shared hosting plans dont offer.

Periodically we have more live streams here too: http://www.vbrick.net/noaa/noaa.htm

Greg
www.GJHDigital.com

That's the point. I belive you that it is live, but it's not realtime. 15 seconds are too long, if you want someone to interact by this streamed video and for example an audio conference (imagine a teacher presenting something and interacting by audio with his students).

Hi,  GJHDigital,

I tested your site, and it is really live streaming.

However, my own case is still not working. I use windows media encoder to encode
a live video and stream it (via http protocol). But the MediaElement of silverlight can not
play the stream. (even no error message appear).

So, I wonder how you produce the live stream. Could you describe it more detail ?
For example. how the webcam video is streaming via windows media server ?
and, how the MediaElement of silverlight receives the streaming (any particular parameter or adjustment) ?

Thanks for your help.

VBrick has an encoder that pushes the stream. The camera (which has to be a composite or s-video source and rca audio) is inputted into back of the VBrick Encoder and thats pushed to a Windows Media Server which is then broadcast via a url. You can also hit the IP of the VBrick encoder directly but I believe there are a limited amount of sessions.

check out: http://www.vbrick.net and http://www.vbrick.com

Greg
www.GJHDigital.com

A better example of what you can do with live and stored video is at http://www.vbrick.net/multiplayer (be sure to kill any popup blockers)

Regarding an eariler comment in this thread, I draw a distinction between "live" and "low delay", not between "live" and "realtime".  To me, realtime=live and it could be low delay or not.  The reason for the delay is twofold: First, the format itself (asf) bunches the audio packets so that you must receive an entire frame before you can decode it if you want to maintain sync.  Second, there is player buffering and MS does not allow it to be 0. And I guess you could add a third if you are using WMS which also delays delivery.  To produce low delay audio/video in Silverlight, you'd have to use a non-asf format.

For non-Silverlight (WMP), we've built a low delay player that is well under half second delay for video.

Rich

double posted(sorry).
I'm streaming the SciFi show: Ghost Hunters Live Halloween special via Silverlight on my site. Video is probably only good for tonight 10/31/2007

http://www.gjhdigital.com/silverlight/ghosthunters.html

Greg
www.GJHDigital.com

I got basic webcam support up and running in Silverlight, using HTML briding, Actionscript and Flash - Code, samples and documentation over at http://jonas.follesoe.no/PermaLink,guid,7f8857dc-5f37-4a8a-bd35-fd4b624af45b.aspx .

The trick is: Host a simple Flash app, expose some actionscript to grab a frame, PNG encode it, Base64 encode it, pas it to JS, pas it to C#, Base64 decode it, load it into a memory stream, load it into a BitmapSource, display it. That simple ;)

 
Cheers,

It sure would be nice if someone from Microsoft would give some REAL input on this subject. Microsoft are you listening?