You want a live picture from your webcam on your website, refreshed on a schedule, with your site name and a timestamp on it. You don't want to wire together scripts to get it. ConquerCam is a Windows tool built for that one job: grab a frame, dress it up, and send it to your site.
Quick facts
- Version: 2.8.3
- Platform: Windows
- Price: $10 registration
- Trial: 30-day trial with some features disabled
- Download size: about 2 MB
Key features
Grab and upload images on a schedule you choose
You decide how often ConquerCam grabs an image and uploads it. Uploads go to an FTP site, and an FTP log helps you work out why an upload failed.
Add overlays and captions before the image goes out
You can apply overlay effects and set the number and type of captions on each picture, such as your site name and the time it was taken.
Serve images straight from your PC
A built-in image server lets you connect to your PC at your own IP address and port. You can use it instead of uploading, or alongside it.
Rolling filenames for a "recent images" gallery
A counter tag in the filename and a roll-over limit let you keep, for example, the last ten uploads. The newest image is always the one numbered zero.
Extras for unattended setups
The developer also lists proxy support and automatic dial-up. Over time he added region-shaped motion detection, video and sound recording and email notifications.
Who it's for
It suits you if you run a personal or small site and want a simple, cheap webcam publisher on a Windows PC. It also suits you if you want a weather cam, a street view or a pet cam updating in the background.
Pros and cons
- Pro: low price and a small download.
- Pro: focused on grab, decorate, upload.
- Pro: the trial lets you test it with your own camera.
- Con: Windows only.
- Con: most DV camcorders aren't supported directly, because they don't use the Video For Windows protocol. A third-party tool such as WebCamDV is needed.
- Con: some webcam drivers (YV12, YVU9, VYUY codecs) can give white images when publishing. You have to change the codec.
- Con: overlay images can leave a dark line unless your image size is 320x240 or you resize the overlay.
- Con: you can't publish from two webcams in one instance. You can run several instances instead.
FAQs
Does it work with my camcorder?
Most DV camcorders won't work directly. A third-party product such as WebCamDV can make the camcorder appear as a regular webcam.
How do I move my settings to another PC?
Copy the config.xml file from the ConquerCam folder in your application data, install the program on the new machine, and replace its config.xml with your copy.
Why does my uploaded image come out white?
The cause is usually the webcam driver's codec. Switch it to something like RGB 24 or JPGL.
Why aren't my images reaching my FTP site?
Turn on FTP logging in the options (F8), try the upload again, then check the log from the File menu.
Why does it freeze after running a while?
Outdated device drivers for the webcam, USB controller or graphics card are the usual cause. Update them first.
System requirements
It's a Windows application with a download of about 2 MB. You need a webcam that works through Windows video drivers, plus an FTP site if you want to upload.