Configure a FFmpeg Camera

A ffmpeg camera uses a camera, a video file, or a stream as a camera.

On the COMPONENTS subtab, navigate to the Create Component menu. Enter a name for your camera, select the type camera, and select the ffmpeg model.

Creation of a ffmpeg camera in the Viam app config builder.

Fill in the attributes for your ffmpeg camera:

Configuration of a ffmpeg camera in the Viam app config builder.
{
    "name": "<camera_name>",
    "type": "camera",
    "model" : "ffmpeg",
    "attributes": {
        "intrinsic_parameters": {
            "width_px": <integer>,
            "height_px": <integer>,
            "fx": <float64>,
            "fy": <float64>,
            "ppx": <float64>,
            "ppy": <float64>
        },
        "distortion_parameters": {
            "rk1": <float64>,
            "rk2": <float64>,
            "rk3": <float64>,
            "tp1": <float64>,
            "tp2": <float64>
        },
        "debug": <boolean>,
        "video_path": <string>,
        "input_kw_args": { ... },
        "filters": [
            {
            "name": <string>,
            "args": [ <string>, <string>, ... ],
            "kw_args": { ... }
            }
        ],
        "output_kw_args": { ... },
    }
}

The following attributes are available for ffmpeg cameras:

NameInclusionDescription
intrinsic_parametersOptionalThe intrinsic parameters of the camera used to do 2D <-> 3D projections:
  • width_px: The expected width of the aligned image in pixels.
  • height_px: The expected height of the aligned image in pixels.
  • fx: The image center x point.
  • fy: The image center y point.
  • ppx: The image focal x.
  • ppy: The image focal y.
distortion_parametersOptionalModified Brown-Conrady parameters used to correct for distortions caused by the shape of the camera lens:
  • rk1: The radial distortion x.
  • rk2: The radial distortion y.
  • rk3: The radial distortion z.
  • tp1: The tangential distortion x.
  • tp2: The tangential distortion y.
debugOptionalEnables the debug outputs from the camera if true. Defaults to false.
video_pathRequiredThe file path to the color image.
input_kw_argsOptionalThe input keyword arguments.
filtersOptionalThe file path to the depth image. Array of filter objects that specify:
  • name: The name of the filter.
  • args: The arguments for the filter.
  • kw_args: The kw arugments for the filter ???.
output_kw_argsOptionalThe output keyword arguments.

View the camera stream

Once your camera is connected, go to the CONTROL tab, and click on the camera’s dropdown menu. Toggle “View Camera”. If everything is configured correctly, you will see the live video feed from your camera.

Example Camera view inside Viam app

Next Steps