11

I would like to understand:

  1. What connections between the camera device and my computer are needed?
  2. Is possible to do this without other external devices?
  3. What applications are needed?

Here there're some references i found, but didn't help so much (to me):

  1. How to use my GoPro as a webcam
  2. Elgato CamLink
  3. Use a Canon camcoder as a webcan
muru
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artu-hnrq
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    Why did the first reference not help you? It basically says you should be able to use your GoPro as a USB video device. Try connecting it to a USB port, start VLC player (sudo apt-get install vlc if you don't have it). Then in VLC try Media -> Open Capture Device... and under "Video device name" see if it finds a device and select it. – Sebastian Jan 03 '20 at 09:44
  • Did you run into issues with OBS? – Crabtree Jan 04 '20 at 21:33

3 Answers3

7

I created a script that makes the process a bit more simple. See here:

https://github.com/jschmid1/gopro_as_webcam_on_linux

jaiks
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3

I am currently in the process of research/accomplishing this goal. Here's what I have found thus far and what steps I'll be taking next.

1) You can use the GoPro USB device, but there will be significant lag due to high latency. Because of this, it is recommended that you get an HDMI capture card. To answer the question, you will need a Micro HDMI to HDMI cable connecting the GoPro to the capture card. You will also need a USB 3 to mini/micro/etc. cable to connect the capture card to your computer.

2) As stated above, it can be accomplished as a USB device, by using to gopro-py-ap. However, the high latency suggests that this option is non-ideal.

3) There are numerous different video streaming apps, but the main recommendation is going to be OBS, as it is designed for professional recording, and thus has been worked on extensively. That being said, things like Cheese, can be used to tap into the feed. Any meeting apps such as Jitsi or Zoom can also access these feeds.

Here are the resources that have helped me thus far:

This answer will be updated if any more details emerge.

Hope that helps!

Gordster
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Salt
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  • Recent gopro do not have a HDMI port and you need to buy the mediamod, not cheap – Mehdi Jan 06 '21 at 14:51
  • It's funny, I was just planning on getting back to this recently after getting a HDMI to USB decoder and the correct cord. That said, I have a Hero 4 Black and can't REALLY speak to newer devices. – Salt Jan 06 '21 at 16:33
3

This is what I use for a GoPro Hero 8 Black on Ubuntu 18.04.

The v4l2loopback module can be cloned and compiled from:

https://github.com/umlaeute/v4l2loopback.git

I use this for Zoom on Linux and have tested thoroughly.

#!/bin/bash

echo
read -p "Plug in USB cable and turn on device. Press any key to continue.  " -n 1 -r
echo


echo
echo inserting module v4l2loopback
echo


modprobe v4l2loopback exclusive_caps=1 card_label="LinuxGoPro" video_nr=13


interface=ip link | grep enp0 | cut -b 4-17


echo
echo using interface: $interface
echo


dhclient -v ${interface}


echo
echo activating webcam
echo


curl 172.23.100.51/gp/gpWebcam/START


echo
echo running ffmpeg
echo


ffmpeg -threads 1 -i 'udp://@0.0.0.0:8554?overrun_nonfatal=1&fifo_size=50000000' -f:v mpegts -fflags nobuffer -vf format=yuv420p -f v4l2 /dev/video13
Michael Bevilacqua
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