WebCam feed splitter software that works with VDV?

[Joe]

Looking for a way to supply 2 programs (VDV and VLC Media Player) with the same webcam feed.

I like everything that VDV does (motion detect, recording, etc), but I would rather view the live feed from my one webcam as a fullscreen view in VLC Media Player and not just the small size available in VDV.

I have seen some software programs like MANYCAM or SPLITCAM which claim to allow this capability, but I didn't like the reviews I read about them and I wasn't sure if they would work with VDV.

Just wondering if anyone can recommend a simple and free solution.

Thanks.


Just to clarify a bit...
The 'webcam' I am using is just a standard USB cam connected directly to a P4 (2G RAM) PC running free version of VDV.
I have tried connecting to the cam feed with several different programs while VDV was using the cam, but no luck.
Have tried a couple of MAGNIFIER type programs (Windows Magnifier Accessory, ZOOMIT), but the results were poor.
Thanks for the suggestions anyway.

[Semper Vaporo]

I have been unable to get one USB connected camera to show on two program windows, but my one WEB CAM is capable of being accessed my two programs. I can connect to it via VDV and Internet Explorer simultaneously. That camera also has servos that allow the camera to tilt and pan and I can use the IE connection to move the camera, which VDV then sees a motion. The only problem is that both images on screen are pretty much the same size, so there is no gain in viewing it on one or the other. There is the advantage that if I have a different camera showing in the large view of VDV then I can use IE to view the WEB CAM in a larger format too.

Another thing I have done to make the thumbnails of the other cameras larger is to use the Windows Magnifier program. I named my cameras such that the thumbnails for 4 of them are in a cluster on the VDV screen and the 5th one is off to one side. I display that 5th one in the main view of VDV on the left of my monitor screen and position the Magnifier window over the right half. Then with magnifier set to 200% I can position the mouse arrow over the thumbnails (which are hidden under the Magnifier window) and the 4 small thumbnails then appear in the Magnifier window at twice the usual size.

It takes quite a while for the Magnifier program to set itself up (I assume it is shuffling RAM memory around to make space for its window data and that can take 10 to 30 seconds, so when you start it, wait a while before you decide that you missed the double-click to start it!), and it takes a lot of CPU power to handle the 5 cameras and the Magnifier program! My new Quad-core Desktop PC seems to handle it okay, but my previous Triple-core Laptop could not hande the heat generated by that usage and went flakey on me.