A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in experimental broadcasts through the 1930s. All-electronic designs based on the cathode ray tube, such as Vladimir Zworykin's Iconoscope and Philo T. Farnsworth's Image dissector, supplanted the Baird system by the 1940s and remained in wide use until the 1980s, when cameras based on solid-state image sensors such as CCDs (and later CMOS active pixel sensors) eliminated common problems with tube technologies such as burn-in and made digital video workflow practical.

Video cameras are used primarily in two modes. The first, characteristic of much early television, is what might be called a live broadcast, where the camera feeds real time images directly to a screen for immediate observation; in addition to live television production, such usage is characteristic of security, military/tactical, and industrial operations where surreptitious or remote viewing is required. The second is to have the images recorded to a storage device for archiving or further processing; for many years, videotape has been the primary format used for this purpose, but optical disc media, hard disk, and flash memory are all increasingly used. Recorded video is used not only in television and film production, but also surveillance and monitoring tasks where unattended recording of a situation is required for later analysis.


Modern video cameras have numerous designs and uses, not all of which resemble the early television cameras.

  • Professional video cameras, such as those used in television and sometimes film production; these may be studio-based or mobile. Such cameras generally offer extremely fine-grained manual control for the camera operator, often to the exclusion of automated operation.
  • Camcorders, which combine a camera and a VCR or other recording device in one unit; these are mobile, and are widely used for television production, home movies, electronic news gathering (including citizen journalism), and similar applications.
  • Closed-circuit television cameras, generally used for security, surveillance, and/or monitoring purposes. Such cameras are designed to be small, easily hidden, and able to operate unattended; those used in industrial or scientific settings are often meant for use in environments that are normally inaccessible or uncomfortable for humans, and are therefore hardened for such hostile environments (e.g. radiation, high heat, or toxic chemical exposure). Webcams can be considered a type of CCTV camera.
  • Digital cameras which convert the signal directly to a digital output; such cameras are often extremely small, even smaller than CCTV security cameras, and are often used as webcams or optimized for still-camera use. These cameras are sometimes incorporated directly into computer or communications hardware, particularly mobile phones, PDAs, and some models of laptop computer. Larger video cameras (especially camcorders and CCTV cameras) can also be used as webcams or for other digital input, though such units may need to pass their output through an analog-to-digital converter in order to store the output or send it to a wider network.
  • Special systems, like those used for scientific research, e.g. on board a satellite or a spaceprobe, or in artificial intelligence and robotics research. Such cameras are often tuned for non-visible light such as infrared (for night vision and heat sensing) or X-ray (for medical and astronomical use). Video cameras are also used in the field of Life Caching - a relatively new trend of documenting ones life.

Recording LIVE feeds from Network Cameras - TenM3

3. setup the camera feed in your TenM3 account 4. Record the LIVE-feed as shown here Setup a Feed Manage a Feed Start Here pages have more information on TenM3.

...

Big Brother Video - CBS.com

Live Feeds Highlights ... Enter your comments into the text box below and then click the Submit button.

...

FOX Los Angeles Video Feed #2

Traffic camera video feeds; Other video or information, as warranted. You can watch live and replayed newscasts and Good Day LA shows online here.

...

FOX Los Angeles Video Feed #1. Watch FOX 11 News and Good Day LA live ...

FOX Los Angeles Video Feed #2; AM570 KLAC & FOX Sports Radio Live Video Feed; FOX 11 News Set Camera; Good Day LA Set Camera; Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Camera

...

Construction Cams | Bay Bridge Info

Caltrans Live Traffic Camera: Westbound I-80 at Fremont St. Caltrans Live Traffic Camera: Westbound I-80 at SFOBB Incline ... RSS Feed; Contact Us; Copyright © 2009 Bay Bridge Public ...

...

Skills Challenge - Live Feeds

Click each thumbnail to view live camera feeds

...

Live Camera Feed

Joliet Junior College - America's First Public Community College offering prebaccalaureate programs for students planning to transfer to a four-year university ...

...

Camera on Old Hospital shows live feed | Hermiston School District

A camera on the corner of 7 th Street and West Orchard Avenue offers a live look at the activity on the Old Hospital site. The camera will be online during the entire construction ...

...

Live camera feeds of our construction progress

Click on the link below to view live camera feeds of our construction progress. (once inside, click on "garage" or "building" button to open camera feed)

...

Apple - Support - Discussions - Video Camera Live Feed ...

Unless you have a big budget, you'll need hardware, not an application: it's called a video switcher. Route the signal from the camera(s) and from the Keynote playback device ...

...