OAK as a webcam

OAK devices can be used as webcams as well. Make sure to use USB3 cable, as we have noticed that in some cases, USB2 won’t work.

Using UVC

# Skip cloning if you already have depthai-python repo
git clone https://github.com/luxonis/depthai-python.git
cd depthai-python
python3 examples/install_requirements.py
python3 examples/UVC/uvc_rgb.py

Now you can open up your favorite meeting app, like Zoom or Slack, and select Luxonis Device: UVC Video Contr in the webcam selection menu.

Webcam workarounds

There are currently a few issues with the approach above. Even on Linux, UVC node currently doesn’t work for all apps. Since UVC stands for USB Video Class, using UVC pipeline on OAK POE models won’t work. Another known issue is using UVC pipeline on Windows, as it doesn’t work due to UVC descriptors. Here are workarounds:

1. Python virtual camera

One option is to use virtual camera, such as the pyvirtualcam module. You would need to pip install the package and install it’s dependencies (as mentioned in the link). Here’s a demo code:

import pyvirtualcam
import depthai as dai
# Create pipeline
pipeline = dai.Pipeline()
cam = pipeline.create(dai.node.ColorCamera)
cam.setColorOrder(dai.ColorCameraProperties.ColorOrder.RGB)
cam.setPreviewSize(1280,720)
xout = pipeline.create(dai.node.XLinkOut)
xout.setStreamName("rgb")
cam.preview.link(xout.input)
# Connect to device and start pipeline
with dai.Device(pipeline) as device, pyvirtualcam.Camera(width=1280, height=720, fps=20) as uvc:
    qRgb = device.getOutputQueue(name="rgb", maxSize=4, blocking=False)
    print("UVC running")
    while True:
        frame = qRgb.get().getFrame()
        uvc.send(frame)

2. OBS forwarding UVC stream

We have noticed that on some apps, like Discord or Google Meet, Luxonis Device: UVC won’t work. One workaround is to use OBS to proxy the stream and use the virtual camera inside the OBS. I am running Linux so I had to install sudo apt install v4l2loopback-dkms for the virtual camera to work (this is also mentioned in install instructions).

This video will show you how to do just that.

3. OBS capturing cv2 window

Another solution is to stream the video to the host, and capture the cv2.imshow window inside the OBS:

  • Inside depthai-python repo, run python3 examples/ColorCamera/rgb_video.py. This will open a new window where 1080P video stream will be shown.

  • Inside OBS, under Sources menu, click +, Add new source

  • Click on Window Capture (Xcomposite) option. Then select video

  • You can then click on Start Video Camera inside OBS (just like in the video above), to use the video from OAK POE model as a webcam source.

Got questions?

Head over to Discussion Forum for technical support or any other questions you might have.