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Kernel Support
Kernel Configuration
If you're using a stock kernel, everything should be okay.
Userspace support
In addition to the kernel support discussed above, one of the following userspace components may be necessary for the proper functioning of your webcam:
libv4l-0 (see the 'wrappers' section of its README)
Applications
Video
mplayer - Can be used to view webcam video by invoking mplayer tv://
xawtv - A suite of video4linux related software, which can be used to view webcam video.
cheese - "Cheese uses your webcam to take photos and videos, applies fancy special effects and lets you share the fun with others."
guvcview - "Simple GTK+ interface for capturing and viewing video from v4l2 devices, with a special emphasis for the Linux UVC driver."
motion - Motion detection using a webcam.
jami - "Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) is a SIP-compatible, secure and distributed peer-to-peer voice, video and chat communication platform."
kopete - The KDE instant messaging client - supports video for various protocols.
More applications are listed here.
Sound
Sometimes, webcams include a microphone inside. Check input level with a mixer:
alsamixer (in alsa-utils)
KMix (in kmix)
GNOME alsamixer (in gnome-alsamixer)
Individual camera / chipset resources
pwc et pwcx (french)
ToDo : synchronize with the french page