CAM4 HELP
How Do I Broadcast My Cam?Create a new account at http://www.cam4.com/signup/
Once it is created sign in with your username and password at the top of www.cam4.com
To start your cam click "Broadcast Live" at the top of the page.
If you have a webcam installed and a profile setup, then login and choose "Broadcast Live", once the new window opens (make sure you allow pop-ups) select by right clicking on the grey window where the video is supposed to be, then go to settings, then click on the webcam and select the correct webcam from the list. This should solve your problem and allow you to broadcast your cam. If you still have problems, read the next section.
Internet Connection � Check that your internet connection is fast enough. A slow internet connection will cause the cams to load slowly. It may seem like it will not load but you need to be patient and wait. Closing other programs will improve the speed of the loading, broadcasting, and viewing of cams. Watching only one cam at a time will improve the speed. Not watching cams while broadcasting will improve the speed of your broadcast.
Clearing your cache � When the cam software is updated, you may be required to clear your cache and restart the program in order for it to work properly. Usually it will show loading to a specific number like 46%, then stop. If this is happening, it is a cache problem and clearing your cache will solve the problem.
Install the latest Flash plug-in - The Adobe flash plug-in can become corrupted for a variety of reasons. It's always a good idea to install the latest version. The latest version can be found here http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/
Check your firewalls - If you have recently done a windows update, including any security updates, check that the windows firewall hasn't been switched back on as it can stop you from viewing and broadcasting your cam.
Latest browser � Upgrade your browser to the latest version. Also a different browser may work better with your computer. Try Internet Explorer & Firefox. You can find the latest versions here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/downloads/ie/getitnow.mspx & http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/
I assume you have created a profile at http://www.cam4.com/signup/
If that is the case, login to the system from the main page with your username and password.
Choose the first menu option at the top "Edit Profile"
On the left side near the top is a link that says "add/remove images". Click this link to add photos.
There is a browse button you can use to look for photos on your computer to upload. The photo will have to be less than 120k in size or it will be rejected.
Currently you cannot change your username. The username is used to login and is your unique identifier.
It is also used to append to your unique URL. Example: www.cam4.com/richard
It has to be one word and can't have any accents etc in it.
Currently the only way to change your username is to create a new profile.
When you are viewing a webcam, just click on the dark grey area beside the word "message", type in your message and then click on the red button to the left which says "Send >"
Why can I not chat in some rooms?
You can view all cams on cam4 for free. Once you create a free account you will be able to chat in almost all cams except for the following
- Maximum Free Users - there is a limit of 100 free accounts chatting. If you sign up for Cam4 Gold paid membership you will be able to chat no matter how many free accounts are in use. There are also other benefits to getting a cam4 gold account.
- Private Cams - Broadcasters have the ability to chat in private, silence various people in their room, or to not display chat by Language, Gender, or only their friends. Your chat may be blocked in these instances.
Viewer Ban
Viewers are banned by the person operating the cam. The broadcaster can ban whoever they like, for whatever reason they like. Usually people are banned for abuse, harassing the performers, threatening them, racist remarks, flooding the chat, or advertising other URLs. If you are banned multiple times by a performer, your account will be banned for a minimum of one month. Good advice: If you don�t have anything nice to say, then don�t say anything.
Broadcaster Ban
Broadcasters are banned for the following reasons
- Illegal activity � underage performers, etc.
- Advertising other cam websites (it is ok to advertise your personal URLs)
- Broadcasting videos
- Static images for long period of time
A broadcaster ban can last 1 day, 1 month or be permanent depending on the infraction. Multiple occurrences of the same infraction after being warned will result in a longer ban.
- Possibly your javascript is turned off. So the form is not being completed properly and sending the verification email.
- The spam filter in your email software is filtering the verification email to your spam folder.
- Your email provider is filtering the email.
The fastest way to cancel your membership is to go to this URL https://secure.jettisintl.com/support/index.html where you can cancel online or via telephone directly with the credit card billing company.
Sound is set on as a default. To turn it off or on:
Login
- Choose broadcast from the menu
- Once you start to broadcast, Left click on the video and
- Choose settings
- Click the icon of the microphone
- Choose the correct microphone from the list
- Set the volume
Also in the broadcast window,
Check the top right, beside options for the speaker icon If muted, click to un-mute or vice versa
This is an error that flash player 9 is missing components.
- For Internet Explorer - Download and install Flash Player 9 ActiveX control content debugger (for IE)
- For Firefox - Download and install Flash Player 9 Plugin content debugger (for Netscape-compatible browsers)
You need to open the RTMP TCP port of 1935 to access Cam4 webcams through your firewall.
If some cams are slow and others are fast, then the problem is probably with the broadcaster having a slow internet connection. There is little you can do other than watch a different cam. If you are a broadcaster, then you should shut down other programs that you are not using and watch fewer cams in order to save memory and not slow your broadcast.
If all cams are running slow there could be a number of issues including
- Your computer - If you are looking at many cams, running many programs and/or your hard disk has lots of activity, then you could be running out of memory and swapping your memory to hard disk. We suggest that you watch only one webcam at a time, and shut down other programs that you are not using in order to save memory. If you add more memory to your computer, it could speed up dramatically.
- Our computers – Sometimes we have issues with our servers. Usually this is fixed within the hour when it occurs.
- The network – If there is internet issues with your provider or our providers, it would impact the speed of all the cams. If other websites that you go to are slow, then it is probably your internet provider that is running slow. If only cam4 is slow, then it is probably our network that has issues. This problem is rare however as we have redundant high speed internet providers.
In order to create a great webcam show, check all these things:
- Webcam – make sure you have a high quality webcam. 640x480 or better for resolution. More megapixels allow for better range of color and clarity. Glass lens is better than plastic. Frame rate of 30fps or better is good. Generally the more you spend on your webcam, the better the quality of the video.
- Focus – some cams come with auto-focus which makes it easier to stay in focus. Others have a small ring on the lenses that you need to turn manually to adjust your focus. Nothing worse than a blurry cam. Make sure your cam is in focus.
- Lights – Lighting is very important for broadcasting your webcam. A lamp with a shade, placed to one side of your computer monitor should be sufficient. Avoid lights in direct line of sight of the camera. This tends to effect the auto exposure and sometimes color balance of your images. Light pointed at your face may make bright white spots on your face. Lights behind your head, may make dark spots on your face. You should experiment with different wattage bulbs, different angles and types of light to find the best level for your particular setup. Usually more light is better than less light. To learn more check out http://cowboyfrank.net/webcams/HowToLight.htm
- Sound – Video without sound can be very boring. Make sure you broadcast sound with your show. Many cams now come with a microphone built in, some keyboards & laptops have a microphone. Make sure it’s turned on and that the levels are not set too high or low. Ask people who are watching your cam if the sound is too low or high. Also when you broadcast, mute the window where you are watching yourself. If you don’t then sound will be recorded, played back into the video are watching of yourself, and be recorded again causing a feedback loop and horrible high pitch squeals. Get used to broadcasting without listening to yourself.
- Content – This is your show so do whatever you like. Just remember to smile and have fun!
