UVC

UVC (USB video class) is a standardized specification defining how video devices capable of streaming video like webcams, digital camcorders, transcoders, analog video converters and still-image cameras communicate with computers over USB.

UVC was developed by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) and is supported by a wide range of operating systems and devices.

The UVC specification is designed to be easy to implement and use. Devices that conform to the UVC specification can be used with any operating system or software application that supports UVC.

A UVC camera (USB Video Class camera) is a type of camera that uses the USB video class standard to communicate with a computer. This makes UVC cameras very easy to set up and use, as they do not require any special drivers.

The UVC camera standard defines a number of different features, including video capture and streaming as well as camera controls, such as pan, tilt, zoom, and focus. A UVC camera also adheres to video processing standards such as color correction, image enhancement, and video compression, such as MJPEG and H.264.

The main difference between a UVC camera and a standard webcam is that UVC cameras are designed to be plug-and-play. This means that they should work immediately when you connect them to a computer, without the need to install any additional drivers. Standard webcams, on the other hand, may require you to install special drivers in order to use them.

Another difference between UVC cameras and standard webcams is that UVC cameras typically offer more features and better performance. For example, UVC cameras can support higher resolutions and frame rates than standard webcams. UVC cameras also tend to be more versatile, and can be used for a wider range of applications, such as video conferencing, streaming, and machine vision.

UVC cameras can be used in many video conferencing applications such as a board meeting, online training or webinar. They are also suitable for video conferences in meeting rooms such as huddle rooms and conference rooms.

One of the practical uses for a UVC camera during a video conference is Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) functionality. For instance, during a Zoom video conference, a UVC camera will allow users to control pan/tilt/zoom of that camera, as well as dynamically choosing between cameras if there are more than 2 in the room.

Due to their ease of integration and flexible support of video resolutions and frame rates, UVC cameras are often favored when a camera is used as part of an embedded vision application.