CamCollect - Readme File for Release 2.2 - 24th May 2002
========================================================

CamCollect for Windows will download, display and save images from the
many thousands of webcams available on the internet. CamCollect monitors
up to 1,000 pre-defined webcam sites, only downloads new images to save
web bandwidth, supports authentication for members only sites, and
contacts up to 16 webcam sites simultaneously to maximise internet usage
and stop dead or slow sites effecting collections.  Optionally, captured
images are shown in a thumbnail window allowing rapid viewing.

Images may be automatically enhanced before being displayed, captioned
with site name and time, and automatically saved on disk, with file names
based on the date and time (fully customisable) or with sequential
numbers.  CamCollect supports various techniques to overcome the
anti-piracy schemes used by many webcams to prevent their images being
linked from other sites.  Streaming cams from sites such as Camarades
may be captured as a series of stills.

A built-in image editor allows images to be viewed enlarged, cropped,
have text added, be colour corrected, filtered or enhanced, and saved in
various image formats. A single button launches a web browser for the
webcam site's home page, and webcam site information can be imported
from a text file to allow rapid set-up, and saved to text files to share
with others.

CamCollect is shareware, developed by Magenta Systems Ltd, in England.
Until registered, CamCollect will stop automatically capturing webcam
pictures after five minutes, but may still be used to capture single
pictures. CamCollect Release 2 registration costs 25 (UKP) which is
about US$37 or 42 Euro.  Existing users of CamCollect Release 1 may
upgrade to Release 2 for 15 (UKP).


Features
--------

* CamCollect is designed to automatically monitor webcam sites,
downloading, enhancing, displaying and saving images from each site.

* CamCollect can monitor up to 1,000 pre-defined webcam sites that may
be defined by the user or importing in bulk

* Checks selected sites at pre-defined intervals, with up to four
scheduling periods during the day. Sites may be grouped into categories
of varying importance.

* Tries to download only new images, but unchanged images are discarded
(saves web bandwidth and disk space)

* The latest pictures from up to 250 web sites are displayed on a tabbed
dialog with age and site local time

* CamCollect contacts up to 16 webcam sites simultaneously (PC
processing power permitting) to maximise internet usage and stop dead or
slow sites effecting collections

* Displays each new captured image in a thumbnail window with site name,
clicking on the thumbnail shows the full sized image

* Displays and saves individual frames from streaming cams (server push)
such as Camarades

* CamCollect is able to automatically locate the image for certain sites
that use anti-piracy messages such as regularly changing the URL to
frustrate linking from other web sites and from those using cookies

* Images may be automatically enhanced before being displayed, to
increase brightness, or adjust the contrast

* Displayed images are resized to fill the viewing window

* Images may be automatically captioned with site name and time, to ease
subsequent identification

* Images are automatically saved on disk, with file names based on the
date and time (fully customisable) or with sequential numbers

* A log window reports sites visited, pictures saved and errors

* A built-in image editor allows images to be viewed enlarged, cropped,
have text added, be colour corrected, filtered or enhanced, and be saved
in various image formats

* Supports JEPG, BMP, PNG and TIFF images (no GIF for license reasons)

* A single button launches a web browser for the webcam site's home
page

* Supports authentication for members only password protected sites

* webcam site information can be imported from a text file to allow
rapid set-up, and saved to text files to share with others

* CamCollect is dial-up networking (RAS) aware, will open a connection
if required, indicates which connection is being used, and will ensure
it is closed down when the program is exited

* CamCollect may be automated with command line options to provide
scheduled picture collection (only when registered)


Installation
------------

CamCollect comprises a single program file CAMCOLL.EXE about 1.1 Mbyte in
size. Installation prerequisite is Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0
SP5 or later, Windows 2000 or Windows XP, with TCP/IP networking
installed and a web browser to check site details. CamCollect will
probably work on Windows 95 but is no longer officially supported.

CamCollect is distributed as a ZIP file which should first be unzipped
into a temporary folder.  If you do not already have it, the Winzip
application from http://www.winzip.com/ (or from most magazine cover
CD-ROMs, Tucows archives, etc) is strongly recommended.

The program SETUP.EXE should then be run to install CamCollect.  About
2 Mbytes of disk space is required for the software and documentation.
However once running, CamCollect can easily use vast amounts of disk
space for all the webcam images that will be downloaded.


Default Sites
-------------

The standard installation version of CamCollect contains a some general
default webcam sites of places, but no people.  The CamCollect web site
includes a further defaults file with a substantial number of adult web
cams.  Although these details will be updated every few months, Magenta
Systems Ltd will not be offering the same level of updates as specialised
webcam listing sites.


Distribution
------------

CamCollect may be freely distributed via web pages, FTP sites, BBS and
conferencing systems or on CD-ROM in unaltered zip format, but no charge
may be made other than reasonable media or bandwidth cost.  Any
notifications must state that CamCollect is shareware with nags until
registered with Magenta Systems Ltd.  Please email Magenta Systems Ltd
if you distribute CamCollect in some way, so you can be notified of
upgrades or other important changes.


Copyright Information
---------------------

CamCollect is copyright Magenta Systems Ltd, England, 2002.

Magenta Systems Ltd
9 Vincent Road
Croydon
CR0 6ED
United Kingdom

Phone 020 8656 3636, International Phone +44 20 8656 3636
Fax 020 8656 8127, International Fax +44 20 8656 8127

Email: camcollect@magsys.co.uk
Web: http://www.magsys.co.uk/camcollect/
Download: http://www.magsys.co.uk/camcollect/camcoll.zip


