Video4Linux
Video4Linux (short V4L ) is a video capture API for Linux. Many webcams, TV cards, and other devices are supported. Video4Linux is tightly integrated into the Linux kernel and was by Video for Windows (abbreviated " V4W " ) named, but technically has nothing in common with it.
V4L is currently in the second version. The first version was introduced at a late stage in the development cycle of the 2.1.x kernel. In the second version several design errors have been corrected. They first appeared on the 2.5.x kernel. Drivers for video4linux2 include a compatibility mode for Video4Linux1 applications, but the support is partially incomplete, and it is recommended to address V4L2 devices in V4L2 mode.