You can share a built in or externally connected webcam so that users in the conference can see your video as well as you. Before joining the conference, first make sure that the camera is connected to the device and recognized by the operating system, where it is configured as the default camera.
To start the camera click the button with the camera icon in the media bar located at the bottom center of the main area.
The webcam settings will then appear. If your web browser denies access to the hardware, you will see "Finding webcams" in the menu.
At the same time, the web browser asks you for permission to access the device. You can already select a suitable camera here and save the permission for future conferences on the same BBB server in some browsers, so you won't be asked again the next time. Allow access here.
Then the webcam settings will be displayed in full. On the left side of the menu you will see a preview of your image.
On the right side, you can select the appropriate camera as well as the quality via dropdown in each case. Virtual devices also appear in the list of available cameras, in case you want to use virtual backgrounds with the help of external software tools.
If the quality of the camera transmission is not a priority for the conference, select a medium or lower setting. This saves bandwidth for all users and especially benefits people with poor Internet connections. The following quality levels are available:
Use the Cancel button to exit the menu without activating the camera. If you have configured everything correctly, you can "Start sharing" via the button of the same name on the right.
Your video will now be displayed in the room for all to see, you yourself will always see your own in the first place. It appears in the default setting usually above the displayed presentation. The positioning of the cameras can be changed, as described in the user interface article.
If you have already activated a camera and there are other cameras connected to your end device, clicking on the webcam button will take you back to webcam settings. There you will see the currently enabled camera.
Select another camera in the list to get to the share dialog.
Use the "Start sharing" button on the right to activate the additional camera.
If there is only one camera connected to your device, you can stop sharing directly by clicking the camera button.
If multiple cameras are connected to your device, clicking the camera button will take you to the webcam settings.
Use the "Stop sharing" button on the right to turn off the camera displayed in the list. If you want to turn off all cameras, use the "Stop all" button on the left.
If you get the message "Missing permission for share webcam, please make sure your browser permissions" or "Webcam not found" in the webcam settings, make sure you have allowed access to the camera in the web browser.
The fastest way in Chrome is via the camera settings, which you can access via the following address:
chrome://settings/content/camera
There you should see the web address of the currently used BigBlueButton server in the "Block" section. At the end of the line, click on the trash icon. Now try to start the camera in BigBlueButton again.
You can exit the settings and try again. Usually Firefox will ask you for permission each time. If permission was saved for future requests, you can reset permission:
Click on the settings icon to the left of the address bar, and the permissions dialog will open. At the end of the line for the camera, click the "Blocked Temporarily" button. Now you can re-enable your camera in BigBlueButton and Firefox will ask you for permission.
If you get the message "NotReadableError: Could not start video source" in the webcam settings, make sure that no other application on your device is accessing the camera: quit the application and try again.