Skip to main content

Desktop Capture

Overview​

Desktop Capture allows ITVDesk to stream one or more computer monitors (desktops) as video channels of a virtual ONVIF IP camera.

This is commonly used for:

  • Control rooms
  • Operator workstations
  • Remote monitoring
  • Screen recording and auditing
  • Training and demonstration systems

ITVDesk supports single-monitor and multi-monitor desktop capture and can expose them as multiple ONVIF video channels or as separate virtual IP cameras, depending on your system and NVR/VMS capabilities.

Desktop capture selection

Selecting Desktop Capture​

To enable desktop capture:

  1. Create a new Virtual ONVIF IP Camera
  2. In Camera Media Source, enable Computer Screen Live
  3. Select one or more available monitors
  4. Confirm the selection

Each selected monitor becomes a video input source.

Desktop capture selection

Multiple Monitors and Channel Creation​

When multiple monitors are selected, ITVDesk can handle them in two different ways, depending on the capabilities of your NVR/VMS or RTSP/ONVIF client and the desired video channel structure.

tip

Terminology:

  • NVR (Network Video Recorder) – A device or software that records video streams from IP cameras.
  • VMS (Video Management System) – Software used to manage, view, record, and search video from IP cameras and ONVIF devices.
  • RTSP player – Any application capable of playing RTSP streams (for example VLC, FFplay, or similar tools).

If you do not use a third-party VMS or NVR, you can view and manage all ITVDesk streams using the ITVDesk VMS Client application, which supports ONVIF and RTSP playback out of the box.

Mode 1 – Multiple Channels (Single ONVIF Device)​

In Multi-Channel mode, ITVDesk exposes one ONVIF IP camera with multiple video channels.

  • Each monitor = one ONVIF video channel
  • All channels belong to the same ONVIF device
  • Ideal for NVR/VMS systems that support ONVIF multi-channel devices (e.g. ONVIF Profile S / multi-profile devices)

Example​

If the system has:

  • 2 monitors
  • 3 webcams

ITVDesk appears as:

  • 1 ONVIF IP camera
  • 5 video channels
    • Channel 1–2: monitors
    • Channel 3–5: webcams

This creates a single logical device with multiple video outputs.

When to Use Multi-Channel Mode​

  • Your NVR/VMS supports ONVIF devices with multiple channels
  • You want all video sources grouped under one device
  • Easier device management and cleaner device list

Mode 2 – Multiple Cameras (Single Channel per Camera)​

In Multiple Camera mode, ITVDesk creates one virtual ONVIF IP camera per video source.

  • Each monitor = one ONVIF device
  • Each device has exactly one video channel
  • All devices use the same IP address
  • Each device uses a different ONVIF port

This mode is designed for compatibility with NVR/VMS systems that do not support multi-channel ONVIF devices.

Example​

If the system has:

  • 2 monitors
  • 1 webcam

ITVDesk appears as:

  • 3 ONVIF IP cameras
    • Camera 1 → Monitor 1 (port 7000)
    • Camera 2 → Monitor 2 (port 7001)
    • Camera 3 → Webcam (port 7002)

Each camera has exactly one video channel.

When to Use Multiple Camera Mode​

  • Your NVR/VMS supports only single-channel ONVIF cameras
  • The system cannot handle ONVIF multi-profile or multi-channel devices
  • You want maximum compatibility

Key Difference: Channels vs Cameras​

FeatureMulti-ChannelMultiple Cameras
ONVIF devices1Multiple
Channels per deviceMultiple1
IP address11
Ports used1Multiple
NVR compatibilityRequires multi-channel supportWorks everywhere

Performance Considerations​

ITVDesk is optimized for a GPU-accelerated media pipeline (decode, processing, and encode), with automatic CPU fallback when GPU acceleration is not available.

  • Each captured monitor or video source is processed independently
  • Video encoding is hardware-accelerated on supported GPUs
  • Resource usage depends on:
    • Output resolution
    • Frame rate (FPS)
    • Number of active monitors or sources
    • Selected video codec (H.264 / H.265 / MJPEG)

GPU Usage​

For desktop and application capture, ITVDesk now uses GPU acceleration across the full video pipeline where supported, including real-time encoding.

When GPU acceleration is unavailable for a specific codec or platform, ITVDesk automatically falls back to optimized multi-threaded CPU processing.

This design ensures:

  • Stable performance on servers and workstations
  • Predictable resource usage
  • Reliable operation in multi-monitor and multi-channel environments

Recommendation​

For multi-monitor setups:

  • A modern GPU and recent drivers provide the highest throughput
  • A multi-core CPU remains important for system-level orchestration
  • Hardware acceleration is recommended for best real-time performance

Summary​

Desktop Capture in ITVDesk allows:

  • Capturing one or multiple monitors
  • Exposing them as multiple ONVIF channels or multiple ONVIF cameras
  • Seamless integration with both modern and legacy NVR/VMS systems

ITVDesk is one of the first applications that allows mixing multiple channels and multiple virtual IP cameras within the same system, providing maximum flexibility for real-world deployments.

Next Steps​

👉 Application Window Capture
👉 Webcam
👉 Combined Media Stream

Last updated on