Screen2ipcam+

Integration guide · ONVIF / RTSP

Record any Windows screen on your Hikvision NVR

Screen2ipcam turns a Windows PC into a standard ONVIF Profile S camera. Your Hikvision NVR adds it with Custom Add, then records, searches and exports the screen next to your real cameras. No capture card and no HDMI encoder.

Download the 14-day trial Watch the video guide

ONVIF Profile S
RTSP H.264
Main + sub stream
About 2% CPU

✓ ONVIF Profile S

Works through ONVIF, the open standard Hikvision NVRs use to add cameras from other brands.

How it works

Three parts and one open standard. Nothing is installed on the recorder.

Your Windows PC

Screen2ipcam captures the screen (or one window) and encodes it as H.264, with the PC sound if you want it.

Your network

It answers on ONVIF port 8000 and streams over RTSP port 554, exactly like an IP camera.

Your Hikvision

Adds the PC as one more channel, then records, searches and exports it with the cameras.

The values you will need

Copy them from the Screen2ipcam window on the PC. PC-IP is the address of that PC.

ONVIF port: 8000
RTSP port: 554
User / password: admin / admin (change it in Users)
Main stream: rtsp://PC-IP:554/screenlive
Sub stream: rtsp://PC-IP:554/screensub
Discovery: WS-Discovery · UDP 3702

Step by step

Prepare the PC

Install Screen2ipcam on the PC whose screen you want to record (Windows 7 SP1 to 11, or Windows Server).
Give the PC a fixed IP address, or a DHCP reservation on the router, so the recorder never loses it.
In the Video tab choose the screen, the resolution, the frame rate and the bitrate (see the table below).
When Windows asks, allow Screen2ipcam on private networks. Ports 8000 and 554 must be open.

Screen2ipcam: main stream for recording and sub stream for the recorder grid.

Open camera management on the NVR

Menu names change a little between firmware versions, but the place is the same:

On the NVR monitor: Menu → Camera → Camera → IP Camera
In a web browser: Configuration → System → Camera Management (older firmware: Configuration → Camera Management → IP Camera)

Add the PC with Custom Add

Click Custom Add and fill in the window:

IP Camera Address: the PC address (PC-IP)
Protocol: ONVIF (change it from HIKVISION)
Management Port: 8000
Transfer Protocol: Auto
User Name / Password: the Screen2ipcam user

Click Add. The screen appears as a new channel.

The Hikvision Custom Add window. Set Protocol to ONVIF. Port 8000 is already the Screen2ipcam ONVIF port.Screenshot: Hikvision Network Video Recorder Quick Start Guide

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Faster with search: the NVR online device list can also find the PC by itself (WS-Discovery, UDP 3702). Custom Add always works, even when search is blocked.

Check the channel

The channel status turns online and the live view shows the PC screen. The NVR uses the main stream for recording and the sub stream for the multi-camera grid.

Turn on recording

Set the channel to continuous recording in the recording schedule. To save storage, turn on Events in Screen2ipcam: it sends ONVIF motion events when the screen changes, so recorders that use ONVIF events can record only the moments that matter.

Recommended settings

These are the values from our real recorder test. A PC screen changes little, so 10 frames per second is plenty and keeps the bitrate low.

Setting	Main stream (recording)	Sub stream (live grid)
Codec	H.264	H.264
Resolution	1920×1080	640×360
Frame rate	10	10
Bitrate	2000 kbps	512 kbps
PC sound (optional)	G.711, recorded with the video

Watch it wherever you watch your Hikvision

Once the PC is a channel on the recorder, it is part of the system like any camera.

NVR monitorLive view, playback and export, like any channel.

Web browserThe NVR web interface on the local network.

iVMS-4200Hikvision client software for Windows.

Hik-ConnectThe Hikvision app on phones and tablets.

If the channel stays offline

The channel shows offline or "Network abnormal"

Check the PC IP address, and allow ports 8000 and 554 in Windows Firewall on the PC. The PC and the NVR should be on the same network.

"User name or password error"

Type the Screen2ipcam user, not the NVR user. It is admin / admin until you change it in the Users tab.

It still says HIKVISION protocol

Edit the channel and set Protocol to ONVIF, Management Port 8000.

The PC has a VPN or two network cards

Open the VPN tab in Screen2ipcam and choose the address the NVR should see, then add that address.

Test the PC on its own

Open rtsp://PC-IP:554/screenlive in VLC on another computer. If VLC plays it, the PC side is ready.

Questions and answers

Which port does a Hikvision NVR use for Screen2ipcam?

Management Port 8000, which is the Screen2ipcam ONVIF port. The video then flows over RTSP on port 554.

Can I watch the PC screen in Hik-Connect?

Yes. Once the PC is a channel on the NVR, it shows up in Hik-Connect and iVMS-4200 with the other channels of that NVR.

Does it work with Hikvision DVRs?

Yes, on hybrid DVRs that have IP camera channels and can add ONVIF cameras. The steps are the same.

Can I record more than one PC?

Yes. Install Screen2ipcam on each PC. Every PC becomes its own channel, with one license per PC.

Is there sound?

Yes, optionally. Screen2ipcam can send the PC sound in the same stream with G.711, which recorders play back like camera audio.

Does it need the internet?

No. The license works offline, so it fits closed CCTV and POS networks.

Watch the video guide

13 short chapters, from install to recording, in 8 languages. Pick the chapter about adding the PC to your recorder.

Open the video guide →

Put your first screen on the Hikvision NVR today

Every feature for 14 days. Then $20 once per PC, no subscription, works offline.

Download the 14-day trial See pricing

Other recorders and VMS

Listed

Nx Witness

Listed in the official Nx Integration Directory. Add the PC by ONVIF in Nx Witness.

Read the guide →

Tested