I learned a long time ago that when things are done right, they look simple. That's how I know that video is best passed by using a video signal, not by using the network. It's also why I know Linux is not the right tool to use to build a video switcher. If I had done this using two Windows boxes and a capture card, I would have been using it two months ago. This community, notably Terry and John, have been of great value to me in arriving at this conclusion. It's not that they said so much, but they said just the right thing at just the right time.
I guess I wasn't up to the high standards of User2User, John, as I never heard from him. Any time either you or Terry would like to meet with me in video chat, I will be pleased to make myself available. Otherwise I'll be back here once I make a little progress on this project, v2.0.
Gracias y Hasty Lumbago...
I look forward to hearing of your progress! :-)
ReplyDeleteTerry Leigh Britton
ReplyDeleteFYI, I'm going with the StarTech PEXHDCAP, Terry, partly because I read the manual and I'm comfortable with it, partly because B&H Photo has an excellent price on it, and partly because you told me it appears as a simulated webcam to Skype. I'm going to have some fun now.
Terry Leigh Britton
ReplyDeleteI've got the PEXHDCAP installed now. It was more of a PITA than I expected. The setup.exe file consistently generated an error message, and the driver had to be finessed into place. It seems to be working fine now, although I haven't tested it with a vid input yet. It does indeed present itself as a simulated webcam, and is selectable in Skype.
The switcher box per se' is as far along as it will go until more parts arrive. The power needs of the MSI R7770 I will use are greater than my puny 430W PS can handle, and a 600W PS with a dedicated SLI power connector is en route. I should be testing by the end of this coming week.
At that point I'll finally be able to test video switch software. I love building this stuff. :-)
Ookina Maguro
ReplyDeleteNot sure, but if installing the driver was difficult to install, it may have been a permissions issue. With many drivers you need to right-click on the installer and select "Run as an administrator" and then after it is done, restart the computer for it to "take". It is an awesome unit at that price!
I really need to upgrade my own power supplies one of these days!!! :-)
(...and get quieter fans!)
Terry Leigh Britton
ReplyDeleteNa. I am the administrator, and the only user. I sat on the phone with a StarTrek gentleman for half an hour to finagle this driver into place. setup.exe was giving some inscrutable "incorrect display something-or-other" error. The driver and the software, once installed, worked perfectly. Power supplies are boring all right. I would have skipped it if I could have. As it is I was lucky to have a used video card handy.
I've discovered I can connect up my Canon S90 as a webcam. Ever use a digicam as a source? How was the image quality?
Ookina Maguro
ReplyDeleteStill, even if you are the administrator and the only user, you still need to right-click and select "Run as an Administrator" for the installation of some drivers. (Voicemeeter and Virtual Audio Cable are two that come to mind.) Anyway, glad you got that sorted!
People with DSLR's LOVE hooking up their cameras to these capture cards via HDMI! I do not have one, but the results I've seen have been really top-notch - clearly better than the best webcams (even my Logitech C920!)
Terry Leigh Britton
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know, Terry. My wallet is cowering, but I am encouraged that better quality video is obtainable. I can't say I'm overwhelmed with the C920, although I can see it stands above other webcams. Cameras are something I know little about. I only discovered the benefits of lighting this year. I live and work in a complete vacuum. You are one of the first grownups I've encountered who takes an interest in this subject. I'm learning things you probably knew years ago. I am learning things you already forgot.
Ookina Maguro
ReplyDeleteAn odd side effect of using webcams is that the lower the light, the slower the frame rate goes to compensate for the amplification stages. So, you might have your capture set to 30fps, but you are only getting an actual 10-15fps due to the low light slowing down the webcam! The more light you can put on it, the higher the fps. Also, using the "Gain" at ALL increases your CPU usage massively. (Exposure is OK, as is Brightness, but Gain is a culprit to be turned all the way down whenever possible!) So, there's two more reasons to have lots of light in the room! :-)
Terry Leigh Britton
ReplyDeleteMy capture card is going to allow me to monitor fps? That will be new. I will say I discovered the benefits of light about a year ago. One day I suddenly realized how poor the image was, and had always been. So I watched some lighting tutorials, then installed some appropriate lighting. The improvement was striking, as you can imagine. I plugged the lights into X-10 lamp modules, so I can control and dim them from the screen. That's working pretty well. The only thing is, now I notice how poor everybody elses' webcam image is. :-)
For a long time I thought the Lifecam Studio produced a good image. I thought it had better low light sensitivity. But it doesn't. It cranks up certain settings, and the image is pleasing in a saturated kind of way, but it isn't exactly realistic. I've recently replaced it with a C920, and I'm learning to use the various settings. It is a more realistic image where color and light are concerned. I never liked the C920 until I increased the light level.
This video shows it with a Logitech webcam (forgive his use of obscenities) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OggalwBYZM
ReplyDeleteTerry Leigh Britton
ReplyDeleteThank you Terry.
Tell me. If you were shopping for a camera to use as a video source, and you were looking to go a level up from the C920, what would you look at? Why?
I've not even begun to investigate that. I'd ask John Brown about it, as he is at a pro level while I am not.
ReplyDelete