Re: [GnomeMeeting-devel-list] win32 build issues

[Michael Rickmann <mrickma gwdg de>]

Hello Tom,

Am Freitag 27 Januar 2006 16:59 schrieb thomas schorpp:
> Michael Rickmann wrote:
.....
> suggest you better cross build under linux. works, if youve a clean system.
I certainly prefer to build under linux.

> > So my problems at the moment seem to focus around pwlib. Especially I
> > cannot find a webcam which spits a color format that pwlib accepts for
> > conversion on a XP box. I guess this is a general shortcome of the rather
> > old Video for Windows API which does not allow for a proper enumeration
> > of driver capabilities. DirectShow would be much nicer but its headers
> > are very resistant against the GNU tools.
>
> and maybe license problems -proprietary-.
> bringing in the whole m$ dx dshow heap as video base for ekiga sound
> "irritating". not to mention the bugs and depends, and m$ updates dshow
> frequently...
I totally agree that these are very unpleasant ideas. It would mean that one 
has to generate a  dll which at present has to be compiled with microsoft 
tools. As a starting point for the code one could use amcap (Microsoft 
source, DirectX SDK) or Virtualdub (GPL, sourceforge). The command line tools 
of the MS compiler are freely available at the moment (hidden in the .NET 
SDK). They work quite well with GNU make in the MSys environment.
> my aiptek dv3500 with wdm drivers works fine with the today snapshot (echo
> test). maybe you get a "more usual" webcam, as i know the philips decoders
> use proprietary philips formats pwlib cant understand(?).
Yes, the Philips does. The Linux driver was temporarily removed from the 
kernel last year because of a closed extension to the driver, which was then 
reverse engeneered. Now it is in again. Under Windows the cam says it uses 
i420. There is something like that in pwlib. Google found a report that i420 
support in pwlib was broken some years ago. I do not know wether somebody 
fixed it.
As to using a different cam, I have three. All of them can be used under 
linux.
0553:0002 STMicroelectronics Imaging Division (VLSI Vision) CPiA WebCam
0471:0311 Philips PCVC740K ToUcam Pro [pwc]
0c45:6028 Microdia
The corresponding drivers are cpia_usb/cpia, pwc, sn9c102.
The first one is very old. Under WindowsXP, I cannot find a driver any longer 
which works reliable. The other two tend to use proprietory formats, and do 
not work with pwlib (ekiga, openphone, myphone). So I am afraid that one has 
to do work on pwlib, or go shopping at ebay before one can use ekiga under 
W2k, XP, ... This is not a very satisactory idea either.
Just now I will look at the pwlib code and see whether it contains code which 
can be fixed.
Regards
Michael