Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] video failure with ovfx2

[Derek Smithies <derek indranet co nz>]

Hi,
 I will quote from the FAQ:


 Once you have tested your driver compatibility using the GnomeMeeting 
configuration druid, it is recommended to test the webcam again with 
xawtv. If it works with xawtv, you know the driver implements SOME of the 
v4l specification, but GnomeMeeting uses different v4l calls than xawtv, 
for example, GnomeMeeting requests a different screen size, and image 
format.

===============================

In my experience of writing the video (unix) sections of pwlib, I have 
found many drivers that implement enough of the V4L spec to get video 
on xawtv to work.

I wrote the video sections of pwlib agains the v4l spec. I have seen no 
comment that explains where pwlib deviates from the v4l spec.
If you can show where pwlib does not follow the v4l spec, well done.
You will receive due credit for proving non compliance.

However, the sad fact is that the linux kernel is full of deviant drivers 
that fail to follow the entire v4l spec.
To get pwlib to work against deviant drivers, hints have been aded to 
pwlib. Have a look in 
./pwlib/src/ptlib/unix/video4linux.cxx
to see how they work.

I suspect new hints will need to be added to make it work for your 
camera/driver.

I am happy to add these to the openh323 CVS.
Just write them, send them to me offline (or online if you want) and I 
will add them.

Derek.
=====================================================================

 On Fri, 22 Aug 2003, Dan Egnor wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> I'm trying to use GnomeMeeting with an ovfx2 camera (Orange Micro iBOT2)
> on a RH9 host.  The camera works fine fine with e.g. xawtv and other v4l
> utilities.
> 
> By default, when I start gnomemeeting (0.98) it claims at start that it
> cannot set the video frame size.  After debugging the code (the
> PTLib/OpenH323 makefiles sure are icky!), I found that if I swap the
> order of initialization so that it sets the frame size after setting
> e.g. the color conversion, that gets past that error.  This is such a
> simple and obvious error that I presume it's been fixed in CVS by now.
> 
> So now I have an image.  However, for some reason gnomemeeting seems to
> capture a few frames and then loop them over an over.  (This is just in
> the local monitor, before even making a call.)
> 
> Other apps have no trouble reading data from this camera; any idea what
> might be going on here?
> 
> I tried the latest snapshot, but I couldn't even get that to reliably
> start without crashing (something about gconf).
> 
> Other than this, the client works fine.  Audio is no problem, for
> example, and I can see remote video just fine.
> 
> Dan Egnor
> 
> PS. Any particular recommendations for headsets?  Do USB headsets work
> well?
> 
> _______________________________________________
> GnomeMeeting-list mailing list
> GnomeMeeting-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnomemeeting-list
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Derek Smithies Ph.D.
IndraNet Technologies Ltd.
Email: derek indranet co nz
ph +64 3 365 6485
Web: http://www.indranet-technologies.com/