Using Multiple Video Cameras with GS Video on Macintosh

georgerol..

Using Multiple Video Cameras with GS Video on Macintosh

in Contributed Library Questions • 1 year ago

I have reviewed some of the discussion of using multiple video cameras with GS Video in Processing, but I cannot find a discussion of the proper hardware hookups for this.

I have iMacs, A 15" MacBook Pro and two Desktop Macs all new models with intel processors all of which have Firewire 800 connectors.

I have Unibrain "iFire" cams that have Firewire 400 cables. I can use an 800-400 Firewire adapter and, in iChat choose easily between the built-in Web cam and the attached iFire cam.

I can use a firewire hub to connect several firewire 400 devices to the compy's 800 connector. Can anyone verify that this hook-up is the best for multiple cams? Would USB cams work better in this situation?

Thanks,

George

MacBook Pro 15" 2.4GHz Intel Core i5, QuickTime v.10.0
Processing v. 1.2.1

Replies(2)

Makio135

Re: Using Multiple Video Cameras with GS Video on Macintosh

1 year ago

From GSVideo library's exemples, you can find:

- http://gsvideo.sourceforge.net/examples/Capture/GettingStartedCaptureWin/GettingStartedCaptureWin.pde with the GSCapture.list() function working on Windows

- http://gsvideo.sourceforge.net/examples/Capture/GettingStartedCaptureMac/GettingStartedCaptureMac.pde with the GSCapture.list() function not working on MacOS but the following explaination:

/*
  Note about camera selection in Mac:
  List functionality (GSCapture.list(), etc.) still not working.
  
  But it is possible to select the camera, althouth it is a little
  tricky right now. Under 32 bits, GSVideo uses a capture plugin (osxvideosrc)
  that accepts a camera specification as a sequence grabber input device in 
  format "sgname:input#". For example:
  
  cam = new GSCapture(this, 640, 480, "USB Video Class Video:0");  
  
  Under 64 bits, GSVideo uses a different capture plugin (qtkitvideoserc)
  which only accepts a device index for the time being:
  
  cam = new GSCapture(this, 640, 480, "0");
  cam = new GSCapture(this, 640, 480, "1");  
  etc.
  
  Note that the index must be given as a string, to maintain consistency with
  the API.   
  */

Have a good look at the exemples when trying a new library ;)

Hope it helps.

MAKIO135
http://makio.free.fr/

georgerol..

Re: Using Multiple Video Cameras with GS Video on Macintosh

1 year ago

After a bit of experimentation, in case anyone is wondering, I found I could use two Fire-i firewire cams by Unibrain at once. I hooked the supplied Firewire 400 cables to the cams then into Firewire 800-400 adapters, then into an 800 powered hub to the computer.

In iChat, both cameras were available and I could easily switch between them.

I have not yet tried to have the captured vid from these cams in a Processing window.

George

MacBook Pro 15" 2.4GHz Intel Core i5, QuickTime v.10.0
Processing v. 1.2.1

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