[Gllug] Firewire & camera problems on Suse 8.2

[Rich Walker]

John Hearns <jhearns at freesolutions.net> writes:
> On Fri, 2003-04-25 at 20:34, Rich Walker wrote:
> > [PS, and on a complete aside, Morgan are currently selling a D-Link
> > firewire web-cam for £20. Comes with a heavy metal base, and a
> > non-firewire microphone. Works with coriander & the other tools. Given
> > that the (almost identical) unibrain fire-i camera is £75, it's a
> > bargain]

The microphone is ... interesting. I spent half an hour with sox(1) and
kept finding it picked me up moderately well, and the TV in the
background moderately well as well...

> > 
> I've got this camera working with Coriander, as a raw device.
> I can only get the lower resolutions working though.
> The 640x480 modes have a 'split screen' effect. I wonder if the camera
> really has a rue 640x480 resolution, or more likely I am doing something
> stupid.

Raw mode, not video1394 mode, in the preferences. 

Both of these cameras (the Fire-i and the D-Link) will not do 30fps at
640x480x2-byte or 640x480x3-byte. This is a limitation of the camera.
However, the 640x480x1-byte modes do work at 30fps. I was going to
include a picture, but "both cameras on the same bus at the same time
with 2 instances of coriander" is ... fragile. (Plentiful use of
gscanbus & "Full Bus Reset".) 

I eventually got a picture showing it:

http://shadowrobot.dnsalias.org/images/cameras.jpg - about 250k on the
back of an ADSL line... 

The fire-i is pointing at the back of the D-link, which is pointing over
my shoulder. (The fire-i is clipped to a passing bundle of network cables...)

> 
> BTW, I know I should Google, but a pointer towards using 1394 devices
> with Gnomemeeting would be useful.

Umm; can you declare the camera as a video4linux device? (Not tried this
- should do soon...)

cheers, Rich.

-- 
rich walker | technical person | Shadow Robot Company | rw at shadow.org.uk
front-of-tshirt space to let     251 Liverpool Road   |
                                 London  N1 1LX       | +UK 20 7700 2487


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