[AG-TECH] more on multi-input capture.

[Fred Dech]

hmmm.  that sounds promising.  i'll have to check what OS version is being
run by my friends out east.  i can't imagine that they are behind on that,
though.  we finally got past their firewall after some heavy testing last
week.  one thing that slowed us down, though, was a black screen when the
'1' winnov option in the AG node management for the VideoProducerService
was selected.  we did finally
track that down in the second menu off of the transmission VIC menu.  it
could be that they'd changed the source to an incorrect setting at some time
before we did our more resent tests.

thanks.

--fred

On Wed, Jul 13, 2005 at 08:20AM, Derek Piper said:
> 
> 	I believe there is a 'wrapper' in 2000/XP for WDM drivers to the VfW 
> interface that VIC uses.
> 
> 	Derek
> 
> Fred Dech wrote:
> >thanks, Derek.
> >but what i don't understand is this.
> >if the Spectra8 currently uses WDM drivers in Windows...
> >VIC relies on VFW type drivers.  that's what the problem is/was with the
> >newer WDM driver Winnov Videum cards and VIC.
> >i'm missing something.
> >
> >--fred
> >
> >On Tue, Jul 12, 2005 at 04:38PM, Derek Piper said:
> >
> >>	Hi,
> >>
> >>	Having installed a Spectra8 after using a WinTV 150PVR, I can tell 
> >>	you it's *very easy* to get going. Yes, each input installs a driver 
> >>individually (4 goes round the 'found new hardware' wizard - yawn, but 
> >>once it's done it's done). After that it just works like 4 individual 
> >>capture cards. As mentioned before, the inherent problem with VIC not 
> >>being able to differentiate between the sources and 'colliding' over 
> >>what input to use still remains, but that's Windows thing and happens 
> >>any time there is more than one capture device. You just have to select 
> >>the 'other' source(s), whatever they may be, when the window prompts you 
> >>and all sources will come up nicely.
> >>	Spectra8 cards, being 4 BT878 chips, would work nicely under Linux 
> >>	and not suffer from that problem (they'd just be /dev/video0, 
> >>	/dev/video1 etc.), although I have not personally tested it.
> >>
> >>	Derek
> >>
> >>Fred Dech wrote:
> >>
> >>>this has been covered in various ways at various times.  but i've got
> >>>a new question on this subject.
> >>>
> >>>we had a problem with the last Winnov Videum card we spec'd for another
> >>>institution because before they purchased the card the Videum been 
> >>>upgraded
> >>>to WDM drivers.  while the VFW drivers would make it work right for AG, 
> >>>this
> >>>other institution needed to use the software that came with the capture 
> >>>card.
> >>>
> >>>i've noticed quite a few posts by people successfully using the Spectra8
> >>>4 input card.  so i've now come to the point of replacing that Winnov
> >>>Videum with something that will cover all the needs of our collaborators;
> >>>proprietary capture software and AG.
> >>>
> >>>i'm looking at a web page with Spectra8 specifications.  i'm very, very
> >>>surprised to see, "... each frame grabber channel has it's own WDM 
> >>>driver,
> >>>allowing you to capture from 4 individual video channels."
> >>>now i'm really confused.  is the WDM driver relatively recent for the
> >>>Spectra8?  it must be... or how have people made it work well with AG...
> >>>
> >>>any insights would be greatly appreciated.
> >>>
> >>>--fred
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>-- 
> >>Derek Piper - dcpiper at indiana.edu - (812) 856 0111
> >>IRI 323, School of Informatics
> >>Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
> >
> >
> >
> 
> -- 
> Derek Piper - dcpiper at indiana.edu - (812) 856 0111
> IRI 323, School of Informatics
> Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana