Help with USB Webcam

[theenglishman]

I think the answers going to be 'Buy a capture card and do it properly' but I thought I'd ask, just incase.

I've a Creative PD1001 USB webcam and I can't get it to work in ZM (black screen in Monitor)

It seems to be seen ok:-

[user user]$ sudo -u root zmu -d /dev/video0 -q -v
Video Capabilities
Name: Creative PD1001
Type: 1
Can capture
Video Channels: 1
Audio Channels: 0
Maximum Width: 400
Maximum Height: 300
Minimum Width: 2
Minimum Height: 2
Window Attributes
X Offset: 0
Y Offset: 0
Width: 384
Height: 288
Picture Attributes
Palette: 1 - Linear greyscale
Colour Depth: 24
Brightness: 32768
Hue: 65535
Colour :65535
Contrast: 65535
Whiteness: 32768
Channel 0 Attributes
Name: Camera
Channel: 0
Flags: 0
Type: 2 - Camera
Format: 0 - PAL




So I installed xawtv and running it from the command line gives:-

[user user]$ xawtv -device /dev/video0
This is xawtv-3.94, running on Linux/i686 (2.6.7-2.tmb.6mdk)
/dev/video0 [v4l]: no overlay support
v4l-conf had some trouble, trying to continue anyway
ioctl: VIDIOCMCAPTURE(frame=0;height=2;width=2;format=7): Invalid argument
ioctl: VIDIOCMCAPTURE(frame=0;height=2;width=2;format=15): Invalid argument
ioctl: VIDIOCMCAPTURE(frame=0;height=2;width=2;format=9): Invalid argument
ioctl: VIDIOCMCAPTURE(frame=0;height=2;width=2;format=3): Invalid argument
v4l: timeout (got SIGALRM), hardware/driver problems?
ioctl: VIDIOCSPICT(brightness=32768;hue=65535;colour=65535;contrast=65535;whiteness=32768;depth=24;palette=GREY): Invalid argument
ioctl: VIDIOCSPICT(brightness=32768;hue=65535;colour=65535;contrast=65535;whiteness=32768;depth=24;palette=GREY): Invalid argument
ioctl: VIDIOCSPICT(brightness=32768;hue=65535;colour=65535;contrast=65535;whiteness=32768;depth=24;palette=GREY): Invalid argument
ioctl: VIDIOCSPICT(brightness=32768;hue=65535;colour=65535;contrast=65535;whiteness=32768;depth=24;palette=GREY): Invalid argument


/var/log/messages shows:-

[user user]$ sudo -u root tail -50 /var/log/messages
Aug 4 16:34:45 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: height : 288
Aug 4 16:34:45 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: framerate: 300
Aug 4 16:34:45 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: zoom : 0
Aug 4 16:34:45 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: vendor_req_compression: 1
Aug 4 16:34:45 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: compression: 2
Aug 4 16:34:45 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: capture on
Aug 4 16:34:45 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: urbs flying!
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: to much errors, restarting capture
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: starting stream
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: interface set
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: packetsize: 1016
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: led and power on
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: vendor_req_capture_info: 16
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: vendor_req_capture_info: 16
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: capture info size: 16
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: mode : 1
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: xstart : 8
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: ystart : 6
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: width : 384
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: height : 288
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: framerate: 300
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: zoom : 0
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: vendor_req_compression: 1
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: compression: 2
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: capture on
Aug 4 16:34:46 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: urbs flying!
Aug 4 16:34:47 Vigor114 kernel: drivers/usb/media/epcam.c: to much errors, restarting capture



If it's a driver problem I'm screwed as I've only got very limited experience of Linux but I'm holding out for configuration issues.

But any help appreciated - even if it's a pointer to another forum where this question would be more appropriate.

Neil

[cordel]

Unfortunatly I haven't done a thing with web cams but this site looks like a good canidate for info.
http://ldp.hughesjr.com/HOWTO/Webcam-HO ... tml#MODELS
http://www.linux.com/howtos/Webcam-HOWTO/devices.shtml
Regards,
Cordel

[rdmelin]

Try running xawtv this way:
xawtv -c /dev/video0 -geometry 320x240

I have a usb wecam (uses different driver) and it works with xawtv but only if I use the -geometry switch.

[theenglishman]

It seems it's likely to be the epcam driver as this is still 'alpha' code according to the developer.

http://www.qbik.ch/usb/devices/showdr.php?id=57

I just don't have the knowledge or time to figure it out any further, so I'll just wait for pay day and get a proper setup.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

Neil