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Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 5:27 pm
by Centaurus17
Hi,
I ran zm v 1.30 for a long time satisfying ... now I setted up my Debian-server to Debian 11 and I had to install v 1.6 - and I have problems getting started. I'm using Vivothek cameras (i did not change at the camera-setting anything), from my old installation I have screenshots from the working configuration
.
I tried to put the settings in 1.60 equal I had in 1.30 - but at the moment I cannot get the cameras working: at the moment I am seeing a black screen from the camera with an error: "Monitor is not capturing. We will be unable to provide an image" / "unable to stream".
Settings General:
- Source_Type: remote,
- Function 'modect'
- Analysis Enabled = J
- Maximum FPS = 12
- Reference Image Blend = 12.5% (outdoor)
Settings Source:
- Protocol RTSP
- Method "RTP/RTSP"
- Port 554
- path "/live.sdp"
- 24 bit colour
- Capture Resolution 1280x800
Buffers: Image Buffer Size (frames) = 30, Pre Event Image Count = 30, Post Event Image Count = 10, Stream Replay Image Buffer = 1000
I'm shure these are the same settings I had in the old running configuration - what's wrong or missing?
Please help ... thx for hints.
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2023 7:52 pm
by dougmccrary
Start by changing remote to ffmpeg.
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 3:49 am
by Centaurus17
Thanks - this works
.
-----
Next problem: zm does ignore other paths:
- First I setted in Options/Storage the "Default"-path (/var/cache/zoneminder/events) to a mounted HDD (/mnt/WDAV25/zoneminder_events) -> zm does not create the directory 'zoneminder_events' itself on the mounted HDD.
- Then I created the directory manually with user root -> zm did not use this!
- Then I created in Options/Storage a new path and setted the camera to the new path on the mounted HDD -> zm still captures to '/var/cache/zoneminder/events'...
...how can I activate another storage directory?
In the meantime I switched back the "Default"-Storage to '/var/cache/zoneminder/events' ... now in the 'Storage Area' of the camera-setting I have 2x "Default"... ???
Thx
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 9:17 am
by Centaurus17
Supplement: ffmpeg does work - but it produces some image errors: the lower half of the picture is a little "wobbling", there are also some pixel-errors - zm does interpret this as 'alarm' and does capture sequences although there is no movement in front of the camera.
Is there no way to get RTSP working with the new version of zm ?
So I have 2 Problem (at the moment):
Thanks for help.
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 9:20 am
by dougmccrary
owner should be www-data most likely.
If that doesn't work, check the directory zm created and match that.
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2023 10:58 am
by Centaurus17
Thank you very much - with the owner 'www-data' zm is unsing the directory I created on a separate HDD for the events
.
With the protocol ffmpeg I'm unhappy - some frames are OK, then the next few frames are pixelated in the moving areas. And I have more false alarms than I had with RTSP & zm 1.30
.
Ideas to fix this?
Many thanks.
-------------------------------
Supplement: at the moment it looks good ... with Method "TCP" it seems to work better ... I will report.
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:18 am
by dougmccrary
Please specify camera and send screenshots of your settings pages - General, Source, Storage, Buffers.
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 8:16 am
by Centaurus17
The cameras are Vivothek IP 8332C (
manual PDF).
At the moment ffmpeg works well - I could go with this further. But it would be interesting why RTSP/RTP does not work in zm v1.6 while it worked in v1.30 fine (in the camera-settings I did not change anything).
Btwy - the screens of the GUI are to large (the ones from v1.30 had a more manageable size) - it is hard to use them on notebooks with small screen.
Thanks!
-----------
Btwy - greetings to the Casa de Bandini (I was there in '99), we had unforgettable hours.
-----------
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 8:17 am
by Centaurus17
The 4th one
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 11:40 am
by dougmccrary
Ahhh - I thought we were on source type ffmpeg?
Stick with 32 bit color target space.
Turn off frames and enable passthrough on storage. Leave analysis only if you want.
You have 10 or more of these cameras? Did you use a backup database or add them one at a time?
I ask because ZM would normally take an older database and upgrade it to work by running zmupdate.pl
On UDP vs TCP - I'm surprised it works at all on both. All my cams are one or the other, only.
Annnd - you keep saying 1.6. You are using 1.36.30-something, yes?
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:48 pm
by Centaurus17
Ahhh - I thought we were on source type ffmpeg?
As I wrote ffmpeg does work! But it would be interested why protocol RTSP does not work - while this was working in v1.30 at the old installation on Debian 9 (Stretch).
Here the
working settings from v1.30 on Stretch (you can click to enlarge):
... as you see 24 bit color target space.
Turn off frames and enable passthrough on storage
What do you mean with this? 'Save JPGS' on Storage = Disabled? Then 'Video Writer' I cannot set to 'Camera Pass through' - this is only for ffmpeg (not for RTSP).
I thought it cannot be so difficult to set the settings in v1.36 according them in v1.30 - but ...
I setted up Debian 11 Bullseye some days before (clean installation), then I installed zm using
this installation guide. I'm running 5 Cameras.
Thx
----------------
Additional: I'm getting errors to the console:
Code: Select all
Message from syslogd@debian at Feb 19 17:13:22 ...
zmc[13838]: ERR [zmc_m10] [bind(), Could not bind]
undef[13838]: ERR [undef] [Backtrace 0: /usr/bin/zmc(+0x739a8) [0x55eb1cfbc9a8]]
.
.
.
zmc[3773]: ERR [zmc_m10] [bind(), Could not bind]
zmc[3805]: ERR [zmc_m10] [bind(), Could not bind]
What to do?
Thx
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 12:55 am
by dougmccrary
I thought it cannot be so difficult to set the settings in v1.36 according them in v1.30 - but ...
It isn't.
I think the problem is you are trying too hard to relate the 1.30 settings to the 1.36 settings. There are major differences between the two, mainly that remote doesn't work like it did in 1.30. And also, the console camera screens are re-arranged.
RTSP does work with ffmpeg, unless something is really wonky.
So here are the essential settings...by page
General - server - none; source type - Ffmpeg;Function - Mocord
Source - rtsp://<ipaddress>/live.sdp
This assumes camera is set to Allow anonymous viewing is checked
- Screenshot 2023-02-19 at 16-49-37 ip8332-cmanual_en.pdf.png (19.49 KiB) Viewed 3076 times
Method - TCP; Target colorspace - 32 bit; Capture Resolution - 1280 800 1280x800; deinterlacing - disabled
ONVIF - all empty/blank
Storage - storage area - (whatever it is); save jpegs - diabled; Video Writer - camera passthrough; optional encoder parameters - crf=36;
(delete the comments to single line)
Timestamp - leave as is
Buffers - 3 0 0 5 5 0 1, top to bottom
The rest can be left as-is.
Does that work? It should. let me know...
[the following screenshot is a mistake, can't get rid of it]
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 7:15 am
by Centaurus17
Many thanks for your support and patience - partial success:
- I'm seeing a picture in the console .
- If there ist movement in front of the camera an event is captured .
- At the moment no ERR is reported in the system-console.
- But if I want to see the captured event - a black screen is shown with "the video could not be loaded, the network failed (= not possible) or the format is not supported".
??? Do I have to install ffmpeg manually ('apt install ffmpeg')?
Btwy - 24 bit color depth -> 32 bit color depth ... does this increase the cpu-load significant?
Many thanks.
-------------
Supplement: with 'Mocord' it seems that there is permanently captured a large stream ... I switched all 5 cameras to 'Modect' - zm captures a short *.mp4 for each event.
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 10:47 am
by dougmccrary
yay.
But if I want to see the captured event - a black screen is shown with "the video could not be loaded, the network failed (= not possible) or the format is not supported".
First, see if you can change the codec in upper right of screen. Sometimes it makes a bad choice in auto.
If the doesn't work, go to Storage - Video Writer, and change to Encode. Then you can experiment with the two new options.
I find Auto and libx264 works, or sometimes it takes h264 and libx264.
??? Do I have to install ffmpeg manually ('apt install ffmpeg')?
It's part of the ZM package. Probably in /usr/share - so no.
Btwy - 24 bit color depth -> 32 bit color depth ... does this increase the cpu-load significant?
It's less load because the library used is optimised for 32 bit, as I understand.
with 'Mocord' it seems that there is permanently captured a large stream ... I switched all 5 cameras to 'Modect' - zm captures a short *.mp4 for each event.
That's fine. I had you use Mocord to simplify testing by guaranteeing something would record if the settings were otherwise correct.
Feel free to change any of the other options to suit.
Now that you have an image, you'll want to start new threads for further questions/problems. Have fun...
Re: Problems getting started ... "unable to provide an image"
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 5:40 pm
by Centaurus17
dougmccrary wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 10:47 amFirst, see if you can change the codec in upper right of screen...
Thanks a lot - one time another Codec than 'auto' choosen in the upper right - it works with all of them (Auto, MP4 & MJPEG).
Thanks again, greetings
