Other camera support?

[stevesol]

Any possibility of supporting other webcams, like the Logitech 9000 Pro? It's an awesome webcam for a Mac desktop, since Apple no longer makes external iSight cameras. I can't get DVDpedia to focus on the barcode with it. Any thoughts?

[Nora]

Try the beta version of DVDpedia which has a new and improved iSight code included. If that also doesn't work for you, could you send us some screenshots of your video window so we can see what it looks like when you try to scan. You'll find our email on the support page.

[Dingens]

Hey
I am about to buy a Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000 Webcam, so I wonder would it be possible to use the scan feature in DVDpedia?
Thanks
Rolf

[Conor]

The Logitech has been tested and works. The camera preview window should be titled "Logitech 9000 Pro" if the camera is recognized correctly.

[Dingens]

Hey
thanks! Then the order goes ahead now...
All the best
Rolf

[Dingens]

Hey
camera arrived today and it basically works with my MACMini (iChat). When I click on iSight in DVDpedia I get the message: "Make sure your firewire camera is connected to your computer." Of course, teh Logitech is USB, not firewire. Anything I can do?
Thanks
Rolf

[Conor]

Nothing else can be using the camera. Make sure the camera is on but that iChat or Photobooth are not running or any other software that might capture the stream (try turning off the preference in "iChat --> Video" to automatically open iChat when camera is turned on). The error message is old and needs to be updated to not mention firewire, thank you for pointing it out. I shall do that for the next update. I you continue having problems let us know and we can provide you with a version that prints debugging information to your console log.

[MacNara]

I got a LogiTech 9000 thinking I would be able to use it with Bookpedia. My iSight camera has always worked fine. The logitech came up in the window, and the red bars appear, but in 30 minutes of use, I could only get one book to register. I tried holding the camera in my hand, and setting it on my screen. I tried every possible lighting situation I could. I tried 20 or so different books of various colours and designs. On a couple of them the bars turned green for the odd fraction of a second, but never registered. One book (a glossy white cover with no border around the barcode) registered once (but I couldn't get it to work a second time when I tried again).

Is there some magical trick to using this camera? Or is it not actually supported?

Has anyone actually used it successfully?

I'm on Snow Leopard with the latest version of Bookpedia.

[Conor]

The LogiTech 9000 should work, we even had to modify our code to adapt for the LogiTech. Good light source always help quite a lot. Could be that under Snow Leopard the camera is recognized differently; could you please download this version of Bookpedia and run it once and open up the LogiTech camera (no need to scan just see the image on screen). This version of Bookpedia will then report how it sees the camera model into the console log, please send us that information. To view the console log use the program of the same name in your utilities folder. Thank you.

[MacNara]

Conor,

Sorry to be long in replying, but I was on holiday for three weeks.

Here is the information from the console log. It seems to recognise the camera fine, but no amount of changing the light or position or angle of the camera will persuade it to scan the barcode.

(The camera is not the special version which was issued for macs, but I don't think this should make any difference.)

12/10/09 12 Oct 6:37:06 PM Bookpedia[458] Device: UVC Camera VendorID_1133 ProductID_2448
12/10/09 12 Oct 6:37:06 PM Bookpedia[458] Name: Logitech Camera

[MacNara]

Well, no I simply can't get the Logitech to recognise anything.

I guess I'll have to start using the fixed camera in my MBP which works, but is inconvenient (since holding the book up in front of the camera obscures the screen and it's not usually in a place where I can pile books for scanning),

[Axel]

Hi everybody,

I am not sure if that is the correct place to post that, but I just received a Logitech QuickCam Vision Pro for Mac, and it works like a charm on bookpedia!

Just for those like me still with a PPC mac in a need for a cam to use with the pedias...

Have fun