I received a few emails recently with questions about compatibility issues between IP Video Source and other applications. The compatibility issues typically fall into classes:
- An application is sensitively expecting the device to be real camera, with specific requests, e.g. to be able to change resolution of video capture
- An application is explicitly requesting that video device is a device backed by kernel driver
- Inaccurate use of DirectShow API on application side, bugs and incorrect assumptions
For a DirectShow developer a reference video capture application is Windows SDK AMCap. If device works with AMCap, then application should basically be able to pick it up as well, or it has certain code issues. Then AMCap is available in source as SDK sample and its code is available.
Specific titles which had compatibility issues with IP Video Source were: Skype, Unity 3D, Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). I have no plans to investigate compatibility with Skype: something is really wrong on Skype side, and they prevent from attaching debugger to their application. Unity 3D was unreasonably assuming that a video device has to be a WDM Video Capture Filter backed device, ignoring it otherwise. OBS was attempting to blacklist certain group of devices (for specific reasons I am not aware of) and they way it was done was also blacklisting IP Video Source.
IP Video Source 1.0.3 works this around the way it can. If you are already Unity 3D/Open Broadcster Software user and you have IP Video Source installed, you want to re-add cameras in IP Video Source. The easiest is to open camera management dialog, copy everything into clipboard, then delete all cameras and then paste them back. New cameras get correct configuration right from the start.
Additionally, IP Video Source 1.0.3 updates include:
- JpegVideoSourceFilterRegistry COM class which allows adding/managing cameras programmatically (no sample code, but COM interfaces on type library are self-describing)
- Automatic conversions to YUY2, UYVY on application request in Windows Vista+, on application request and to better mimic real cameras, such as especially laptop webcams, that often deliver 4:2:2 YUV video
- added EC_DYNAMICMEDIATYPECHANGE event to notify graph owner that filter hit necessity to change video resolution
- added IQualityControl implementation on output pin (e.g. DeckLink SDK video renderer filter makes unreasonable assumption that this optional interface is implemented)
- worked around a bug in parsing D-Link DCS-930LB1 camera (for the second time! there was a related issue a few years ago with a predecessor of this camera)
There is also some sample C++ and C# code published (rather code snippets) that demonstrate basic operations.
Download links
- Version: 1.0.3
- Binaries: Win32 – IpVideoSourceSetup-Win32.msi, x64 – IpVideoSourceSetup-x64.msi
- License: This software is free to use