automatically configure video acquisition (WDM)

[bimbim]

Hi everybody,

I'm using since a few month WDM drivers based on ActiveX video capture object (videocap, I think). As I can't buy IMAQ vision, the USB for video camera provided by NI can't be used.

It's works fine but I can't configure automatically the settings of the acquisition such as resolution, number of frame, etc. The driver just calls the device property page and we have to manually select the setting we want to use.

As the default setting for resolution is 320x240, and we always work in 720x576, the user has to select himself these setting in the displayed window.

So, I'd like to know wether :

- someone knows how to change the default settings of a standard video acquisition board based on WDM so that the re-configuration is not necessary anymore?

- someone knows another ActiveX object that provides full controls of the video acquisition, and how to use it correctly?

- anyone has ever build a function that configures automatically the controls of the top level window?

- does anyone have any other solution (as free as possible) to simply control the video acqisdition, capture images, etc. ?

I'm really looking forward to your answer.

Thank you in advance.

Bim

[Chris Davis]

Hi everybody,

I'm using since a few month WDM drivers based on ActiveX video capture object (videocap, I think). As I can't buy IMAQ vision, the USB for video camera provided by NI can't be used.

It's works fine but I can't configure automatically the settings of the acquisition such as resolution, number of frame, etc. The driver just calls the device property page and we have to manually select the setting we want to use.

As the default setting for resolution is 320x240, and we always work in 720x576, the user has to select himself these setting in the displayed window.

So, I'd like to know wether :

- someone knows how to change the default settings of a standard video acquisition board based on WDM so that the re-configuration is not necessary anymore?

- someone knows another ActiveX object that provides full controls of the video acquisition, and how to use it correctly?

- anyone has ever build a function that configures automatically the controls of the top level window?

- does anyone have any other solution (as free as possible) to simply control the video acqisdition, capture images, etc. ?

I'm really looking forward to your answer.

Thank you in advance.

Bim

I've used VideoCapX from www.fathsoft.com (which it sounds like what you are using) and not experienced this problem. There is a sequence of events that are required to set the video resolution (I don't know of a way to change the default settings) and I think that sequence goes something like this.

1. Connect to device

2. Set which video input you are going to use

3. Set the video format to the desired width and height

4. Preview the video

If you have Visual Basic the included example will show you some of the other steps on how to connect with the video capture card and get the settings you want. If not, you'll have to read the help file and try to figure out what order you need to call the correct activeX methods to setup the card the way you want.

Chris

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

Hi everybody,

I'm using since a few month WDM drivers based on ActiveX video capture object (videocap, I think). As I can't buy IMAQ vision, the USB for video camera provided by NI can't be used.

It's works fine but I can't configure automatically the settings of the acquisition such as resolution, number of frame, etc. The driver just calls the device property page and we have to manually select the setting we want to use.

As the default setting for resolution is 320x240, and we always work in 720x576, the user has to select himself these setting in the displayed window.

So, I'd like to know wether :

- someone knows how to change the default settings of a standard video acquisition board based on WDM so that the re-configuration is not necessary anymore?

- someone knows another ActiveX object that provides full controls of the video acquisition, and how to use it correctly?

- anyone has ever build a function that configures automatically the controls of the top level window?

- does anyone have any other solution (as free as possible) to simply control the video acqisdition, capture images, etc. ?

I'm really looking forward to your answer.

Thank you in advance.

Bim

I'm not aware of videocap but instead avicap. If you mean that you are probably using the WebCam library from Pete Parente. Avicap is an old API from Windows 3.1 days that is based on Video for Windows (and a vfwwdm driver allows it to also access WDM drivers indirectly) but avicap has no provisions for really configuring the video device as there wasn't much to configure programmatically back in those days where it was common to have to set jumpers on the board for a lot of things.

The only interface that allows real configuration programmatically is the DirectX/WDM based interface and your best bet is to use an ActiveX interface for this either buy it or roll your own. You might also want to look into Irene He's IVision library, but that is also not really free of charge although a little cheaper than IMAQ Vision.

Rolf Kalbermatter

[Yair]

You might also want to look into Irene He's IVision library, but that is also not really free of charge although a little cheaper than IMAQ Vision.

Be fair to Irene, Rolf. According to her, the license for her toolkit is $20. That's significantly cheaper than IMAQ and in terms of LV toolkits almost free.

[Jim Kring]

Be fair to Irene, Rolf. According to her, the license for her toolkit is $20. That's significantly cheaper than IMAQ and in terms of LV toolkits almost free.

Be fair to Rolf, yen. The IVision runtime license is $20, but the developer license is $850.

[Yair]

Be fair to Rolf, yen. The IVision runtime license is $20, but the developer license is $850.

I believe even that is cheaper than IMAQ, and if I remember correctly, the IMAQ Run-time license is several hundred $$$, so this would still be significantly cheaper, but you're right, that is not "almost free". Either way, since I haven't used any of them, I have no way to compare them.

BTW, I just found out the prices for multiple distribution licenses for the PDA module.

Are you ready?

For 10 licenses - about $50 per license.

For 100 licenses - about 30$.

And the kicker - for an unlimited license - $11,000 (yes, that's 3 zeros).

I think that making the licenses cost between a third and half of what Windows costs shows that NI does not yet think of the PDA module as a tool which will we be used to develop wide spread applications, but ones which can be priced to still make a profit on that. Most probably ones which include DAQ and communication.

I'm trying to think of an application which would be developable in the current PDA module (although I haven't seen 8.0 yet) and which could cover the price of the unlimited license and I can't really think of one. Sure, I have all kinds of ideas, but I think that most of them (and I'm talking about general distribution apps, not specialized DAQ ones) would probably be much better off if they were written in the freely available (if I'm not mistaken) eVC++ (although LV is obviously much more fun).

BTW, I'm not disputing NI's right to price their toolkits at the prices they see fit, but I think that this is an example where using an NI product may cost you more and give you an inferior result than using another product and in this case, I don't really see the justification for such a price. The PDA module is simply not that good yet.

[Chris Davis]

I believe even that is cheaper than IMAQ, and if I remember correctly, the IMAQ Run-time license is several hundred $$$, so this would still be significantly cheaper, but you're right, that is not "almost free". Either way, since I haven't used any of them, I have no way to compare them.

BTW, I just found out the prices for multiple distribution licenses for the PDA module.

Are you ready?

For 10 licenses - about $50 per license.

For 100 licenses - about 30$.

And the kicker - for an unlimited license - $11,000 (yes, that's 3 zeros).

I think that making the licenses cost between a third and half of what Windows costs shows that NI does not yet think of the PDA module as a tool which will we be used to develop wide spread applications, but ones which can be priced to still make a profit on that. Most probably ones which include DAQ and communication.

I'm trying to think of an application which would be developable in the current PDA module (although I haven't seen 8.0 yet) and which could cover the price of the unlimited license and I can't really think of one. Sure, I have all kinds of ideas, but I think that most of them (and I'm talking about general distribution apps, not specialized DAQ ones) would probably be much better off if they were written in the freely available (if I'm not mistaken) eVC++ (although LV is obviously much more fun).

BTW, I'm not disputing NI's right to price their toolkits at the prices they see fit, but I think that this is an example where using an NI product may cost you more and give you an inferior result than using another product and in this case, I don't really see the justification for such a price. The PDA module is simply not that good yet.

BTW, the VideoCapX ActiveX control is $80 for a single developer with free redistribution rights. That's $80 total cost, for a control that captures, edits, recompresses and allows you to playback AVI, MPG, and WMV files. I don't own stock or anything, but that is not a bad cost for all you get.

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

I believe even that is cheaper than IMAQ, and if I remember correctly, the IMAQ Run-time license is several hundred $$$, so this would still be significantly cheaper, but you're right, that is not "almost free". Either way, since I haven't used any of them, I have no way to compare them.

An IMAQ runtime is

[Irene_he]

An IMAQ runtime is

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

Thanks Rolf, you understand the user's psychology perfectly Making money from IVision was never the first thing, but I think couple of my white hairs deserve something, I could have saved them , kind of regreting... that is why IVision is not totally free yet:)

Hey, don't tell me you have white hair! In my age that is something that comes to men naturally but for you I had thought that will take some more time :-)

Good luck and may IVision still bring you some compensation for whatever you've put into it.

Rolf Kalbermatter

[Irene_he]

Hey, don't tell me you have white hair! In my age that is something that comes to men naturally but for you I had thought that will take some more time :-)

Good luck and may IVision still bring you some compensation for whatever you've put into it.

Rolf Kalbermatter

Thank you Rolf. Your kind words all the time is always an encouragement for me.

Regards,

Irene