garageCube

[Ropski]

hey,
I got my hands on some (4) really old analog camera's. I want to have 4 live inputs in modul8.

I now have one camera analog connected to a datavideo transformer which is sending a digital signal with firewire to my mac pro.
So this is my live video feed number 1 in m8.

BUT,
I want to use 4 live inputs, before i go to the shop and buy 3 more datavideo transformers, i wanna know if that's gonna work in modul8!

Maybe there's a much better sophicated way to do this
Also curious if modul8 8 can "see" 4 different input channels ???

anyone?

thanks already, Ropski

[vanakaru]

look for a topic about flash object as additional video feed. there was some good explanation overall.
and as far as I know there is no strait second live cam possible. only work around.
For your old analog cameras you could use now very cheap analog video mixers / or switches what they usually are. but only if you do not need to get live to different layers in M8.
Mac Pro will allow to install some capture cards wit multiple cameras, but you will be mixing them before M8 as far as I know.

[sigmasix]

You can find some FireWire hub out there, I don't know if it works in any cases but I know it can work like this to have multiple video input in your computer.

Then, you can find or make by yourself a quartz composer composition with live input that you can add to you media browser. I think it's better than a flash object in terms of performances. This quartz composer will choose the next input available so if you put it first in layer one, you'll have one camera, then you can assign it to layer two and you'll have an other camera, etc.

Maybe you should try with two cameras first before buying too many things.

The video mixer is also a good solution!

[Ropski]

the quartz composer option sounds as something to learn a bit more about. I already have 4 firewire inputs on my mac pro I believe so a hub is not really nessecairy, i do have a videomixer, but like to make a composition with multiple cameras which uses the m8 parameters while VJ-ing together with a live act (sound) which is connected to m8 as well. so basically everyrthing reacting to eachother. hope this funny freak project has a nice outcome,... i'll keep you peepz informed (but it can takes a while...)

thkx so far

[vanakaru]

You can find some FireWire hub out there, I don't know if it works in any cases but I know it can work like this to have multiple video input in your computer.

Then, you can find or make by yourself a quartz composer composition with live input that you can add to you media browser. I think it's better than a flash object in terms of performances. This quartz composer will choose the next input available so if you put it first in layer one, you'll have one camera, then you can assign it to layer two and you'll have an other camera, etc.

Maybe you should try with two cameras first before buying too many things.

The video mixer is also a good solution!

As far as I know you can run just one video in through firewire buss. the first one connected.

[sigmasix]

As far as I know you can run just one video in through firewire buss. the first one connected.

Yep, inside modul8, right... but modul8 does more than just what it does

As you can play quartz composer files, or flash files, you can add a media that will take the next available video input. So when you add this file in your media bank, it will take the next available camera connected to your computer.

Now, it seems that with leopard there are many shits with quartz composer, I'll try to do something but I can't guarantee anything... Be patient

[Ropski]

Now, it seems that with leopard there are many shits with quartz composer, I'll try to do something but I can't guarantee anything... Be patient

this is more as I could dream of! (really) take your time, I don't know quartz composer yet anyway but really into it, now travelling but next week at home, I'll try some things 4 sure

[vanakaru]

sigma, I tried flash objects and quartz comp, but it works only if I have one firewire camera and one usb cam (builti n iSight). Two FW cams will shut the second plugged in off. And I am on MBP BTW.

[Ropski]

sigma, I tried flash objects and quartz comp, but it works only if I have one firewire camera and one usb cam (builti n iSight). Two FW cams will shut the second plugged in off. And I am on MBP BTW.

so now what to do ?????? can't this be done with a nice new module ? (or is this comment really stupid?)

[vanakaru]

Somebody has explained this here or maybe it was vjforums.
So it is due to mac hardware or how video through FW is structured.

[benga]

sigma, I tried flash objects and quartz comp, but it works only if I have one firewire camera and one usb cam (builti n iSight). Two FW cams will shut the second plugged in off. And I am on MBP BTW.

i don't know about the quartz composer workthrough which i would love to try out soon, but for the flash objects work around it does work with multiple USB video inputs.
yet indeed there seems to be a problem with multiple firewire ins, have not managed to get two FW video in recognized on a regular set up, the first one plugged in masks the other.

there must be a work around, but it probably involves expensive multi-input FW hardware rather than a software approach

multiple USB feeds + one FW input however is no problem, using flash or, i guess, the QC approach.

b

[vanakaru]

sigma, I tried flash objects and quartz comp, but it works only if I have one firewire camera and one usb cam (builti n iSight). Two FW cams will shut the second plugged in off. And I am on MBP BTW.

i don't know about the quartz composer workthrough which i would love to try out soon, but for the flash objects work around it does work with multiple USB video inputs.
yet indeed there seems to be a problem with multiple firewire ins, have not managed to get two FW video in recognized on a regular set up, the first one plugged in masks the other.

there must be a work around, but it probably involves expensive multi-input FW hardware rather than a software approach

multiple USB feeds + one FW input however is no problem, using flash or, i guess, the QC approach.

b

that is my experience as well.

[anomad]

hey,

I want to use 4 live inputs, before i go to the shop and buy 3 more datavideo transformers, i wanna know if that's gonna work in modul8!

. have you thought of a more analog solution? maybe you could find an analog security camera system that shows all four inputs, quater size, on the screen and send the out put of that through your converter? then use modul8 to crop the bits out you don't want to see...

. just a thought

[Ropski]

hey,

I want to use 4 live inputs, before i go to the shop and buy 3 more datavideo transformers, i wanna know if that's gonna work in modul8!

. have you thought of a more analog solution? maybe you could find an analog security camera system that shows all four inputs, quater size, on the screen and send the out put of that through your converter? then use modul8 to crop the bits out you don't want to see...

. just a thought

thkx 4 the idea, actually I did think about that because I have this old panasonic mixer. but when i choose for that option i loose 3/4 of my image quality when i wanna use one camera full screen. to avoid that loss I wonder if anyone knows about the possibility for a solution I have yet in mind....

Is it possible to have a 4 inputs on the mac pro to use my 4 analog signals, which can be changed to 4 digital images with some piece of (to me) unknown MAC software.

Exists a converter from analog to usb2 with 'acceptable' quality?

thkx so far

[tolchok]

it is possible to get up to 4 inputs via firewire on any "desktop" computer, but be aware, any firewire video device will take up most of the available bandwith on your computer, you can plug in 4 devices, and all will be recognized, but only one will display video if all 4 devices are 1) daisy chained or 2) plugged into the same firewire hub

by defult a macpro only has one hub for its 3 firewire 400 ports, thus you can only plug 1 camera on there, (beware of other devices such as a m-audio firewire card which will also dominate firewire 400 bandwith)

the trick is to get 3 more firewire cards and install them in the macpro, then you can get your 4 cameras, or as mentionned earlier, you can always use usb video ports for other cams (beware of video latency through usb though)

maybe via a firewire 800 to fw400 hub you could do something, but I believe the firewire bus only allows one video device to be patched through

ahhh, the joys of video constraints.... if ever anyone finds a workaround, please advise, I've been dying for a multicamera package for onset work... it is truly bothersome to have to plug in 4 decks when you could have just one...
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Costa