Needed: Proper Webcam Support

[rahulthewall3000]

While I agree with all those opinions which say that Hardy is an LTS and should concentrate more on bugfixes, I do think that one of the most important feature that has been missing from all the previous Ubuntu releases is proper Webcam Support. I am myself using a logitech quick cam fusion and the performance of the webcam is simply amazing. I tested it under windows. However, I would love to see it working under Ubuntu and though I have tried hard I have not been able to do so up till now. I compiled the UVC drivers and after selecting v4l2 as the default input plugin for my webcam, I am able to test and see that yes it does capture video but the quality is nowhere as good as in Windows.
Secondly, I have tried my best to configure the microphone in my webcam but I am unable to do so. I have no idea why, but it always give me an error message telling me that failed to create the pipeline.
Now, when gutsy came with the awesome printing support and the nice interface to install printers I was very happy for that made my life a lot easier as far as printing was concerned.
Now, I would love to see something like that for Webcams as well.

Thanks
Rahul

[ronacc]

webcam support under linux has always been less than optimal , hopefully this will change.

[Lozz]

It is definitely quite a big thing. I can only assume that Linux developers don't want anyone to see them.

[loell]

first off ubuntu devs did little to make more printer work in ubuntu,
it has always been the CUPS project who does the work for printer compatibility.

second, the UVC webcam base drivers is a separate project, and so is the spca5xx base drivers done by mostly a single man. not by ubuntu.

as always been said, linux hardware driver is better if that webcam vendor supports linux.

ubuntu can do little or nothing in this situation,

there is a little light though, if you are willing to work closely with those webcam driver projects. then there might be positve results.

[RAOF]

It is definitely quite a big thing. I can only assume that Linux developers don't want anyone to see them.

Or rather, that most kernel developers feel they have better things to do than writing the hundreds of webcam drivers required. :)

Things do get better, slowly. My asus webcam now has a pretty-much-working driver (http://syntekdriver.sourceforge.net/), because a couple of people wanted it to happen. It might even get merged into the mainline kernel in time for Hardy :).

Gutsy's printing dialog is different - there, we already had all (or most of) the drivers. What was missing was a good UI for configuring them. With webcams we don't have the drivers, so there's nothing we can do until they get written.

[Pekkalainen]

GNU/Linux has webcam support as long as you choose your webcam wisely. To produce more drivers we all need to start voting with our wallets.

[epee]

GNU/Linux has webcam support as long as you choose your webcam wisely. To produce more drivers we all need to start voting with our wallets.What nonsense! You're saying we should buy a webcam that is already supported? So how are more drivers ever going to get created if we go down that road?

I doubt many people choose Linux and then buy their hardware - the vast majority are switching from Windows and therefore expecting to use the hardware they already have!

I actually bought a new mobo/disks etc. to build my Linux box, but just about everything else was existing hardware - like my webcam, which though a pretty ubiquitous Omnivision clone, does not work as yet. (I followed the HOWTO, but /dev/video* keeps getting deleted and I have yet to see any progress...)

[ronacc]

The world of webcams is a byzantine maze through which navigation is impossible . Trying to buy a webcam that is supported you must not only know the make and model# but the exact revision or - # some manufactures seem to change chipsets on a weekly basis and mondowebcam model 123 (rev4) may work great and mondowebcam model 123 (rev5) not work at all. The manufactures almost never state the chipset on the outside of the box so often the only way to find out what chipset it has is to wade through the manufactures website and try to find it or buy the thing and plug it in so you can lsusb it. this will change only when the manufacturers start taking linux seriously. As it stands the people working on drivers for webcams have a very frustrating task .

[Kosimo]

+1.
And I'm looking forward to have video support in pidgin and skype as well.. This will be a very big thing for lots of users.

[stijngysemans]

I would really really really really really (!) love webcam support for pidgin.

Then my friends can finally stop asking "when do we have webcam support in Ubuntu", and I can start to recommend Ubuntu!

This would :guitar:

[loell]

Pidgin webcam support would be a totally different topic from linux webcam driver support.

[loell]

What nonsense! You're saying we should buy a webcam that is already supported?

yes , to have optimal hardware comapatibility, you should choose you hardware wisely.


So how are more drivers ever going to get created if we go down that road?

the poster you quoted already answered that fairly well. support the people/person who writes webcam drivers,

besides if you buy a webcam that's not supported, the driver is not written auto magically, the driver developer must acutally purchase or have that webcam of same product and type, then he'll do the [/QUOTE]hard work in writing the driver.

[Neon Lights]

Pidgin webcam support would be a totally different topic from linux webcam driver support.

Give me Pidgin webcam support, and I'll be a happy camper. xD I don't use my webcam for anything else.

[loell]

Give me Pidgin webcam support, and I'll be a happy camper. xD I don't use my webcam for anything else.

no one can give you that, not even the pidgin devs . they don't even know when will that happen, atleast not yet. for webcam in IM, you should turn your eyes on to other IM projects that does webcam.

[rahulthewall3000]

Yeah, though it would be still nice if skype had video support for Linux. But as it is, we are still a minority community and skype can focus on rolling new versions of skype for windows nearly every month. Aarrgghh!

[Neon Lights]

no one can give you that, not even the pidgin devs . they don't even know when will that happen, atleast not yet. for webcam in IM, you should turn your eyes on to other IM projects that does webcam.
Yeah, I know. xP
None of them do for AIM, at least none that I know of. >_<