# Issues with third-party camera

**URL:** <https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075>\
**Category:** Processing for Pi\
**Created:** [July 25, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075 "2018-07-25T15:58:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 14\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jb4x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/jb4x/32/789_2.png) [@jb4x](https://discourse.processing.org/u/jb4x)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/1 "2018-07-25T15:58:33Z")

</div>

Hi,

I’m trying to run this simple sketch on my Pi 3:

```auto
import gohai.glvideo.*;
GLCapture video;

void setup() {
  size(320, 240, P2D);

  String[] devices = GLCapture.list();
  println("Devices:");
  printArray(devices);

  // this will use the first recognized camera by default
  video = new GLCapture(this);
  
  video.start();
  
  while (!video.available()) {
    delay(10);
  }
  
  println("read video");
  video.read();
  image(video, 0, 0, width, height);
}

```

This is the result I’m getting in the console after running the sketch:

```auto
Devices:
[0] "mmal service 16.1"
Final caps: video/x-raw(memory:GLMemory), width=(int)320, height=(int)200, framerate=(fraction)90/1, format=(string)RGBA, pixel-aspect-ratio=(fraction)1/1, interlace-mode=(string)progressive, texture-target=(string)2D
read video

```

So everything looks ok… Except I’m getting just a black picture and not the result of the camera

The camera turns on when the sketch is launched (the LED lights on) and I successfully tried this command on the terminal:  
`raspistill -o photoTest.jpg`

Any ideas on what could the issue be?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![neilcsmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/neilcsmith/32/144_2.png) [@neilcsmith](https://discourse.processing.org/u/neilcsmith)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/2 "2018-07-25T17:52:09Z")

</div>

What’s your GPU memory set to?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jb4x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/jb4x/32/789_2.png) [@jb4x](https://discourse.processing.org/u/jb4x)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/3 "2018-07-25T18:09:02Z")

</div>

My GPU memory is set to 256. It should be enough no?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gohai](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/gohai/32/25_2.png) [@gohai](https://discourse.processing.org/u/gohai)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/4 "2018-07-25T18:11:35Z")

</div>

@jb4x I’ll look into this - don’t have the camera module on me at this point.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![neilcsmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/neilcsmith/32/144_2.png) [@neilcsmith](https://discourse.processing.org/u/neilcsmith)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 6:12pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/5 "2018-07-25T18:12:32Z")

</div>

> [@jb4x](#):
>
> My GPU memory is set to 256. It should be enough no?

Would have thought so. Seen reports of the Pi camera not working with that set too low. Not sure of anything else. If you’re happy with the CLI perhaps see if you can get it working with `gst-launch`.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jb4x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/jb4x/32/789_2.png) [@jb4x](https://discourse.processing.org/u/jb4x)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/6 "2018-07-25T18:16:50Z")

</div>

I even increased it to 720 -just to be sure 😃- and still no working 😕

That is really weird, and really annoying…

I tried using the command `gst-launch` but it is telling me that the command is not found.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![neilcsmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/neilcsmith/32/144_2.png) [@neilcsmith](https://discourse.processing.org/u/neilcsmith)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/7 "2018-07-25T18:23:47Z")

</div>

> [@jb4x](#):
>
> I tried using the command `gst-launch` but it is telling me that the command is not found.

There’s unfortunately a bit more to it than that, and it’s probably called `gst-launch-1.0`, and it might not be installed. Perhaps try

```auto
gst-launch-1.0 autovideosrc ! autovideosink

```

That might work. If not, gohai might be able to suggest a pipeline that replicates what the library does but takes the library / Processing out of the equation as the source of the bug (that’s the approach we always try with the main Java bindings anyway).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jb4x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/jb4x/32/789_2.png) [@jb4x](https://discourse.processing.org/u/jb4x)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/8 "2018-07-25T18:50:23Z")

</div>

I found out this link. Maybe it can be helpful even though it refers to python packages (if I get it correctly).

> **[Common errors using the Raspberry Pi camera module - PyImageSearch](https://www.pyimagesearch.com/2016/08/29/common-errors-using-the-raspberry-pi-camera-module/)**
>
> Are you trying to use the Raspberry Pi camera module, Python, and the picamera library? Did you run in to an error message? Check here first.

The “Blank and/or black frame” section looks exactly like my issue so I try to ran the `rpi-update` command as they said but I still have the same problem.

The other action is related to the picamera module of python packages so it is not related…

**EDIT:**

The rpi-update did not solved my problem but now I at least get some error messages in the console:

```auto
GLVideo: glcolorconvertelement0: Failed to convert video buffer
Debugging information: gstglcolorconvertelement.c(218): gst_gl_color_convert_element_prepare_output_buffer (): /GstPipeline:pipeline0/GstGLColorConvertElement:glcolorconvertelement0
GLVideo: v4l2src0: Internal data stream error.
Debugging information: gstbasesrc.c(2939): gst_base_src_loop (): /GstPipeline:pipeline0/GstV4l2Src:v4l2src0:
streaming stopped, reason error (-5)

```

Maybe it can help you @gohai

For additional informations, I’m using this camera:  
[https://www.gotronic.fr/art-module-camera-5-mpx-pour-raspberry-pi-rpi04v2-24876.htm](https://www.gotronic.fr/art-module-camera-5-mpx-pour-raspberry-pi-rpi04v2-24876.htm)

.  
.  
.

_PS: Why does this topic does not appear in the main page list?_

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gohai](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/gohai/32/25_2.png) [@gohai](https://discourse.processing.org/u/gohai)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 3:15am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/9 "2018-07-26T03:15:01Z")

</div>

@jb4x

I just tested with the Raspberry Pi Camera v1.3, which worked without a hickup on a Pi 3+ with our latest Raspbian image. @msurguy similarly had no problems with the Raspberry Pi Camera v2.

Which makes me believe the issue is your (“third-party”) camera 🙁

The `raspistill` command uses a different API than V4L2, which is what Processing is using to capture images from the camera, so it could be that this works, but the V4L2 with your particular camera doesn’t.

My suggestion for you would be: try to see if `gst-launch-1.0 autovideosrc ! autovideosink` works for you. Alternatively, you can also install the application “Cheese” and see if this works with your camera. (If those work, then you could perhaps try to [find out](https://www.mankier.com/1/v4l2-ctl) what is special about your camera’s capabilities that brakes the assumptions of the GL Video library.)

Good luck.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gohai](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/gohai/32/25_2.png) [@gohai](https://discourse.processing.org/u/gohai)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 3:16am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/10 "2018-07-26T03:16:44Z")

</div>

BTW: here is @msurguy playing with a camera on the Pi today - just to show that it _can_ indeed work 🙂

> <https://twitter.com/msurguy/status/1022281476631552000>

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![msurguy](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/msurguy/32/32_2.png) [@msurguy](https://discourse.processing.org/u/msurguy)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 4:05am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/11 "2018-07-26T04:05:24Z")

</div>

I found out the hard way that you have to be very certain about the framerate and the dimensions that your camera provides. Try doing this in your setup to get that information:

```auto
String[] devices = GLCapture.list();
  println("Devices:");
  printArray(devices);
  if (0 < devices.length) {
    String[] configs = GLCapture.configs(devices[0]);
    println("Configs:");
    printArray(configs);
  }

```

Then, knowing the dimensions and the framerates available for each dimension, be explicit about which size of the image you are requesting from the camera:

```auto
// instead of video = new GLCapture(this); use this ->
 video = new GLCapture(this, devices[0], 320, 200, 90);

```

For example, from your sketch in the top post, the width and height were reported to be 320x200 at 90FPS framerate for a sketch of dimensions 320x240.

Does this make sense?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jb4x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/jb4x/32/789_2.png) [@jb4x](https://discourse.processing.org/u/jb4x)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 12:57pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/12 "2018-07-26T12:57:37Z")

</div>

> [@gohai](#):
>
> My suggestion for you would be: try to see if `gst-launch-1.0 autovideosrc ! autovideosink` works for you. Alternatively, you can also install the application “Cheese” and see if this works with your camera. (If those work, then you could perhaps try to [find out](https://www.mankier.com/1/v4l2-ctl) what is special about your camera’s capabilities that brakes the assumptions of the GL Video library.)

Sadly, I don’t think I know enough about those subjects to deal with it myself ☹

@msurguy I also found out that you need to be very precise… And I did, indeed, specified all the parameters to get the error messages I posted. So no luck for me it is not the issue here.

I have another weird behavior when using raspistill because when I use the `-p` parameter I get no preview. I can save a picture and even a video but no matter wich command line I try I can’t manage to have a live preview of the camera…

I updated everything yesterday and I have 2 or 3 more things to try but I think I’ll have to change the camera and try with an official picamera.

Thank you for your time!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jb4x](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/jb4x/32/789_2.png) [@jb4x](https://discourse.processing.org/u/jb4x)\
**Post date:** [July 26, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/13 "2018-07-26T17:57:15Z")

</div>

Ok, I finally manage to make it work! (kinda…)

**Step 1:**  
Download and install the Raspbery Pi image here : [https://pi.processing.org/download/](https://pi.processing.org/download/)

**Step 2:**  
Execute those commands:

```auto
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

```

**Step 3:**  
Use the following function to set up your camera:  
`video = new GLCapture(this, devices[0], 320, 200, 90);`

I really don’t know what was going on before it feels like I did those 3 steps over and over but this time it worked 🤪

.  
.  
.  
**I still have some issues…** It wouldn’t be fun otherwise 😡

I checked the spec of my camera and it says that it can use one of the following:

- 2592 x 1944 - 15 fps
- 1920 x 1080 - 30 fps
- 1280 x 960 - 45 fps
- 1280 x 720 - 60 fps
- 640 x 480 - 90 fps
- 320 x 240 - 120 fps

I played around with the parameters and 2 things are weird:

1. I can set the parameters I want inside GLCapture() and it will work
2. The quality of the video increase with lower framerate and it is less laggy

For the first point I tried to create a GLCapture like this:  
`video = new GLCapture(this, devices[0], 300, 300, 15);`  
And I got no error, it even displayed a crop (I think) image.  
Even weirder, I try to set a higher fps than the one in the spec (90 for the 1280x720 for exemple) and again, no error. Not sure if it is automatically cropped or not.

For the 2nd point it is way more annoying.  
I tried several fps for a 640x480 setup and here are the results:

- For fps larger than 45 the quality of the image is really bad, specially around the borders (It is a bit like an antialiasing issue). And the video is super laggy.
- For fps = 40, the quality become normal but it is still a bit laggy (a bit less though)
- For fps = 30, the quality is good and it is fluid (some little lag from time to time)
- For lower fps, quality and fluidity are good.

I also tried with other resolutions and it behaves the same. With high fps there is a really bad image quality and the video lags. With low fps, the quality is good and the framerate is coherent.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![gohai](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/discourse.processing.org/gohai/32/25_2.png) [@gohai](https://discourse.processing.org/u/gohai)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2018, 7:21am UTC](https://discourse.processing.org/t/issues-with-third-party-camera/2075/14 "2018-07-27T07:21:46Z")

</div>

Thanks for sharing your detective work @jb4x!