Hello,
I have migrated from openSUSE 11.2 to 11.4 (new installation). I have webcam Logitech QuickCam Messenger which worked well with 11.2, however in 11.4 I do not see the video. Microphone works.
In the past I always typed LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so before program name (e.g. Skype) and it worked perfectly until 11.4. Now I cannot start the webcam.
Would you have an idea what be wrong?
Thanks in advance.
32-bit or 64-bit openSUSE ? It appears you are pre-loading for 32-bit.
Besides Skype, which can be problematic, what other webcam apps did you try ?
Yes, I was preloading 32-bit version. I have tried also Cheese and Kopete (both without preload). Video is also not visible.
Apologies, but that answer only served to confuse me.
In your first post you noted " *I always typed LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so before program name (e.g. Skype) *" which suggests you were using preload in more than just Skype. So apologies, but I am confused now. It appears you tried preload in an app other than Skype, but I don’t know which one. Nor is it clear to me if your openSUSE is 32-bit or 64-bit, where if needing preload could be important. Nor do I understand why you did not try preload with Cheese …
Excuse me for not being clear. My version is 32-bit openSUSE 11.4.
Complete list of my tests:
-
Skype
command line: LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype
result when I go to Options - Video Devices - Test: libv4l2: error turning on stream: input/output error
command line: skype
result when I go to Options - Video Devices - Test: libv4l2: error turning on stream: input/output error -
Cheese
command line:LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so cheese
immediate result: libv4l2: error turning on stream: input/output error
command line:cheese
immediate result: libv4l2: error turning on stream: input/output error -
Kopete
command line:LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so kopete
immediate result: libv4l2: error turning on stream: input/output error
VIDIOC_STREAMON error 5, input/output error
command line:kopete
no output on command line, video is not visible, although there is in settings device:camera and input: STV06xx
- Google Chrome with googletalkplugin
command line:LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so google-chrome
result when I try to customize video chat in my Google account:
camera: gspca main driver
microphone: Camera, USB Audio - Deafult Audio Device
Video is not visible, however microphone in webcam works.
command line:google-chrome
Result is the same as with preload.
I tried surfing on the “libv4l2: error turning on stream: input/output error” and stumbled across a number of posts. The solutions were never clear to me. For example: Stefano Bolli: Getting Logitech Quickcam Express USB webcam to work with Skype on Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 10.04 where the user claims they unloaded gspca_STV06xx driver and unplugged the camera. After that, they re-connected the camera to another USB port and there it works fine.
I suppose you could try that. Your driver should be listed if you type:
lsmod | grep -1A1 gspca
It should tell you what gspca kernel module (driver) you have loaded. ie gspca_zc3xx.ko or gspca_STV06xx … or what ever …
unplug your webcam, and you should be able to unload the kernel module with root permissions with:
rmmod gspca_zc3xx.ko
where in my example I used “gspca_zc3xx.ko” but I do not know what the actual module name is. You need to insert the correct module name. The 'lsmod | grep gspca -1A1" should have told you the module name. If you look under " /lib/modules/your-kernel-version/kernel/drivers/media/video/gspca " you will see a host of video drivers, one of which should be for your QuickCam Messenger.
After unloading the kernel module, again plug in your webcam into another USB port. Test it it.
You could also look for error messages in the log … ie :
dmesg | grep gspca -1A1
dmesg | grep video -1A1
Thank you for your suggestions. I made all the steps you recommend. The driver was gspca_STV06xx.
I have also tried:
hwinfo --usb
And this was in the result:
…
Model: “Logitech QuickCam Messenger”
Hotplug: USB
Vendor: usb 0x046d “Logitech, Inc.”
Device: usb 0x08f0 “QuickCam Messenger”
Revision: “1.00”
Driver: “STV06xx”
Driver Modules: “gspca_stv06xx”
Speed: 12 Mbps
Module Alias: “usb:v046Dp08F0d0100dcFFdscFFdpFFicFFiscFFipFF”
Driver Info #0:
Driver Status: quickcam_messenger is not active
Driver Activation Cmd: “modprobe quickcam_messenger”
Driver Info #1:
Driver Status: gspca_stv06xx is active
Driver Activation Cmd: “modprobe gspca_stv06xx”
Driver Info #2:
Driver Status: hdj_mod is active
Driver Activation Cmd: “modprobe hdj_mod”
Config Status: cfg=new, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown
Attached to: #6 (Hub)
After searching for a solution (also found this post) I decided to change the webcam. Maybe this one is not supported anymore.
Thank you very much for your effort.
There have been a few threads of late on openSUSE forum, and even more threads on other GNU/Linux distribution forums, about users struggling with the QuickCam Messenger. Does that webcam work with the latest GNU/Linux kernels ? I don’t know. If users have it working, they are not posting/sharing.
I hope the new webcam works ok. Best of luck/wishes there.
My recommendation now for new webcams is to make the extra effort to get a UVC compatible webcam. I think a vast majority of the UVC webcams work trouble free, which is more than I can say for gspca compatible webcams and for webcams that use different drivers. Plus there is an active mailing list in support of UVC webcams which is not so much true for other webcam drivers.
Yes, I have read that UVC is simplier than gspca driver. Therefore I believe that it might be trouble free. The more are things complicated the more there might be an error. I use gspca on my laptop with built-in webcam and although it works fine, I have problems because of everlasting automatic white balance and/or gain control which means quite a big load for CPU. It is probably due to new version of gspca. Previous version did not work that way.
Thank you once again for your help.
Good luck!