problems with cameras

[Eva]

Hi there,I have continuously challenges with live feed. I use a Mac studio and I use live cameras for performance. This sunday etc. I spent about 1 hour or more getting Isadora to connect 2 cameras. I could at different times get it to read that there was both cameras, but executing it at the same time, meaning making both available in one patch was almost impossible. Is there a way to solve this? Or someone else who have these issues? I want to simply connect two or more cameras but since even 2 is a problem, using 3 is out of my imagination right now. 
This time I solved the problem by restarting the computer about 10-15 times, moving the usb's around, until eventually it happened - but this also was too stressful, and it meant that preparation time was too much. Can someone help me how to solve this? I am on Isadora 4 btw. I have a temporary license. Also, I would like to know if this can be solved with insta360 link or this is the same issue?

[mark_m]

@eva

What cameras are you using and how are they connected to your Mac?

(in my current show I have six cameras operating simultaneously in Isadora, four using Isadora's live video input - two are connected via USB, two by Blackmagic devices connected to thunderbolt ports,  and two via NDI over the network, so it IS possible, and your dreams can come true!)

[Armando]

@eva I also never had problems in connecting multiple cameras USB or with different digitizers like the Blackmagic Decklink in a sonnet usbc cabinet, or, again via NDI 

[Fred]

@eva The most likely cause of this is limitations on your computers USB ports. Your laptop is pretty old (from your signature) and has a limited amount of USB bandwidth - I dont know if that is the computer you were using. Some USB ports on your laptop will share bandwidth, and for each USB controller there is a limited amount of bandwidth. When you use dongles to convert from thunderbolt or USB C these also have limitations and vary greatly depending on quality - you get what you pay for. You can use system profiler to see what is attached to where. Often with macbooks,USB (or thunderbolt) ports on different sides have different controllers. While you were experimenting, the change that likely got you going was moving ports - not so much restarting (stopping and starting the capture on Isadora should be enough). Once you find a good combination of ports, this should continue to work, as long as you dont add any more devices to the USB bus or any other devices.

Also do all your testing with short cables (no extensions) to eliminate cable issues  long usb cables can give a lot of issues  if you need to extend usb use some kind of active extension to make sure you get the full bandwidth over the distance. Some active usb cables are ok but can be hit and miss. I use a set of geffen above extensions that give full bandwidth over cat5 for 100 m.

Another issue you might have is power draw, some cameras require a lot of electricity (as do some extensions). The only real way to fix this is to use a high quality powered USB hub that can support high current and has its own power source. When you do this still don’t use the hub to add more devices, just use it to inject power so the power isn’t coming from the computer.

The exact cameras you have can also have an effect - the resolution and compression and how they interact with the system. Blackmagic have clear drivers for all their products that work in a predictable way. Cameras that use high resolution over low bandwidth connections like USB often send highly compressed streams that need a lot of overhead to decompress.

The insta360 link uses exactly that kind of high compression (it is only USB 2.0 and 4k)

"Connectivity
Via USB-C to USB-C cable (USB 2.0) or Type-C to Type-A adapter"

This might be a lot depending on your computer. If you are using a dongle to adapt the connection from thunderbolt to USB make sure it is a good quality one, try not to load up too many device (or any at all) on that bus to see how it goes.

The insta360 link would not be my go to for high resolution connection because of its USB 2.0 connectivity and the compression overhead this requires. Not sure what other cameras you were trying.

USB cameras have many possible points of failure. The issues you are encountering are most likely hardware based and not from isadora. Yo find the issue get to basics and troubleshoot things one at a time. 

If you have some more details about your setup, cameras, computers, cables etc you can get some more specific advice. 

[Eva]

Hi there,Sorry for the delay,
Im using 2 webcams that I tried both the USB ports and the usb  with an adapter. One is Logitech pro, like the one many in here use, and the other is ASUS ROG eye S. I am using a Mac Studio, it can usually run everything, so that shouldn't be the problem?All the best
Eva

[Eva]

@fred

Hi Fred, Thank you for your time.

I am using a Logitech pro and an ASUSU ROG eye S. I have no extension cables and they go straight into my Mac Studio M1 computer. Also, I finally got them to work, but it took a long time to get them both showing simultaneously in Isadora. One in this case was with an extension cable, that in the end was not powered, but I also tried with the power on. I am thinking of getting an insta 360 Link - and I can see that there is now a version 2, that is a bit cheaper, is this still working like the Insta Link 360? 
Thanks for your help

Eva

[Fred]

@eva the Mac Studio should be able to handle this easily. This sounds like an issue with the machine or a driver. I would test this setup in another software (try obs) and another computer. There is more than enough power and bandwidth on this machine. 

As for the newer 360 camera it will say clearly on the specs page.