[Pkg-spca5xx-devel] Bug#468445: Bug#468445: gspca-source: Cam delivers a very narrow field of view in flash applets

[Kel Modderman]

On Friday 29 February 2008 10:54:30 Jan Vornberger wrote:
> Package: gspca-source
> Version: 01.00.20-1
> Severity: normal
> 
> I have a 'Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX' and use the gspca module to
> operate it. The cam works fine in applications like Camorama, amsn and
> Ekiga. I have noticed though, that if I use the cam with a flash-based
> application on a website (using flashplugin-nonfree) the cam does work,
> but shows a much narrower field of view. I have made two screenshots to
> illustrate the problem:
> 
>   http://www.jan.vornberger.net/sonstiges/gspca/screenshot.camorama.png
>   http://www.jan.vornberger.net/sonstiges/gspca/screenshot.flash.png
> 
> The first screenshot shows Camorama, the second one shows a flash applet
> from this website:
> 
>   http://www.unitzeroone.com/old/eightball/motionDetection/
> 
> These messages appear in the output of dmesg when I use the cam:
> 
>   Linux video capture interface: v2.00
>   /home/user/linux-modules-extra-2.6/debian/build/build_i386_none_686_gspca/gspca_core.c: USB GSPCA camera found.(ZC3XX) 
>   /home/user/linux-modules-extra-2.6/debian/build/build_i386_none_686_gspca/gspca_core.c: [spca5xx_probe:4098] Camera type JPEG 
>   /home/user/linux-modules-extra-2.6/debian/build/build_i386_none_686_gspca/Vimicro/zc3xx.h: [zc3xx_config:515] Sensor ID:12
>   /home/user/linux-modules-extra-2.6/debian/build/build_i386_none_686_gspca/Vimicro/zc3xx.h: [zc3xx_config:597] Find Sensor HV7131R(c)
>   /home/user/linux-modules-extra-2.6/debian/build/build_i386_none_686_gspca/gspca_core.c: [spca5xx_getcapability:1215] maxw 640 maxh 480 minw 176 minh 144
>   usbcore: registered new interface driver gspca
>   /home/user/linux-modules-extra-2.6/debian/build/build_i386_none_686_gspca/gspca_core.c: gspca driver 2.6.22 registered
>   usbcore: registered new interface driver snd-usb-audio
>   /home/user/linux-modules-extra-2.6/debian/build/build_i386_none_686_gspca/gspca_core.c: [spca5xx_set_light_freq:1889] Sensor currently not support light frequency banding filters.
>   /home/user/linux-modules-extra-2.6/debian/build/build_i386_none_686_gspca/gspca_core.c: [gspca_set_isoc_ep:903] ISO EndPoint found 0x81 AlternateSet 7
> 
> I'm not sure if this is really a bug or rather a 'feature' of flash. I
> could not find any cam related settings in the flash plugin settings
> menu. I would consider it a bug/problem, because the very narrow field
> of view makes the cam pretty much useless. But feel free to reduce the
> severity of this bug report or inform me why this is not a bug.

I simply have no idea about the problem at hand, sorry. Flash sucks, and is not
present on any of my systems, nor am I intimately familiar with the inner
workings of the gspca webcam driver, despite making it available for others
in form of debian package.

> 
> On a related note: I wanted to try out the latest version of the driver
> so I used gspca-source to build my own module. When I install this
> module I get the following message:
> 
>   dpkg - warning: downgrading gspca-modules-2.6.22-3-686 from 2.6.22+01.00.18-9 to 01.00.20-1+2.6.22-6.lenny1.
> 
> dpkg thinks that the freshly build module is older than the one provided
> in the Debian package archive, where in fact it is not. Should I file a
> seperate bug for this?

IIRC, this was once discussed with the maintainer of the linux-modules-extra
stuff, but I can't recall what was said. It would be worth asking the
maintainers of the conglomerate module packages why this is so.

Thanks, Kel.