Michael

 I can get two to work simultaneously using jit.qt.grab. As soon as I add the third camera, I get the following error in the Max window: 

error -536870164 setting vdig compression type

Now, I can use two of these webcams plus an internal iSight webcam with no problem (so I 

 can get 3 webcams working -- Jitter can handle it). Do any of you have any thoughts as to how I can get all three external cams working? Is it a driver issue? Does anyone have a scenario where they can get 3 (or, gasp, 4!) cams working simultaneously?

So I have 3 Creative Labs webcams (http://bit.ly/Olw2Dt). I can get two to work simultaneously using jit.qt.grab. As soon as I add the third camera, I get the following error in the Max window: error -536870164 setting vdig compression type

Now, I can use two of these webcams plus an internal iSight webcam with no problem (so I technically can get 3 webcams working -- Jitter can handle it). Do any of you have any thoughts as to how I can get all three external cams working? Is it a driver issue? Does anyone have a scenario where they can get 3 (or, gasp, 4!) cams working simultaneously?

jitter-multiple-webcams

two months ago i did a project with 8 cams simultaneously . i used firewire cams . (unibrain fire-i) .

i had to add an extra firewire pci board to my macpro . on each firewire bus i could only use 2 cams due to bandwith.

probably the same with usb. the isight is on an other usb bus then the usb ports

dont know how many busses the mba has. maybe you can add some more with a pciexpres card or something ...

two months ago i did a project with 8 cams  simultaneously . i used firewire cams . (unibrain fire-i) .
i had to add an extra firewire pci board to my macpro . on each firewire bus  i could only use 2 cams due to bandwith.

probably the same with usb. the isight is on an other usb bus then the usb ports
dont know how many busses the mba has.  maybe you can add some more with a pciexpres card or something ...


Wow, that's kind of a bowl of suck, if not entirely surprising. Unfortunately the machine I'm using for video has no expansion (2011 Mini), so I'm stuck.

you could try to lower res or fps . or use a third fire wire cam ...

I totally forgot that this mini had a firewire port (I've been living with a MBA for so long that I've just stopped thinking about firewire). Good solution -- I dragged out an old (!) iSight camera, and I'm able to get 3 cameras working simultaneously: 2 of the creative labs cams and 1 iSight. I will see if I can get a second iSight on the FW bus for a total of 4 cameras, and I'll report back.

FWIW, with 3 cameras running, with no FX or shaders, I'm at 33% CPU, so it looks like the machine will at least be able to handle it.

Now I just have to find another iSight somewhere...

Jitter - Multiple webcams