Multiple 3 or more USB Logitech Webcams, how it works?
Konstantinpeterson
8月 19 2012 | 2:12 午前
Hello,
I need for a tracking task 6 Webcams, i have now tried 3 Logitech Webcams on a Windows 7 PC, but only two works at the same time.
Have someone experience, how i can use 6 Logitech Webcams at the same time?
MJ
8月 19 2012 | 12:14 午後
last spring i've been doing a project for a local opera house which involves 8 webcams. I used firewire cams (unibrain fire-i)instead of usb i had to make long distances and wanted to daisychain them . One problem i've encounterd was the amount of data which goes through one bus. i was using a macpro with 2 fire wire busses which are 4 firewire connectors . on each bus i could use 2 fire wire cams. there are examples on the net where people use 6 firewire cams on one bus . But in my case it didn't worked . I had to add a pci firewire card to the macpro to get two additional busses.
maybe for usb it works the same way .
Vjacobs
8月 20 2012 | 11:20 午前
It's tricky to have more USB webcams streaming at the same time on a Windows machine.
The Firewire standard has a better support of multiple streams of data flowing through a cable (the standard supports daisy chaining up to 63 devices). What is also important it's part of the standard that it lets you control the bandwidth of each camera as well as framerate and resolution.
The USB standard works in a different way, since all USB devices work in one of four sub-protocols: bulk, control, interrupt and isochronous, while a part of the bandwidth is always reserved to the USB protocol itself. Webcams operate in the isochronous protocol. Read more about this on: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/usb-technology,677.html
IMO, if you can't switch to Firewire for your project, be sure to get real 'USB 2.0 webcams' and hope that your camera's driver support multiple streams. This can only be tested through practice. People have good results with the Logitech Quickcam pro for Mac (3 cams at the same time) but i'm not sure whether it will work on Windows.
Secondly, if you have the possibility, I would surely try to install separate PCI-USB-cards to add busses to your system. For 6 cameras, I see this as the only possible option.
Konstantinpeterson
8月 24 2012 | 6:08 午後
MULTICAM IS POSSIBLE :D
FIRST Thank to everyone, who post here.
I have now on my windows7 Notebock 5 Logitech B500 Webcams parrallel in Max/MSP + 1 integred Notebook Cam.
If someone have question about this, contact me everytime musik@pisound.de
How i make this possible?
Important to know: 2 USB Ports, that are near to each other, they are the same as one USB Port.
so i do following:
my Notebook habe 3 USB Ports
2 right and 1 left.
1) i put 2 Webcams in the 2 USB ports right
2) I put the USB HUB in the one USB Port left, this USB HUB can read @ the same time 3 webcams.
So 2 Webcams from the right two ports and 3 Webcams from the USB HUB in the one left USB Port.
Now i stream parallel at the same time 5 Logitech B500 USB Webcams price 20€ and 1 Integred Notebock Webcam
I think that it es possible to have at the same time, 6 Webcams
It should go, if i use 2 USB HUB's one left and one right, so each of them should read 3 Webcams. i try it out, as i buy one USB HUB more
Vjacobs
8月 25 2012 | 8:59 午前
good to know...
Stefano Scarani
1月 09 2017 | 3:44 午後
Hi, I seen that this posts are old, but: I would like now if konstantin have resolved yhe problem. I must use 6 usb webcam in a single Apple MiniMac (i7 dualcore 8Gb), maybe using two active usb 2. hub (3 cam each), to control 6 interactive channels via jit.qt.grab. I've chek it with teo logitec + the build-in apple webcam, and they work. I don't know if 6 will be too much.
Stefano
Matth
1月 11 2017 | 10:18 午後
Hi Stefano, for me the solution is to use the app: Multiple PS eye and syphon. If you don't need fullhd camera
http://troikatronix.com/troikatronixforum/discussion/275/ps3-eye-ti-syphon-multiple-ps3-eye
Donn Shands
2月 13 2017 | 12:45 午前
I have several answers concerning using multiple usb webcams. For starters, I like to use Streaming on Vaughn Live.tv/ There are several of us that are musicians and groupies that enjoy hand pan, NA type flutes, guitar..and interesting synth projects.
A lot of the members will use Open Broad Cast, and others as myself, will sometimes use OB (old format) but prefer to use ManyCam pro.
Most of the members will just use one camera... But, I enjoy doing a lot of show and tell and the need for multiple cameras for multiple views is needed.
I will start with ManyCam pro. I have been using it for several years now...and it has gone through several nice up grades. Yes the free will let you test it... but it is like opening up a full tool box when you get the pro version.
Like almost everyone on the forum so far...we are pretty much limited to using just 3 web cams. But, you can sacrifice a little and you can use a lot more.
As one fellow said, he had success with dividing up the band width by using some USB ports in back and some on the front of computer.
I had a big crash...so installed a new Gigabyte mother board. it allows me a few ports on the back side...but it has two on board interfaces for 2.0 usb. and two on board interfaces for 3.0. I decided to come off board with all four ports, and put them into 2 ea 2.0 front of computer 4 port inputs, and 2 each 3.0 front of computer (7) input ports.
But......you soon find out....you can plug in all the cameras...even 5 of them....but no matter what....you can only use 3 of them at a time in Many Cam pro.
It is a good thing to open up computer, (I have Win 7 ultimate) go to top, click system properties, then device manager, then click on imaging devices. Like a lot of you...I have Logitec cams. 2 are C910 and 2 are C920. I added aAF full HD 1080pWeb cam which is an Ausdom , I picked up from E Bay just to have a different camera for experimentation.
Start by plugging in one camera at a time. Use a Logitec. I have not tested it for proof...but plugging in a C910 , then following with a C920 might help. When you plug in the second C910 and the second 920 they will still have the same identical names in DEVICE MANAGER. However.....when installing the cameras into Manycam pro...they will be listed as C910 1 and C910 2 and same with the C920 cams. The other usb cam will have a name assigned to it.
Now comes the hard learning part. You can only use three cameras. AT A TIME. So, learn which camera is where on the desk or room.
On the Many Cam box, right click on the corner and the selection of cameras available will come up. Click on one. you may have to click on another empty box, then come back and click on the cam and box you just chose. Usually, you will see your picture come up. Always wave at the camera.. It is a time saver...as down the road, you will for sure select one too many cams and the whole video capture program will freeze.
Should it freeze...about the only way to get it to work, is to actually hard re boot the computer with holding down the power button, Then wait and hit re start Win normally.
So, you go through the motions and pick two more cams. Wave at them...all wave back...you are ok.
Say you want to select another camera to show. Choose one of the active boxes on Many Cam and right click on it to see selections available. Say you were using one of the C910 cams, and wanted to stop it and use the second C910.....or even that other odd camera.
Choose the C910 that you no longer want to use... right click it....then select the other C910 you were using C910 1 and now want C910 2.
C9102 will come up. Wave at it ...all three working now? So, that is my way of using just three cameras active out of more than 3 available.
Many cam pro has other features built in. You can use other boxes on the selection page for other purposes. You can have ready a media file... such as a video. It will sit until you click on it and then it will be sent to the main screen.
You can use those other boxes for jpg files to be ready to show.
Many Cam pro has its own steaming up loader if needed, but If you want to use it with other programs, it can be seen as many cam pro. It can be seen when using Open Broad Cast. It can be seen with Adobe Flash Media Live Encoder 3.2. It can be seen by Corel video studio x9 , but it cannot be seen with Cyberlink Power Director.
Some things to be aware of. If you use Skype....it may not see any of the cameras .......that is if they are being used by Many Cam pro...or used by Open Broadcast. AND....the same goes for any of the other programs if Skype is using a camera....it has highjacked that camera and you will not be able to use it in any other program.
So, when you need any camera on the list on the device manager, make sure it is not being used by another program.
Open Broadcast is a little different. I have found that you can assign a source check box for view to each camera. Even a source box for ManyCam pro.
When streaming with Open Broadcast, you un click all boxes of sources you are not going to use. And, you use only one box at a time.
There are ways to get multiple images on a screen in Open Broadcast...but that is a way different post.
While you are previewing in OB...and you have made selection boxes for each of the sources of cameras...you can pick each camera....one at a time to show on screen. selecting more than one...just confuses the app...and my bomb it.
Some quirks I found. Say you have Many Cam pro up...and three cams selected. You want to open up another program, and you decide to downsize the app off the screen for a moment.
When you re expand the Many Cam to full screen again...all the pics are frozen...If you have not messed with other settings in Many Cam pro...one of the frames will start to move as you wave at the cameras...then in a second or so...the others wake up and wave back at you.
Learn to use the right click in ManyCam pro on certain boxes to find at the bottom of the list CLEAR....that will clear all selections that were made in that portion of the app. The big thing is only actively selecting just three cams. I few weird times I was able to get 4 cams going at once...but will cause more severe selection problems and a lot of computer crashes...and hard reboots.
Hope this helps, especially all the frustrated tinkerers on limited budgets
Win 7 ultimate I7 quad core
Donn
Tejasmed
Donn Shands
2月 13 2017 | 12:51 午前
I have several answers concerning using multiple usb webcams. For starters, I like to use Streaming on Vaughn Live.tv/ There are several of us that are musicians and groupies that enjoy hand pan, NA type flutes, guitar..and interesting synth projects.
A lot of the members will use Open Broad Cast, and others as myself, will sometimes use OB (old format) but prefer to use ManyCam pro.
Most of the members will just use one camera... But, I enjoy doing a lot of show and tell and the need for multiple cameras for multiple views is needed.
I will start with ManyCam pro. I have been using it for several years now...and it has gone through several nice up grades. Yes the free will let you test it... but it is like opening up a full tool box when you get the pro version.
Like almost everyone on the forum so far...we are pretty much limited to using just 3 web cams. But, you can sacrifice a little and you can use a lot more.
part 1
Donn
Tejasmed
Donn Shands
2月 13 2017 | 2:42 午前
I figured out how to use more than 3 web cams on Win 7
Too long to put it here... so attaching a pdf..
hope it goes through.
Donn
Tejasmed
Stefano Scarani
1月 18 2018 | 8:04 午前
Sorry for my delay. I've use at last 6 webcam (C270 Logitec) for an interactive installation. The installation was public-tested 3 months in Tarquinia (Italy) and shows in Roma (Italy) 3 months. All works very well, but there are two problems not fixed:
1 - This webcam need power from USB, so I used 2x USB powered hub (3 cams every hub): why 2 hub? Becouse the declared power of every hub is not thrue. So more than 3 or 4 webcam can be a problem. Well this is not a very hard problem.
2 - Max see all webcam without problems (@ 32 bit, there are a lots of problems with jit.grab @ 64, but will fix soon). The problem is the ID of the wecam: I can fix the webcam order in Max, so every morning the cams order is different (so I work with the camera 1 and the sound can be out from the position 3...). How I've fix this problem; using an USB hubs with switch, I switch on the camera 1 and manually starts the detection of the first webcam, and so on. This is good in a performance, but not in an interactive installation in a museum.
Any ideas? Maybe using IP cam, but I've never try it in Max.
The platform: Apple MacOS 10.12 (Sierra) with Max 7.3.5 in a MacMini i7 (16 Gb).
The installation "Tactus" website: http://www.tangatamanu.com/portfolio/emap/emap_tactus/emap_tactus.html
yurki
10月 10 2019 | 7:29 午後
Hello!
I'm working right now on an art installation with 8 webcams attached to a macmini with powered usb hubs. While testing, sometimes not all 8 webcams were found by macos (so also not in jit.grab). Disconnecting and connecting the usb cables solved this problem though.
Meanwhile, the art installation is being built and there are only 6 webcams running now. Connecting/disconnecting doesn't seem to work anymore though. Also, it got harder to actually reach the macmini to do this often.
Does anybody have an idea how to maybe reset the usb ports with software/terminal or has another tip for us?
Already tried but no luck:
- sudo killall VDCAssistant
- sudo launchctl stop com.apple.usbd; sudo launchctl start com.apple.usbd
- booting the system
Setup
- The 'webcams' are usb endoscopes used by docters.
- macmini: 2018
- Mojave/max8
Stefano Scarani
10月 11 2019 | 5:26 午前
Hi, a question to understand the problem: do you use a USB hub for the webcams? Is the USB hub active? The webcams use a lot of power energy, and a maybe the hub is not able to supply this energy. I've had the same problem with 6 webcams, and I change the power supply of a usb active hub, and now they works well. Also, I use a usb hub with switch for every port, to turn on the cams one at time, and connect to the right grab input.
And other: if you use some usb extension cable, must be an active extension.
yurki
10月 11 2019 | 6:55 午後
Hey Stefeno,
thank you for your help, it's much appreciated!
The usb-c hubs were not active and we replaced them with actives today, but it didn't help.
We have indeed active usb extension cables. The odd thing we found out today is that disconnecting the cameras and plugging them back in at the Mac mini itself did not have an effect. But from the Mac mini there's first a shorter usb cable and then the long active extension cables (and then the cameras) and doing the same thing between those cables actually made the disappeared cameras appear again.
I have no explanation for this mysterious behavior, but we got them all 8 working now and it seems stable. We will keep the Mac mini running because that seems more stable, booting sometimes made them disappear again.
Stefano Scarani
10月 12 2019 | 7:24 午前
The main problem is often the lack of adequate power supply, but there may also be some hardware ID incopatabilities. Lately I have had to replace a 7 port active USB hub with two different hubs to power the same webcams, as if the available electric current had decreased (and with a Mac mini). The best thing would be to use WiFi cameras to have independent power supplies and easy IP channel control. With usb I have not yet managed to understand how to address each individual webcam to the desired channel, because the numbering changes according to the variable order in which they switch on by themselves.